First Monday September 2005

Dear Reader,

The September 2005 issue of First Monday (volume 10, number 9) is now
available at http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/

-------

Table of Contents

Volume 10, Number 9 - September 5th 2005

The economy of phishing: A survey of the operations of the phishing market
by Christopher Abad http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/abad/

Abstract:
Phishing has been defined as the fraudulent acquisition of personal
information by tricking an individual into believing the attacker is a
trustworthy entity. Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and
are on the rise. In order to develop effective strategies and solutions to
combat the phishing problem, one needs to understand the infrastructure in
which phishing economies thrive.

We have conducted extensive research to uncover phishing networks.
The result is detailed analysis from 3,900,000 phishing e-mails, 220,000
messages collected from 13 key phishing-related chat rooms, 13,000 chat
rooms and 48,000 users, which were spidered across six chat networks and
4,400 compromised hosts used in botnets.

This paper presents the findings from this research as well as an analysis
of the phishing infrastructure.

-------

Podcasting: A new technology in search of viable business models by Sheri
Crofts, Jon Dilley, Mark Fox, Andrew Retsema, and Bob Williams
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/crofts/

Abstract:
Podcasting has become popular as it allows listeners to time-shift
content, i.e., to listen - when it suits them - to radio-like programming
on portable MP3 and related devices. Dissatisfaction with traditional
radio - which has too much advertising and is perceived to have generic
programming - is fueling interest in programming that better meets the
individual needs and interests of consumers.
Podcasting represents a shift from mass broadcasting to on-demand
personalized media. We look at the development of podcasting technology,
the social context within which this development has occurred, and outline
the legal constraints that podcasters face.
Then we examine some business models for podcasting.

-------

Hacking for a cause
by Brian Still
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/still/

Abstract:
This paper explores the concept of hacktivism, which is hacking for a
political or social cause on the Internet. Generally hackers, even
those hacking government-sponsored sites, have been negatively
stereotyped as malicious thrill seekers or, worse yet,
cyberterrorists. But increasingly there are more politically
motivated hackers distancing themselves from cyberterrorism by
engaging in hacktivism that is intent more upon disruption than
disobedience. Certain hacktivists, in fact, have created tools or
taken advantage of those already available to provide freedom of
speech in the electronic frontier for those living in oppressive
nation-states. This paper will show that these hacktivists are, far
from being online terrorists or thrill-seekers, organized,
technically skilled, politically conscious and socially aware
hacktivists who seek to challenge the authority of oppressive
nation-states.

-------

Professors online: The Internet's impact on college faculty
by Steve Jones and Camille Johnson-Yale
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/jones/

Abstract:
This paper reports on findings from a nationwide survey of Internet
use by U.S. college faculty. The survey asked about general Internet
use, use of specific Internet technologies (e-mail, IM, Web, etc.),
the Internet's impact on teaching and research, its impact on
faculty-student interactions, and about faculty perceptions of
students' Internet use. There is general optimism, though little
evidence, about the Internet's impacts on their professional lives.
The findings show that institutions of higher education still need to
address three broad areas (infrastructure, professional development,
and teaching and research) to assist faculty to continue to make good
use of the Internet in their professional work.

-------

Software and seeds: Open source methods
by Margaret E.I. Kipp
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/kipp/

Abstract:
Open source methodologies used in software are interrogated and then
compared to the methods used in farmers' rights groups. The use of
open source methods in other contexts illustrates increasing interest
in grassroots democratic movements participating in the continuing
process of balance between public and private interests. These
efforts provide a possible alternate framework for policy decisions
concerning intellectual property.

-------

Using virtual lectures to educate students on plagiarism
by Laura A. Guertin
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/guertin/

Abstract:
Plagiarism is a concern on all university campuses. Some of the main
issues pertaining to plagiarism violations are student
misunderstanding or inconsistent and lack of instruction. Virtual
lectures are an electronic resource available to students throughout
the semester to aid them in proper citation and avoiding academic
integrity violations. The technological tool of virtual lectures is
also useful for communicating rules of ethics and other regulations
for industry or other areas of employment outside of academia.

-------

Cats in the classroom: Online learning in hybrid space
by Michelle M. Kazmer
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/kazmer/

Abstract:
Students and professors create a shared on-campus classroom
environment through individual and collaborative contributions.
Similar contributions go into the design of an online classroom.
Online instructors build the learning environment to create a shared
learning experience, and designers of course management software
reinforce this consistency. Examining the online classroom as "hybrid
space" - comprising physical and online space - reveals a more
complex reality than a seamless learning environment. Students and
instructors share a learning experience, but they also occupy local
environments that influence their learning and indirectly influence
the experience of everyone in the online class

-------

Electronic courseware in higher education
by Maureen C. Minielli and S. Pixy Ferris
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/minielli/

Abstract:
The rising costs of education often lead to the call for a change
from the traditional, space-and-time bound institutions to ones that
offer increasingly cost-effective, technologically enhanced programs.
As institutions of higher education turn to technology, primarily
Internet-based, to address these challenges, the use of electronic
courseware is dramatically increasing. In order to effectively
utilize electronic courseware in the classroom, educators not only
need to be aware of terminology, functions, and uses of the most
popular types of electronic courseware, but also (and perhaps more
importantly) educators need to develop and critique pedagogically
based research that can, at the broader level, help educators at
various levels of technological expertise learn and adapt their
teaching styles to maximize student learning.

In this paper we consider electronic course management systems from a
pedagogical perspective, with the goal of aiding educators to
effectively utilize electronic courseware in the classroom. By
discussing the basics (such as terminology, functions, and uses of
the most popular types of electronic courseware) and examining
pedagogically based research we hope, at the broader level, to help
educators at various levels of technological expertise learn and
adapt their teaching styles to maximize student learning.

----------------------------

Habermas' heritage: The future of the public sphere in the network society
by Pieter Boeder
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/boeder/

Abstract:
In the digital age, the discussion about the public sphere has at the same
time become increasingly relevant and increasingly problematic. The
validity and relevance of post–modern critique to Habermas’ concept of the
public sphere cannot be denied, yet the concept of a public sphere and
Habermas’ notion of a critical publicity is still extremely valuable for
media theory today.

The public sphere is subject to dramatic change; one might even argue that
it is on the verge of extinction. Computer–mediated communication has
taken the place of coffeehouse discourse, and issues such as media
ownership and commodification pose serious threats to the free flow of
information and freedom of speech on the Web. I don't believe the
situation is quite that serious. I will give an introductory overview of
Habermas’ theoretical concept and point out that it is conceptual rather
than physical.

I will describe why Habermas’ key concept is valuable for media theory
today. Further, I will give an overview of the main issues, debates and
problems that arose around the concept of the public sphere in the decades
that followed. I will conclude that the notion of the public sphere is not
a static one, but subject to change, and show how the theoretical concept
of the public sphere is being used to work out viable options for a
digital future and models for positive change.

----------------------------

You've received this message because you're registered to First Monday's
Table of Contents service. You can unsubscribe to this service by sending a
reply containing the word unsubscribe in the body of the message or use the
form at http://firstmonday.org/join.html

First Monday Editorial Group