[Web4lib] Call for Papers: Computer-Mediated Communication across Cultures: International Interactions in Online Environments

[Sigrid Kelsey]

Call for Chapter Proposal – Submission Deadline Nov. 30, 2009
For the Edited Collection
Computer-Mediated Communication across Cultures:
International Interactions in Online Environments
Edited by Kirk St.Amant, East Carolina University
and
Sigrid Kelsey, Louisiana State University

To be published by IGI Global:
http://www.igi-global.com/requests/details.asp?ID=742

OVERVIEW OF TOPIC AREA

International online access has grown rapidly in recent years with the
number of global Internet users currently at just over one billion.
This increased global access, however, brings with it a variety of new
conditions and concerns that could markedly affect international
interactions in online environments.  Differences in language,
cultural communication expectations, laws, and software standards are
but some of the factors individuals need to consider when using online
media to interact with individuals from different countries and
cultures.  This collection will address these issues by exploring the
various aspects that could affect communication and comprehension in
international online interactions.

The primary objective of this text is to provide readers with in-depth
information on the various linguistic, cultural, technological, legal,
and other factors that affect interactions in online exchanges.
Through examining such topics, this collection would help readers make
more effective decisions related to the uses and design of online
media when interacting with individuals from other cultures. This
primary objective would also accomplish two secondary, but equally
important, objectives:

    * The collection would provide readers with the foundational
knowledge needed to communicate effectively with individuals from
other countries and cultures via online media.
    * The collection would provide readers with the knowledge needed
to create effective online materials for users (clients, students,
colleagues, etc.) from other countries and cultures.

AUDIENCE FOR THIS PROPOSED TEXT

The primary audience for this book would include seven groups that
would use this text for a variety of reasons.  These audiences/groups
are:

    * Executives, managers, and other business decision makers
    * Marketers, service providers, and support personnel
    * Researchers (both academic and corporate) studying
cross-cultural discourse in online environments
    * Educators who teach in online learning environments
    * Educational administrators who manage international students
participating in online programs
    * Administrators of international non-profit agencies

RECOMMENDED TOPICS

Prospective subject areas and specific topics for this publication
include, but are not limited to, the following:

The Growth of Global Online Access

    * Historical developments affecting international Internet access
and developments or trends currently affecting international online
access
    * The global digital divide and public and private projects used
to expand international Internet use.

Language, Culture, and Online Communication

    * Linguistic and other cultural communication factors affecting
online exchanges
    * Implications linguistic or cultural communication differences
could have for future developments related to online communication
    * English as a global language and how cultural groups use
different kinds of online media

Technology, Compatibility, and International Online Discourse

    * Technological factors that affect if, how, and when individuals
from different nations use online media to locate or to exchange
information
    * Different kinds of software and hardware/computing technology
used to interact online
    * Effects telecommunications infrastructures of different regions
have on online access in those areas

 Law, Policy, and International Internet Use

    * Legal standards or policy stances affecting how individuals in
different nations use online media
    * Different national privacy and copyright laws affecting the
nature of international online interactions
    * Policies of government monitoring that affect uses of online
media in different nations
    * Policies on infrastructure developments that affect online
access in different regions

Markets, Economics, and International E-commerce

    * Economic conditions affecting how individuals in different
nations use online media
    * Prospects of using online media to tap overseas markets
    * Corporate plans for expanding online access into different
regions (especially developing nations)
    * E-marketing practices related to global audiences
    * International outsourcing’s affects on online access in different regions
    * Economic factors affecting the language and design choices used
when interacting online

Globalization, Education, and Online Environments

    * Educational factors affecting online access and use in different regions
    * Effects of globalization on online education and enrollments in
online programs
    * Examinations of how different educational contexts and practices
affect uses of online media
    * Discussions of how online environments can improve education in
different regions

Perspectives on the Future of Global Cyberspace

    * Future development of international online access and discourse
in global cyberspace
    * Establishing global standards for online discourse (or online
legal practices)
    * Examining how technology developments might change the nature of
international cyberspace
    * Discussions of what increased global online access might mean
for domestic online interactions

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Prospective authors are invited to submit chapter proposals of 200-500
words on or before November 30, 2009.  In their proposal, prospective
authors should clearly explain:

    * The purpose and the contents of their proposed chapter
    * How their proposed chapter relates to the overall objectives of the book

Authors will be notified of the status of their proposal and sent
chapter organization guidelines by December 15, 2009.  Drafts of
chapters will be due by March 15, 2010.

Please send inquiries or submit material electronically (Rich Text
files) to the editor at

kirk.stamant at gmail.com