Call for papers: Building & Bridging Community Networks: Knowledge, Innovation & Diversity through Communication

The Committee of the " Building & Bridging Community Networks: Knowledge, Innovation & Diversity through Communication"  conference issues a call for your participation in an exciting opportunity to network with others engaged in:

• community networking,
• community informatics and
• community technology research, practice and policy.

This international conference will help a range of people with different roles to share their knowledge about:

• the use of community technologies to build and sustain healthy communities; and
• the development of networks to achieve this goal.

The conference forms part of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) research project (RES-328-25-0012), funded through the People at the Centre of Communication and Information Technology (PACCIT) research programme. It is intended to act as a catalyst for creating connections between people involved in community networking and those interested in developing collaborative networks between community technology practice, policy & research.

For full details of the PACCIT research project Community Network Analysis and ICTs: Bridging and Building Community Ties please visit:

http://www.cmis.brighton.ac.uk/research/seake/cna/

The Brighton conference provides an excellent opportunity for anyone involved in community networking to establish links and share experiences and knowledge with people, groups and organisations from around the world. This encompasses the related areas of community networking, community informatics, community technology and the use of ICT as tools supporting the processes of community development, community engagement, community learning and community practice.

It includes:

• Researchers - people currently involved in research projects in this field;
• Practitioners - people working in community settings who are trying to understand how technology can be used to support community development; and
• Policy makers - people responsible for understanding how new technologies can be used at a strategic level to develop stronger communities.

The aim is to create synergy and understanding between people with different perspectives on similar problems. The conference will help them share their knowledge about the issues and problems surrounding community networking and community technology. It will specifically help identify, articulate, record and share that knowledge in the form of a dynamic and ongoing community networking knowledgebase.

The programme is still being finalised and we want to encourage input from as many people as possible. Please contact Dr Peter Day to discuss what you could offer, which could include short presentations, extended abstracts, position papers, full papers, posters, workshops, panels or roundtables.

The following is a list of discussion areas that have been suggested so far. They are by no means exhaustive and we welcome your views and opinions on developing the conference agenda.

• Identifying and understanding community needs
• Community technology projects/initiatives
• Community networking case studies
• Community network analysis as practice, methodology and theory
• Community Informatics as an emerging research agenda
• The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the role of Civil Society
• Communication and Development - theory and practice
• A human-centred approach to community technology - moving beyond causality to purposiveness
• Indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity
• Grass-roots community innovation and action
• Building connectivity between community practice and community research
• Community technology policy - when do ordinary people get a look in?

cademic submissions: Academic and research submissions of extended abstracts and position papers should be no more than 1500 words. Full papers including citations, tables, diagrams and references should be no more than 5000 words. Harvard citation style is mandatory and the conference language is English. Academic submissions should be sent by 15th February, 2004 . All academic submissions will be blind peer reviewed by two referees.

We welcome other ideas for contributions and submissions from practitioners and policy makers. Please contact Dr Peter Day at p.day@btinternet.com in the first instance putting CNA in the subject line.

Important Dates:

Conference: 31st March - 2nd April, 2004
Venue: Old Ship Hotel, Brighton , East Sussex , England

Practitioners are welcome to adhere to these dates but those interested in participating or contributing to the conference in less formal ways than academic publications can contact me at any time.

Academic extended abstracts, position papers and full papers should be submitted by 15 th February, 2004 .

Notifications of acceptance/rejection will be sent by 25 th February, 2004

All amended submissions should be received by 15 th March, 2004

All successful extended abstracts, position papers and full papers will appear in the conference proceedings. It is also anticipated that an edited book and various journal publications will result as an outcome of the conference.

Conference Costs:

Conference registration fee 31st March - 2nd April £150:00

Conference day rate (including lunch) £60:00

Conference Dinner £30:00

3 days accommodation at conference hotel (including all meals) £300:00 (per day £100:00)

Delegates staying at the conference hotel and arriving prior to 31 st March are entitled to a specially negotiated conference Bed & Breakfast rate of £70 per day. Please mention the conference when booking.

Fee reductions

The organisers would like to encourage participation by people from the community sector i.e. staff and volunteers from not for profit community and voluntary organisations. Consequently, we are making 5 places, in the first instance, available at reduced rates on a first come first served basis. This offer does not, unfortunately, include accommodation costs. Please contact Dr Peter Day if you are interested.

Conference Programme Committee
The conference programme committee is currently being recruited. We invite offers to participate and especially welcome offers from practitioners and policy.

Please forward to relevant lists, and please excuse cross-postings

Many thanks

Peter Day

Project Manager, Community Network Analysis and ICTs: Bridging and Building Community Ties, University of Brighton and Non-executive Director, Sussex Community Internet Project

p.day@btinternet.com