CALL FOR ARTICLES EJVC: ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF VIRTUAL CULTURE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Special Issue: Gender Issues in Computer Networking Issue Editor: Leslie Regan Shade (czsl@musica.mcgill.ca; shade@well.sf.ca.us) EJVC is a new peer-reviewed electronic journal dedicated to scholarly research and discussion of all aspects of computer- mediated human experience, behavior, action, and interaction. This special issue of the EJVC will be devoted to gender issues in networking. Despite the abundance of various private networks and the meteoric growth of the Internet,this rapidly expanding user base does not include an equal proportion of men and women. How can women become equally represented in the new "electronic frontier" of cyberspace? Issues to be discussed can include, but are not limited to, the following: *Access issues--to hardware, software, and training. What barriers do women face? What are some success stories? *How can women be given the technical expertise to become comfortable and versatile with computer networking? *Interface design: can there be a feminist design? *How can networking realize its potential as a feminist tool? *How can woman scholars exploit networking's technology? *What information technology policies could be developed to ensure computer networking equity for women, as well as minorities? *How does one define computer pornography and "offensive" material on the net? Should it be allowed? *How should sexual harassment on the net be treated? *Are women-only groups necessary? *How do women interact on MUDS and MOOs? *What net resources exist for women? Deadlines: December 1, 1993 submission of abstracts April 1, 1994 submission of contributions Abstracts will be reviewed by the issue editor for appropriate- ness of content and overall balance of the issue as a whole. In turn, authors will then be invited to submit full-length contributions, which will be peer-reviewed by the journal's normal editorial process before final acceptance for publication. The issue editor encourages correspondence about proposed contributions even before submission of an abstract. Potential contributors may obtain a more detailed statement about the focus and range of this special issue by sending electronic mail to the issue editor with the Subject line: EJVC Issue or by anonymous ftp to byrd.mu.wvnet.edu, directory /pub/ejvc, get ejvc.shade.call. Further information about EJVC may be obtained by sending e-mail to LISTSERV@KENTVM.BITNET or LISTSERV@KENTVM.KENT.EDU with one or more of the following lines in the text: SUBSCRIBE EJVC-L YourFirst LastName GET EJVC WELCOME INDEX EJVC-L Also, the file is available by anonymous ftp to byrd.mu.wvnet.edu in the pub/ejvc directory. Focus Statement for EJVC Special Issue: Gender Issues in Computer Networking Issue Editor: Leslie Regan Shade (czsl@musica.mcgill.ca; shade@well.sf.ca.us) How can women become equally represented in the new "electronic frontier" of cyberspace? Despite the abundance of various private networks and the meteoric growth of the Internet,this rapidly expanding user base does not include an equal proportion of men and women. The breakdown of gender usage on various networks is difficult to gauge, but it is safe to say that women are typically under-represented on most networks. As well, problems of monopolization of postings by men and sexual harassment have been reported. How can we ensure that this digital domain will become and remain a symbiotic place for both men and women? What networking policies can be formulated to ensure equity? How can women be encouraged to become electronically savvy? What spaces exist for women? Is online conversation between men and women different? Issues to be discussed can include, but are not limited to the following: *Access issues--to hardware, software, and training. What barriers do women face? What are some success stories? *How can women be given the technical expertise to become comfortable and versatile with computer networking? *Interface design: can there be a feminist design? *How can networking realize its potential as a feminist tool? *How can woman scholars exploit networking's technology? *What information technology policies could be developed to ensure computer networking equity for women, as well as minorities? *How does one define computer pornography and "offensive" material on the networks? *Should pornography be allowed on the net? *How should sexual harassment on the net be treated? *Are women-only groups necessary? *How do women interact on MUDS and MOOs? *What net resources exist for women? Deadlines: December 1, 1993 submission of abstracts April 1, 1994 submission of contributions Abstracts will be reviewed by the issue editor for appropriate- ness of content and overall balance of the issue as a whole. In turn, authors will then be invited to submit full-length contributions, which will be peer-reviewed by the journal's normal editorial process before final acceptance for publication. The issue editor encourages correspondence about proposed contributions even before submission of an abstract.