From: jtchew@Csa2.LBL.Gov (Joseph T Chew)
Subject:  Update on 1992 IEEE Professional Communication Conference
Date:     Mon, 20 May 91 18:48:29 PDT



The May meeting went well.  This was the dog-and-pony show at which we,
the conference organizers, convinced the IEEE Professional Communication 
Society's administrative committee that we had our act together.  

Particularly relevant for you folks is my idea for a three- or four-hour, 
multi-speaker Exploration in Depth of electronic interaction.  As we know, 
online or electronic interaction, sometimes included under the broader 
rubric of "cyberspace," is interesting and different from other forms of 
communication in many ways.  They include the sociology of interaction, the 
rhetoric of the virtual "documents,"  and the life cycle and dissemination of
information.  There are many specific topics within this area, encompassing 
E-mail, bulletin boards, widely distributed collaborative writing, and some 
experiments with online scholarly journals.  Different game, different rules,
different risks and rewards.  

I am put in mind of the stately debate, in print over some period of time,
between Arthur Clarke, who envisioned a future in which people sit at home 
and type at each other, and Robert Heinlein, who thought we monkeys need
our face-to-face interaction.  (Note that we are going to do the latter to 
talk about the former.)  But I digress.  The point is that the IEEE committee 
bought this idea, and several people confirmed my impression that the 
subject is new and hot and, thus far, inadequately studied.  The bottom line:  
we're on; go for it!

Incidentally, we ask that everybody who presents ought to publish, with
the exception of ceremonial speakers -- and that everybody who publishes 
should at least promise to present.  The first rule was made because thoughts 
worth presenting are worth writing down for access by other scholars and 
practicioners in the field.  The second rule helps discourage certain bounders 
who want to have a publication to put on their resume without actually 
participating in the conference.  (This should not be a tremendous problem, 
since we are putting out a mere "conference record" rather than a refereed 
"proceedings" -- the former is much less significant on an academic's 
publications list -- but nonetheless it happens.)  

We're not accepting "publish only" papers.  However, if you have something 
worthwhile to say and you don't anticipate being physically or financially
able to participate, let me know; I can perhaps arrange collaboration with
someone who does indeed plan to attend.

Those who give invited orals -- that covers most of you unless you opt for 
posters -- get four pages (two sheets).  Those who give posters or contributed 
orals, as well as each member of a panel, will get two pages.

Participants are specifically and emphatically encouraged to publish amplified
versions of their conference papers in the refereed literature, preferably, of
course, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.  
 
Here are some dates in our increasingly "real" plans:

*  Call for Papers officially goes out:  September 1991.
*  Deadline for proposals:  24 January 1992.
     - Program committee interacts with authors as need be -
*  Letters of Acceptance go out:  7 March 1992.
     - Committee continues to work with authors to ensure quality papers -
*  Authors' kits go out:  mid-March 1992.
*  Deadline for camera-ready papers:  1 August 1992
*  Conference:  30 September through 2 October, Santa Fe, NM 

Thank you for your continued interest.  Let the ideas flow, and let's keep 
in touch.  I'm virtually at JTCHEW@lbl.gov, acoustically at 
(415) 486-5374, and mechanically at LBL/AFRD, 1 Cyclotron Road,
50/149, Berkeley, CA 94720.

--Joe

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