Blogging on CFP: WWW2004 Workshop on the Weblogging Ecosystem: Aggregation, Analysis and Dynamics

The International Conference on the World Wide Web http://www2004.org/ has issued a call for papers for the 'Workshop on the Weblogging Ecosystem: Aggregation, Analysis and Dynamics'.

The Theme of the Workshop is research into the dynamics, sociology and mining of the blogsphere.

To quote directly
Weblogging has emerged in the past few years as a new grassroots publishing medium. Like electronic mail and the web itself, weblogging has taken off and by some estimates the number of weblogs is doubling every year. Recent estimates place the number of active weblogs at about 1.4 million.

The weblogging microcosm has evolved into a distinct form, into a community of publishers. The strong sense of community amongst bloggers distinguishes weblogs from the various forms of online publications such as online journals, 'zines and newsletters that flourished in the early days of the web and from traditional media such as newspapers, magazines and television. The use of weblogs primarily for publishing, as opposed to discussion, differentiates blogs from other online community forums, such as Usenet newsgroups and message boards. Often referred to as the blogsphere, the network of bloggers is a thriving ecosystem, with its own internally driven dynamics.

The cross-linking that takes place between blogs, through blogrolls, explicit linking, trackbacks, and referrals has helped create a strong sense of community in the weblogging world. There is work underway to understand the dynamics of the weblogging network, much of which springs from bloggers themselves. The self-publishing aspect of weblogs, the time-stamped entries, the highly interlinked nature of the blogging community and the significant impact of weblog content on politics, ideas, and culture make them a fascinating subject of study.

Important Dates
Deadline of electronic submission: March 12 , 2004
Author notification: April 14, 2004
Workshop: May 17 or 18, 2004