Manuscripts will be accepted until Sept. 15, 1996 for this second issue, which will focus on, from both pragmatic and theoretical perspectives, the positive and negative effects of computer technology as it applies to home, work, and education.

Much has been written/discussed--on the Net, on "teevee," in newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals and anthologies--about how and why computer technology is transforming our lives. We hope to compile these multiple perspectives into one issue. How is online communication transforming our lives (if, in fact, it is)? How has it changed or not changed our perceptions of the world, of human relationships, of community? How and why are individuals, workers, educators applying this technology. How has it (dis)served them? What does the future hold for this medium? What are the social effects of computer technology in relation to class and race? These, and numerous other questions, we wish to address in our next Forum. To view the Spring 1996 Webgeist Forum click here:

Webgeist Forum

Also, we continue to make our general call for stories and poems, book, video, movie, and CD reviews, as well as anything in the other categories listed below. Graphic artists are encouraged to submit small (30-50K) JPG or GIF files of artwork.

Additionally, as you might expect of a magazine named Webgeist, we will continue to compile cybercentric neologisms. If you have made up a word or can provide one, please send it to us with attribution [see example at the end of this message].

Please see the Guide for Authors below, which lists the several categories of writings we would like to publish. Either query or send complete manuscripts.

All manuscripts should be emailed to:

Patrick Bjork: bjork@plains.nodak.edu
Richard Cummins: rcummins@ctc.ctc.edu
Information about the Co-Editors: Pictures/Bios

GUIDE FOR AUTHORS

Webgeist  is published quarterly on the Wide World Web at http://www.ctc.edu/~rcummins. Intended as an electronic magazine for academics and intellectuals who are weary of theoretical mumbo-jumbo, Webgeist  seeks to provides fresh perspectives on topical matters in art, culture, and society. Since the magazine is a free 'zine, there is no remuneration to authors, who retain copyright of their work.

The readership includes teachers, scholars and researchers in many fields and lay readers of diverse backgrounds. A Webgeist  article is written clearly and simply and avoids technical terms or jargon. All submissions are evaluated in terms of clarity, originality, relevance, authority, and relation to the issue's topic.

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS

Categories for contributions include Articles, Book Reviews, CD Reviews, Film and Video Reviews, News and Commentary, Letters to the Editors, Poetry, and Forum (the topic of that particular issue), which may include the following: longer thought pieces, jokes, top ten lists, short zingers.

Articles: Articles may be evaluative, explanatory, or argumentative, but will be well-focused discussions of topical interest to readers involved in education: citizens, teachers, students, administrators, staff. Articles can be on any subject. We are particularly interested in articles that bring a fresh perspective to old stuff or that introduce new material.

Even on the Web, space is a consideration because many accepted articles will be awaiting publication, and many excellent articles will not be published. Be concise. Articles are typically 500-2000 words (about two to eight double-spaced typewritten pages). Articles should be organized around one central point or theme.

Articles should be preceded by a ten- to twenty-word summary of the central point, which will in most cases be included with the article. Since we don't have much in the way of graphics or layout, the abstract will be a reader's aid. Also include your name, address, affiliation, telephone numbers, and email address. Unless otherwise requested, the author's email address will be included with the article. Please include a brief, one- or two-sentence biographical note. If you do not wish to have your email address included, please state so.

Book, CD, and Video Reviews: Most reviews are about 500-1500 words. Both solicited and unsolicited reviews are used. Include the publication data at the top of the article (Title, author, publisher, city, year, number of pages, hardcover or paper or both, price, OR Title, artist, label, year, number of cuts, price, OR Title, director, cast, studio or production company, year, running time, format, price). Include a small JPG scan (20-30K) of the book jacket, cover, or poster, for illustration, if possible.

News and Comment: News articles from 250-1000 words are welcome. They should involve timely events that pertain to the issue's Forum or to education and academia in general. Be balanced and fair when appropriate, but satire and humor are always welcomed.

Forum: The Forum consists of longer pieces of non-fiction that explore aspects of that issue's particular theme [see "Call for Submissions"].

Poetry & Fiction: Each issue will include a few poems and a couple of stories. No particular style is encouraged, though doggerel and polemics are discouraged.

Letters to the Editors: This section is reserved for issues that arose in preceding issues. Letters should not be more than 200 words. Representative letters will be published, and where it is relevant, authors whose views or writing has been criticized will be asked to respond.

Mechanical requirements for manuscripts: all mss. should be in email format. For reference citations in text, please use author-date style (Schmoe 1995) or Schmoe (1995). Alphabetize entries in a References section. Give full names of journals. If explanatory notes are required, please number them and include them in a Notes section preceding the References section.

We strongly encourage JPG or GIF files for graphics, illustrations, and so on. While these will not be available for the email version of the magazine, they will be included in the version archived at the Webgeist  Website.

Examples of newly coined words--please send yours! Here are four of mine. --Rich Cummins, co-editor

Webweltanschauung: a wide world web view of things; associative, hypertextual; the awareness that one thing exists only to lead to another, intuitive.

Webschmertz: information sickness, the angst felt by the hyper-textualized.

Evenue: an associative offramp from the information superhighway.

Webgeist: the spirit of the Web, which, at the moment, is wide-open, naive, and democratic.

Kairos: A Journal for Teachers of Writing in Webbed Environments.
Vol. 1 No. 3 Autumn 1996