*** Special Session on Collaborative Technologies for Online Communities of Support***

**Special Session in The 2016 International Conference on Collaboration Technologies and Systems**

** In cooperation with ACM, IEEE, and IFIP**

** http://cts2016.cisedu.info/2-conference/special-sessions---cts-2016/ss07-ctocs2016 **

**October 31 – November 04, 2016 in Orlando (FL), USA**

This special session will look at the impact of designing technologies for online communities of support.  Online communities of support are virtual communities whose members interact with each other primarily via the Internet, and through processes of participation and reification, community members both support and challenge one another, and where interaction with peers is seen as a critical process in the development of new understandings and negotiated meaning, within the community. These communities range from harm reduction and health and wellness communities to managing homelessness, and dealing with addictions.Designing technologies based on the needs of online communities of support harness a lot of potential for amplifying the work of communities, in both engagement, activism and organizing. However, technologies have also brought about new challenges to both the designers and communities. As such in this special session we want to explore the challenges surrounding designing for online communities of support from both sides. Specifically, we want to focus on

1.	issues around engaging with online communities of support;
2.	on methods issues and practical considerations when designing for online communities of support;
3.	on the abilities and limits of communities to control the design;
4.	 on the impact of the designs to the communities; 
5.	And on the surrounding ethical issues.

The special session will be a collaborative and hands-on space in which we practically come and understand issue around data and share knowledge and experiences.

We are open to, but not confined to topics/themes relating to the 5 areas identified. Our criteria for participant selection will be based generating an inclusive, diverse discussion at the special session. We would like to have researchers and practitioners with a variety of experiences that relate to a range of different issues in respect to the special session topic.

We invite original research contributions (posters, short and long papers) that advance the state of the art as well as position papers that pose a new direction or present a controversial point of view on these subjects and related fields.  

Accepted papers will be published in the Conference proceedings. Instructions for final manuscript format and requirements will be posted on the CTS 2016 Conference web site. It is our intent to have the proceedings formally published in hard and soft copies and be available at the time of the conference. The proceedings are projected to be included in the IEEE Digital Library and indexed in all major indexing services accordingly.

IMPORTANT DATES
Paper Submission Deadline: July 01, 2016
Acceptance Notification: July 25, 2016
Camera Ready Papers and Registration Due: August 17, 2016
Conference Dates:  October 31 - November 04, 2016

For more information please contact Dr. Konstantinos Papangelis at: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] 

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    For news of CHI books, courses & software, join CHI-RESOURCES
     mailto: [log in to unmask]

    To unsubscribe from CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS send an email to
     mailto:[log in to unmask]

    For further details of CHI lists see http://listserv.acm.org
    ---------------------------------------------------------------