On extending social informatics from a rich legacy of networks and conceptual resources

Rob Kling, his research interests, and his advocacy were at the center of a movement in analytical inquiry and empirical research now known as ‘social informatics’. His unexpected death in May, 2003 was a loss. Despite our loss, those of us who engage in social informatics research are finding unity by strengthening and furthering the conceptual perspective, analytical approaches, and intellectual contributions of social informatics. The vibrant and growing international community of active social informatics scholars is contributing to a social informatics resource kit that includes: • perspective lenses through which research data can be viewed critically, • techniques for building theory and developing models from socially rich empirical data, • a common body of knowledge regarding the uses and effects of ICTs. Here we identify opportunities to engage new scholars in social informatics discussions, and suggest new venues for promoting and extending the work of scholars already enrolled in the social informatics movement.