The American Name Society is pleased to announce its first call for critical papers for an upcoming Special Issue of NAMES dedicated exclusively to exploring the relationship between NAMES, NAMING, AND THE INTERNET. From software to malware, the world wide web has yielded an astounding array of new names. By the same token, the virtual world has also had an unparalleled effect upon traditional names and naming patterns within the real world. As yet, however, scientific articles which have been published on these onomastic developments have been surprisingly few and far between.
To help address this oversight, authors are cordially invited to submit abstracts for this Special Issue. In particular, the editors are interested in papers which systematically address the synchronic and/or diachronic relationship between the internet and names of any and all type. Possible topics for submission include the following:

• user names
• names of computer parasites (e.g. viruses, worms, trojan horses, etc.)
• the influence of the internet on naming in the real world
• domain names
• international and/or national laws governing e-name usage
• passwords and names
• naming and virtual spaces (e.g. partner search banks, chat rooms, and social networks)

Authors wishing to have their article considered for publication are asked to send a
250-word abstract proposal as a Word document directly to the Special Editor Dr. I. M. Laversuch (mavi.yaz.@web.de) no later than November 16, 2011.
All submissions must be in English and conform with the NAMES style sheet (http://www.maney.co.uk/journals/notes/nam). Each submission is to be accompanied by an electronic cover letter containing the following information: author name; author affiliation; author email and postal address; title of submission; total number of words. After submission, all abstract proposals will be subject to anonymous, external review. Specific inquiries regarding this call may be sent directly to the Series Editor:

P.D. Dr. Laversuch
Albertus Magnus Platz
English Department
University of Cologne
50923 Cologne
Germany-DEUTSCHLAND
email: (mavi.yaz@web.de).

Once an article has been accepted for publication in the special issue of NAMES, the author must join the American Name Society. Notifications regarding acceptance or rejection will be sent by December 30, 2012. Final papers from solicited authors will be due June 15, 2012 for final editorial review before publication. The projected date of publication is the Winter of 2012.