First Monday

	This month: January 2012 China’s Internet lexicon: The symbolic meaning and commoditization of Grass Mud Horse in the harmonious society There is a long history of Chinese Internet regulation, which emphasizes stability and unity for a harmonious society and strong technical control. “Grass Mud Horse” (草泥马) been used by Chinese Internet users as a political parody in response to their government’s campaign of building a harmonious socialist society. “Grass Mud Horse” has later been fashioned into the name of a storybook character, and has spawned music videos and faux documentaries. This study sets out to examine the transformation of “Grass Mud Horse” into the mass production of cultural goods created and disseminated through the Internet.

	Also this month! Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them Networking is a key skill in professional careers, supporting the individual’s growth and learning. However, little is known about how professionals intentionally manage the connections in their personal networks and which factors influence their decisions in connecting with others for the purpose of learning. In this paper, a model of personal professional networking is presented for creating a personal learning network.


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