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Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 2023

Ausgehend von den Grundlagen der Strukturalen Medienbildung und der Online-Ethnografie unternimmt Verena Kittelmann eine Analyse von bildlichen Visualisierungen und Bildpraxen im Kontext der Online-Präsenz von Veganismus. Dabei werden neben der Klärung methodischer Voraussetzungen vier Bloggerinnen empirisch untersucht, um die schriftlichen und bildanalytischen Spezifika der visuellen Inszenierung von Veganerinnen und ihrer Biografisierungsprozesse vor Augen zu führen. Der Frage, wie genau solche Prozesse von Biografisierung auf Weblogs ausgestaltet sind und wie diese grundsätzlich in ihrer medialen Komplexität und methodisch im Sinne einer medialen Strukturanalyse erschlossen werden können, geht dieser Beitrag auf verschiedenen Ebenen nach., Based on the fundamentals of structural media education and online ethnography, Verena Kittelmann undertakes an analysis of pictorial visualizations and pictorial practices in the context of the online presence of veganism. In addition to clarifying methodological prerequisites, four female bloggers are empirically examined in order to demonstrate the written and image-analytical specifics of the visual staging of vegans and their processes of biographization. The question of how exactly such processes of biographization are structured on weblogs and how they can be fundamentally explored in their medial complexity and methodologically in the sense of a medial structural analysis is pursued in this article on various levels.

The topic of digital humanities provokes widely varying views in the German-speaking world. In Germany digitalization efforts are often limited to a regional scale. This paper presents several examples of digitalization in the humanities: the use of audio sources, weblogs, big data, and simulations. The paper also examines the dissemination of practices of digitalization in the German-speaking world. Some experts note structural problems for digital innovation in Germany. Others make a plea for the realization of achievable tasks. The third part of the paper focuses on the general discussion of digitalization in Germany. Several authors see Germany in a “digital hibernation.” Prominent intellectuals such as Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Frank Schirrmacher, and Harald Welzer have on the other hand become harsh critics of digitalization.

Election campaigns are catalysts for new forms of political communication. They are a field of experimentation for new techniques and technologies to reach target groups and influence voters. This article explores how weblogs were used in the 2005 Bundestag election campaign in Germany, examining their effect on the mediatized political field. It is based on an empirical analysis of 317 campaign weblogs.

Creativity can be viewed, not just as a set of skills and strategies, but as an overarching metacognitive skill that integrates a range of subordinate generic skills. Key to developing creativity is to engage in a cycle of ideation, reflection and adjustment, within a feedback rich environment. Blogs have the ability to garner external comments that can prompt these processes. Case study research was undertaken to explore what forms of feedback promote metacognitive development and how those forms can best be elicited within a blog. Findings indicated that blog comments can motivate, provide information, enhance quality and promote reflection, and that a range of strategies can be applied in blogs to best obtain the most valuable forms of feedback for creative development.

In their article "Toward an Empirically-generated Typology of Weblog Genres" Maciej Maryl, Krzysztof Niewiadomski, and Maciej Kidawa propose a typology of weblog genres based on empirical data, namely on the analysis of metadata and the study of blogs' content. In Study 1 they explore 287 categories used by Polish bloggers to classify their blogs. The analysis shows that most categories are topical, but some could be useful for genre analyses. In Study 2 they analyse "syntagma" combinations of 2-3 categories assigned to 88 252 blogs on one of the Polish blog platforms. Through quantitative analysis and clustering 3 main groups are identified: public sphere, private sphere, leisure-time activities. And in Study 3 the authors present an alternative take on findings conducting a qualitative, non-topical analysis of 322 Polish blogs aimed at uncovering weblog genres according to their communicative purpose. In consequence, the following genres emerge: diaries, reflection, criticism, information, filter, advice, modelling, and fictionality.

Introduction to Architecture is a subject taught in the School of Architecture of the University of A Coruña. It is intended to start the trainign of future professionals attending, from the the first course, to the tripple thoughtful, designed and constructive support of the architectural fact. With the Bologna Process, the subject became the initiatory place of the discipline, a sort of "first contact". The uniqueness of this fact, together with other circumstances, such as the recent introduction of teaching in English or conducting practices in a non-contact manner has led to the need of incorporating new technologies as means of control, mentoring and monitoring tasks and enhancement of teacher-student relationship inside the subject. Within this approach it has generated a central tool that serves as a gateway and communication of the subject: the website iala.udc.es., Introducción a la Arquitectura es una asignatura que se imparte en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidade da Coruña. En ella se pretende iniciar la formación del futuro profesional atendiendo, desde el primer curso, al triple soporte reflexivo, proyectivo y constructivo del hecho arquitectónico. Con el Proceso de Bolonia, la asignatura se convirtió en el lugar iniciático de la disciplina, en una suerte de «primer contacto». La singularidad de este hecho, sumado a otras circunstancias, como la reciente introducción de la docencia en inglés o la realización de las prácticas de manera no presencial, ha conducido a la necesidad de incorporar las nuevas tecnologías como modo de control, tutorización y seguimiento de tareas y potenciación de la relación profesor-alumno dentro de la asignatura. Dentro de este planteamiento se ha generado una herramienta nuclear que sirve de portal de acceso y comunicación de la asignatura: la web iala.udc.es.

The article examines forms of communication surrounding the publication and reception of fan fiction: on-line published stories working from an existing fictional universe. At focus are two fanfics that have Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as s starting point, and their publication on the large site FanFiction.net. Already published in their entirety elsewhere, the daily chapter installments of the fanfics are designed to initiate contact with a new group of readers, reciprocated through readers leaving comments. This communication enables examinations of three aspects. Firstly, attention is paid to increasingly private conversations, indicative of a blend between several contemporary social practices. Secondly, the reception of the story’s logic and its downplaying of Austen’s complex renditions of cognitive processes is analyzed. Thirdly, more problematic ramifications of extended author commentary are interrogated, specifically how explicit instructions attempting to guide the approach to and reception of the fanfic results in forms of audience resistance.

O presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar, de modo crítico e reflexivo, como acontece a remidiação dos gêneros virtuais para os livros didáticos de língua inglesa, destinados ao ensino médio, integrantes do Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD). Atentando para esse fato, empreendemos uma análise interpretativa nas atividades didáticas de produção escrita em que o livro didático de língua inglesa utiliza esses gêneros, especificamente, o e-mail e o blog. Observamos que a remidiação dos gêneros digitais para o material didático acarreta modificações, transformações na linguagem utilizada e que esta se mostra de forma híbrida, heterogênea e polifônica.

This paper explores how the study of objects of journalism, retraced through the material traces left in metajournalistic discourses, might constitute a robust basis to investigate change and permanence in contemporary journalism. We delineate a research program focusing on materiality that requires foremost that objects should not be taken for granted and, therefore, that each object’s social history be minutely retraced. Stemming from two specific objects (the blog and the hyperlink), the paper argues that beyond their idiosyncrasies, both follow a similar rationale that could be extrapolated to other objects and lead to a materially focused social history of journalism in a digital age. The paper first clarifies how we approached the notion of "objects of journalism" and which objects we chose to study. Then, we show how different theoretical frameworks led us to adopt a similar research stance and a shared hypothetico- inductive path: determining how objects are parts of a series and analyzing metajournalistic discourses to retrace each object’s history on an empirically grounded basis. The resulting attention to filiations and context ultimately produces a contextualized socio-history of objects., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Producción Científica, Esta comunicación parte de los resultados de una investigación del Observatorio del Ocio y Entretenimiento Digital (OCENDI) que analiza las principales tendencias de consumo de blogs entre los jóvenes universitarios españoles (18-25 años). Según dichos resultados, la participación en la blogosfera se reduce a la lectura en muchos casos, siendo limitada la interacción a través de comentarios y algo más activa en redes sociales. La influencia y poder prescriptor de la blogosfera en estos jóvenes, -y a pesar de la credibilidad que dan a los bloggers-, se muestra también en declive atendiendo al consumo hiper-fragmentado de blogs, la escasa fidelización y a sus opiniones sobre la saturación de la blogosfera., This communication is based on the results of a study by the Observatorio del Ocio y Entretenimiento Digital (OCENDI) that analyses the main trends in blog consumption among young Spanish university students (18-25 years old). According to these results, participation in the blogosphere is reduced to reading in many cases, with limited interaction through comments and somewhat more active in social networks. The influence and prescriptive power of the blogosphere in these young people, and despite the credibility they give to bloggers, is also in decline due to the hyper-fragmented consumption of blogs, low loyalty and their opinions on the saturation of the blogosphere.

Producción Científica, Desde 2008 numerosos autores han señalado que la blogosfera ha entrado en una etapa de declive superada por las redes sociales más pujantes (Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti). El presente artículo parte de una investigación del Observatorio del Ocio y Entretenimiento Digital (OCENDI) que analiza las principales tendencias de consumo de blogs entre los jóvenes universitarios españoles (18-25 años) confirmando que los blogs no lideran su ocio digital. Realiza una radiografía del fenómeno estableciendo las temáticas más seguidas, pantallas de lectura, frecuencia y tiempo dedicado a la lectura de blogs., Since 2008, several authors have indicated that the blogosphere has begun a decline period overcome by the most powerful social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti). This paper is based on the research conducted by the Observatorio del Ocio y Entretenimiento Digital (OCENDI). We analyze the trends in blogs consumption among Spanish university students (aged 18-25 years). The analysis confirms that blogs do not head their digital leisure. We carry out an in-depth analysis which shows the main topics that youth follows, their favorite screens, as well as the time they spend viewing these sites., Este proyecto de investigación está financiado por el Observatorio del Ocio y el Entretenimiento Digital (OCENDI) y Panoramaaudiovisual.com para el periodo 2012-2013

The ubiquity of online and mobile technologies across the World and their rapid adoption by citizens in the face of emergencies and crises is rapidly changing the C2 operational environment for responses to natural disasters, terrorist threats, and social upheavals. Equipped with sophisticated smartphones, citizens embrace their role as the first in situ sensors, displaying an active producer-consumer behavior by capturing high-definition images and videos, sharing the contents with others, and commenting on information posted by others. Similarly, when information is scarce, social media have been elected by citizens as valuable instruments for identifying and locating victims, assisting search and rescue operations, accessing crisis-related information on open community-based repositories, and influencing specific cliques and groups in society, especially in the organization and coordination of mob protests. This new digital social arena has been brought to C2 operational environments and organizations are under pressure to understand and cope with this new reality. In this paper, we analyze documented case studies of emergency and crisis events characterized by underdeveloped and degraded operational environments that involved strong military or security-related intervention and generated significant social media dynamics. Ranging from natural disasters to terrorist events to social turmoil and upheavals, these cases highlight social media as a fundamental information source in the support of actionable Intelligence and effective connecting and collaboration., Presented at the 18th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (ICCRTS) C2 in Underdeveloped, Degraded and Denied Operational Environments held in Alexandria, VA, on 19-21 June 2013. U.S. Government or Federal Rights License.

Emergency response agencies across the homeland security spectrum rely on their public information offices to leverage social media in support of citizens and response organizations during times of disaster. Do these public information practitioners have the guidance and tools necessary to represent their organizations effectively in times of emergency? To answer this question, this thesis reviews social media policies at the local, state, federal, and international emergency response agency levels, specifically looking at guidance provided for crisis communications social media use during and after a disaster. Case studies on how social media are used during and after a disaster present various perspectives. The thesis also examines additional considerations for social media and emergency response. The policy review and case studies find a disparity between what is expected of our emergency response agency communicators and the guidance provided to them to meet the needs of our citizens and organizations in a time of disaster. This gap between policy and action leaves room for miscommunication and inconsistencies that must be addressed. The thesis includes a Social Media Policy Template to offer guidance and establish parameters as an organization engages in the social media environment.

The Internet is a growing information and communication channel for health- and diet-related issues. Keeping updated on the fruit- and vegetable-related (F&V) discourses among laypeople is important for health communicators in order to promote F&V consumption through tailored health messages. The aim of the present study was to identify F&V-related discourses in weblogs that were maintained, obviously, to influence diet. A theoretically chosen sample of weblogs were analysed applying critical discourse analysis. The analysis showed three partly overlapping F&V-related discourses: (1) normative consumption with a focus on single nutrients and physiological mechanisms; (2) authentic consumption with a desire for naturalness; and (3) altruistic consumption where ethical responsibilities are enhanced. Bloggers have clear perceptions on ideal F&V consumption, but it is a challenge for the reader to make a synthesis of the discourses presented. Filtering contradictory instructions requires health literacy, which may need more support from dietetic professionals.

A través de análisis bibliográfico y experiencias periodísticas, se estudia el alcance ciberdemocrático del llamado periodismo participativo. En el proceso de gestación de este periodismo digital una nueva conceptualización de los procesos comunicacionales tiene lugar que integra términos como hipertexto, semiosfera, blogosfera, cibercultura, ciberperiodismo, ecosistema multimedia, web 2.0, wikis, democracia electrónica, ágora mediática o plataformas independientes. Finalmente se discuten las tendencias, oportunidades y obstáculos para el desarrollo de la ciberdemocracia, con las nuevas formas de acceso y participación de los actores sociales a la producción de información., Via bibliographical analysis and journalistic experiences, I have studied the cyberdemocratic scope of so-called participative journalism. In the process of development of this digital journalism, a new conceptualization of the communication processes takes place that integrates terms such as hypertext, semiosphere, blogosphere, cyberculture, cyberjournalism, multimedia ecosystem, web 2.0, wikis, electronic democracy, media “agora” or independent platforms. Finally, trends, opportunities and obstacles for the development of cyberdemocracy are discussed in light of the new forms of access and participation of the social actors in the production of information.

Adoptive parents have turned to be passionate bloggers. Couples adopting internationally are using the internet intensely to share experiences and pieces of advice in the form of autobiographical accounts of their (troubled) adoption processes. These blogs not only connect a community facing multiple difficulties but, moreover, enact the family where the blood ties are missing. This study examines how the blogs of parents adopting girls in China perform parenthood by paralleling the adoption to the biological processes of pregnancy and giving birth. These blogs illuminate life writing's 'performativity' showing how they give the parents a sense of parenthood and offer the adoptees a sense of 'daughterness'. Moreover, they reveal how the performance of the adoptive family not only serves domestic purposes but also legitimates the practice of international adoption of children, which is regarded with suspicion by the international community. The outcome of this article shall not only contribute to the debate on how life writing impacts the writer's life and the society's approach towards the adoptees, but also to the broader field of studies on how cultural texts create social relations and assist processes of identity formation.

Fifty blogs were analysed and classified according to both their content and formal structure. The SOLAT questionnaire, aimed at assessing the right (i.e., intuitive-holistic) vs. left (i.e., systematic-analytical) thinking style, was put online, and blog owners were asked to complete it in order to match their cognitive style to the "style" of their blog. Respondents were also asked some metacognitive questions in order to explore their awareness of the psychological processes that are activated by the blog that they had devised, both in their own and in other people's mind. Results showed that blog owners are able to use effective communication strategies by differentiating the formal structure of bogs according to the content, but they lack metacognitive awareness about the mental processes activated by the blog. No relationship between the blog owner's cognitive style and blog style was found. Implications for the educational use of blogs are discussed.

El presente estudio se propone dilucidar las características de la blogosfera política española durante la campaña de 2008 mediante una muestra de tres reputados blogs ciudadanos y esclarecer si se produce una discusión ciudadana independiente de la agenda partidista y mediática. El análisis de contenido permitirá identificar el tipo de cobertura que estos blogs realizan sobre la campaña a través de las siguientes variables: enlaces, temas principales, protagonistas y valoraciones de los autores. Las conclusiones sugieren una significativa fragmentación de la blogosfera en espacios ideológicos, carentes de conexión entre sí y tendentes a la polarización del discurso., The present study intends to elucidate the main features of the Spanish political blogosphere through a sample of three renowned citizen blogs, as well as to clarify if an independent public discussion takes place regardless of the party and media agenda. The content analysis seeks to establish how these blogs covered the campaign with the help of the following variables: linking behavior, main topics discussed, main characters and authors’ personal opinions. The results suggest a stark ideological division within the Spanish blogosphere, with no cross-ideological links between blogs and a tendency to discourse polarization.

China's Jasmine Revolution, an online movement that emerged from the embers of revolutions sweeping the Middle East, experienced an enthusiastic birth but ultimately suffered a premature and rather mundane death. A passive shrug of the shoulders, and the embryonic movement withered and died on the vine. Some would argue that the Jasmine Revolution never took the breath of life -- that it was merely a manifestation of the Chinese government's overreaction to the possibility of social unrest and the Western media's exuberance to cover it. The timing was wrong: China is not the Middle East, economic conditions were not conducive to a revolution, and it was not a serious movement. These and a host of other reasons explain the Jasmine Revolution's untimely demise. Whether the result of one or a combination of these factors, the downfall of the nascent movement illuminates the mechanisms behind Beijing's ability to provide comprehensive cyber control-in-depth through a two-phased system consisting of seven components: external monitoring, internal monitoring, blocking, attacks, intimidation, campaigning, and self-censorship., Published in the Air and Space Power Journal -- Africa and Francophonie, v3 n1 p35-47, 1st Quarter 2012 (Spring).

To successfully navigate stormy and uncertain seas requires operating by an internationally agreed-to set of standards and norms affectionately known as the Rules of the Road. There are rules like these that apply to all the global commons -- what we in the Department of Defense have classified as domains, namely, land, sea, air, and space. There is now another domain. This is, of course, cyberspace, which is referred to herein as the Cyber Sea. Upon it, we set sail each day in the company of a billion other adventurers -- many embarking on voyages with distinctly crossed purposes. Over the last 10 years, for instance, the number of Web sites devoted to what we in the West consider Jihadist terrorist sites has increased a thousand-fold, exploiting the freedom of the Web as a forum to spread poisonous propaganda, raise funds, and recruit converts. Jihadists also use the Internet as a virtual classroom to teach others how to make bombs and plan attacks. This leads to an important question: How do we -- individually and collectively -- balance free and open access to such a virtual realm with the protections and regulations necessary to ensure our continued access to an environment that is safe and secure and contributes to the prosperity of humanity as a whole? If we are going to successfully exist in this domain, we need to do so together, combining the military and civilian, foreign and domestic, and public and private sectors. For example, NATO's new cyber defense policy is a coordinated multinational approach to enhance our collective and individual cyber defense capabilities to prevent threats and improve our responses to cyber attacks. In the 1980s, the international community came together to negotiate UNCLOS. Now, we need to contemplate a similar undertaking regarding the Cyber Sea. This can only happen if all interested parties adopt a common vision for security built on trust and confidence, and achieved through coordination, cooperation, and partnering., Published in Joint Force Quarterly, n65 p61-67, 2nd Quarter, April 2012.

In the light of the dramatic events of the 25 January 2011 Egyptian Revolution, many media sources gave too much credit to social media and often labeled it as the Facebook and Twitter revolution while dismissing the role of Egypt's most important asset: the Egyptian citizens. This thesis explores the role and impact of the new social media on sustained social mobilization and the outcome of the 25 January 2011 Egyptian Revolution that led to the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak. The research shows that social media was a vital tool that enabled preexisting networks to override state repressive measures. However, social media was only one of many tools (or factors) that smoothed the progress of social mobilization and had an impact on the outcome of the revolution. In sum, both online and offline tools, tactics, and strategies, as well as political opportunities facilitated the social mobilization, communication, and organization of Egyptian revolutionaries; therefore, all impacted the outcome of the revolution., The original document contains color images.

This dissertation examines weblog community as a materially afforded and socially constructed space. In a set of three case studies, this dissertation examines three separate weblog communities between 2004 and 2008. CASE STUDY I looks at knowledge management bloggers in order to better understand how bloggers form communities. In this case study, it will be shown that blogs group thematically and in temporal bursts. These bursts of thematic activity allow for movement in and out of a community, as well as act as a bridge between different weblog communities. CASE STUDY II examines two pseudonymous bloggers in order to better understand how presentation and identity is understood in blogging. It will be shown in CASE STUDY II that social identity in weblog communities is negotiated through blogging practices such as transparency in writing and truthful presentation. CASE STUDY III delves further into social identity by examining a community of academic bloggers and how traditional, institutionalized expectations influence social identity over time, and if this influence differs in the core and periphery of the community. It will be shown in CASE STUDY III that there is indeed a difference in how social identity is negotiated and performed between core and periphery members of a weblog community. Finally, a model towards an integrated approach to researching blogs is put forth.

Las Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) representan un reto para la docencia de las ciencias y la diseminación científica de los resultados, simultáneamente. Se trata de una realidad incuestionable. Permanecer al margen de esta revolución sería un gran error. Del mismo modo, los jóvenes hacen un uso intensivo de las mismas, por lo que si se desea divulgar o enseñar, es imperativo entender sus hábitos. En el presente escrito, se describen las principales ventajas de las TIC, utilizando para ello la experiencia adquirida durante cinco años en un blog o bitácora de suelos. No obstante, también se tratan otros aspectos que conciernen tanto a la docencia como al futuro de la difusión de los resultados científicos (revistas, libros, etc.)., The information and communication technologies (ICT) simultaneously represent both a challenge and an opportunity for teaching science and widely disseminating scientific results and interpretations. The existence of ICT is well-established and increasing rapidly. It would be unfortunate if soil scientists and academicians ignored ICT’s potential positive effects. Young people readily adopt ICT which creates the opportunity to teach science and learn if we can understand the habits of these “digital natives.” In this paper, we describe the main advantages of ICT for teaching and distributing scientific information based on five years of experience with the Internet web log or “blog” dedicated to Soil Science called “An Invisible Universe Under Our Feet.” We also discuss additional observations related to both science teaching and the future of disseminating scientific highlights using media such as magazines and books in open access., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) began blocking social networking sites, such as YouTube and MySpace, from its computer networks based on concerns for bandwidth, network security, and posting of personal and operational information. In February 2010, the Department issued a memorandum that set a new policy allowing access to social-networking services (SNS) from its networks. The policy allows all users of unclassified computers in the .mil domain access to some of the more popular SNSs, including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. The Army issued its own policy immediately afterwards, requiring all Army Commands to configure their networks to allow for the full range of social networking capabilities. This paper briefly defines social networking, studies the history of social networking, speaks to how social networking can serve as a change agent within the Army, analyzes the risks and challenges of lifting the ban on SNSs, and finally, states the benefits of leveraging social networking within the Army. Leveraging social networking is a good idea. Social networking will continue to provide an indisputable influence on the Army's organizational beliefs and values, and will have a positive effect on soldier moral, unit climates, information sharing, collaboration, and crisis and strategic communications., Strategy Research Project.

Se muestra cómo estudiantes preuniversitarios obtienen mejores resultados en un curso de termodinámica, aún a medio plazo, utilizando el complemento de un blog prediseñado, en un 115% respecto a los resultados de grupos de control. También mostramos que los alumnos que usaron el blog mejoraron su percepción hacia la materia de física, en 124%. En la investigación han intervenido cuatro grupos: dos de control y dos expuestos al uso de un blog didáctico durante dos semestres. Como conclusión principal, se destaca que los blogs didácticos pueden detonar en los alumnos un aumento en su motivación y en sus calificaciones en materias del área de fisicomatemáticas.

DEA (tesina) que analitza quin és el paper que juguen els blocs dintre de la Web 2.0, articulant-se al voltant de tres eixos: la creació de la identitat virtual, les xarxes socials generades a través de la blocosfera i les implicacions econòmiques i socials que se'n deriven. La pregunta central és de quina manera, si ho fan, els blocs contribueixen a modificar fòrmules de lectura i participació tant d'àmbit personal com públic en les agendes informatives. I si aquesta participació genera canvis significatius a nivell econòmic i psicosocial., DEA (tesina) que analiza cuál es el papel que juegan los blogs dentro de la Web 2.0, articulándose en torno a tres ejes: la creación de la identidad virtual, las redes sociales generadas a través de la blogosfera y las implicaciones económicas y sociales que se derivan de éstas. La pregunta central es cómo, si lo hacen, los blogs contribuyen a modificar fórmulas de lectura y participación tanto en el ámbito personal como público en las agendas informativas. Y si esta participación genera cambios significativos a nivel económico y psicosocial., DEA (master thesis) that analyzes the role of blogs within the Web 2.0, it is articulated around three main axes: the creation of a virtual identity, social networks generated through the blogosphere and social and economic implications that arise from them. The central question is how, if they do, blogs are helping to change the ways of reading and participating in both the personal and the public information agendas. As well as if this participation generates significant changes at an economic and psychosocial level.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyze the utility of edublogs in teaching-learning process applied to postgraduate Courses. Particularly, it describes an experience carried out while delivering a Course offered to students, mainly Industrial Engineers, of a certain Master program. Design/methodology/approach: In the first section of the paper, we perform a literature review with the aim of defining some basic concepts as blog, weblog or edublog. Later on, we compare some educational models to identify best practices related to new technologies, and particularly, to edublogs. Finally, we analyze our experience in a postgraduate Course. Findings and Originality/value: We have identified best practices on teaching using edublogs and we have applied them to a particular postgraduate Course. Research limitations/implications: Conclusions are obtained from only one experience (one postgraduate Course). We intend to extend the analysis to more postgraduate Courses and compare the obtained results. Practical implications: We have applied the previously described methodology and we have discussed advantages and disadvantages of using edublogs. Originality/value: We have compiled a wide list of best practices on teaching using new technologies and in particular edublogs. We have also evaluated the experience qualitatively according to such best practices and drawn conclusions that will improve the process., Peer Reviewed

Aquest projecte pretén desenvolupar una blogosfera partint d’una eina base, WordPress. La blogosfera ha de ésser adaptada i dedicada per un col·lectiu de persones dintre d’un àmbit concret, els col·legiats del Col·legi d’Enginyers Industrials de Catalunya. Partint d’un blog normal, tracta de crear un portal web adaptat a les necessitats del col·lectiu abans esmentat. Explica com dur a terme una feina dintre d’un ambient de treball, amb problemes reals a resoldre i amb la mancança d’informació que això comporta. També s’explica el perquè fer-ho amb WordPress i no amb altres eines, com integrar-lo dintre d’un sistema ja implementat i com connectar una eina de blogs a una totalment diferent per tal de transferir informació entre elles.

This paper examines a guidebook publisher's travel blog in order to shed light on the tensions between discourses of travel and tourism. Tony Wheeler's Blog is written by the founder of Lonely Planet and is hosted on the company's website. I argue that the “blog” title implies that the text has certain intrinsic qualities, some of which are evident while others are not. I also argue that this text is an online travel narrative that draws on the discourses of travel, tourism, and blogging itself. Travel and tourism are often seen as conflicting, and the traveler–tourist dichotomy has found expression in various travel-related narratives. So Tony Wheeler's Blog becomes a site of negotiation between the discourses of travel and tourism, and in so doing takes on certain aspects of the blog while omitting or only imitating others.

Implementing information technology (IT) solutions within government organizations is difficult, especially when a causal effect on their culture may result. The proliferation of Web 2.0 services is enabling information sharing among employees and leaders. Regrettably, this level of information sharing is complicating efforts to maintain the status quo of the government's traditional need-to-know policy. In this study, the researcher investigates the relationship between Web services, commonly called Web 2.0, and the influence these services wield on organizational behavior. To support the analysis, two control groups were surveyed: a battalion of soldiers, and a government directorate whose mission is to deliver data products and infrastructure for those who can use Web 2.0 and other IT services. The data were sorted by officer, noncommissioned officer, and enlisted ranks for the battalion; and by managers, team leaders, and all other employees for the civilian organization. A review of current survey instruments available for applicability also were conducted, and Web 2.0 services were utilized to conduct the survey. The results from their study highlight the need for certain Web services and behaviors that may cause a shift away from established methods of information sharing.

The U.S. Government continues to seek a comprehensive, effective communication strategy through which it may project and promote American interests, policies, and objectives abroad. Many believe that the government and military have been outcommunicated since 9/11. A primary cause of this alleged deficiency is failure to recognize that strategic communication through traditional media and through the new media are not the same thing. There are fundamental differences between traditional and new media spheres. Hence, using conventional methods for new media strategic communication is decidedly less productive than developing a communication strategy appropriate for the new media universe. Successful strategic communication in the new media sphere cannot remain the exclusive domain of professional strategic communicators insulated from most aspects of mission execution. Military and civilian agencies must co-opt the skills of nearly all personnel charged with carrying out disparate aspects of a mission or specific policy, critically those in theater. Models representing how messages are communicated through traditional media are not appropriate for depicting how they are communicated (or exchanged) through the new media. Communication through traditional media is based on monologic (think monologue) communication and a one-to-many message flow, whereby one individual or group sends a discrete message to an audience consisting of many different people. Communication through the new media is based on dialogic (think dialogue) communication and a many-to-many message flow, whereby many different media consumers are simultaneously exchanging (sending and receiving) messages with many other people through new media outlets such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The author argues for the design of new media strategic communication efforts separate and distinct from those conducted through traditional media., Published in Joint Force Quarterly (JFQ), n59 p110-114, 4th quarter 2010.

The overall objective of this effort is to explore the use of WebMon, the Web information monitoring system, to conduct social behavior analysis. WebMon was originally created to conduct web monitoring on selected domains, such as the Australian Government Web pages and health news web pages. Information overload is one of the main problems in web monitoring systems, so to overcome this problem the authors developed a web document classification system. The Multiple Classification Ripple-Down Rules (MCRDR) knowledge acquisition method was employed to facilitate incremental knowledge encoding for classification. This project attempted to resolve the technical challenges necessary to enable WebMon to collect data on the influence of Internet-based social networks on social issues and opinions. The following are the two major tasks that were undertaken: (1) enhance the monitoring capability of WebMon so that it can collect data useful for social network analysis, in particular the formation of public opinions; and (2) analyze the data collected and find the factors that affect public opinion formation. The enhancement of WebMon entailed the addition of smart multi-context filtering, smart scheduling, and sentimental context classification. Smart multi-context filtering allows one to distinguish comments sections, or opinion sections, from main content sections. This allows one to study the patterns of comments, including their number and the impact of previous comments to follow-on comments. The smart scheduler helps the system estimate how often new comments are updated. The third enhancement is the use of the MCRDR method to classify opinions, which contain sentimental information and are much more difficult to classify than issues-oriented content.

En esta comunicación analizaremos la representación de las relaciones sociales en los contenidos de las series de ficción creadas específicamente para Internet en el ámbito territorial español. Pese a que las webseries o videoblogs están todavía en una fase experimental pueden constituir una plataforma de éxito futuro principalmente ante el público joven. La muestra concreta son las series “Qué vida más triste” de La Sexta y “Becari@s” de Telecinco. Se aplicará un análisis de contenido cualitativo a partir de diversas variables: tramas; personajes, roles y estereotipos; escenarios sociales y actitudes representadas., This article analyses the representation of social relations in the contents of fiction TV shows produced specifically for Internet in Spain. Although webshows or videoblogs are nowadays in a very experimental phase, they could be a very successful platform in the near future, principally for his appealing to a youth audience. The sample of this research is: “Qué vida más triste” from La Sexta and “Becari@s” from Telecinco. We carry out qualitative analysis content and we have defined these variables: plot, characters, roles and stereotypes, social scenarios and attitudes.

Bloggers devote significant time not only producing content for others to read, watch or listen to, but also paying attention to and engaging in interactions with other bloggers. We hope to throw light not only on the factors that gain bloggers significant readership and lively interactions with their audience, but also on the rules that govern their relations with others. We relate bloggers' activity with the size and structure of their network of fellow bloggers. A blogger's readership increases with his activity, while bloggers who read back proportionally fewer of their readers tend also to be more active. We find evidence that those bloggers who read back proportionally fewer of their readers have less readers than bloggers who reciprocate more, but tend to receive more comments per posts.

The quality and nature of knowledge that can be found by an automated knowledge-extraction system depends on its inputs. For systems that learn by reading text, the Web offers a breadth of topics and currency, but it also presents the problems of dealing with casual, unedited writing, non-textual inputs, and the mingling of languages. The results of extraction using the KNEXT system on two Web corpora -- Wikipedia and a collection of weblog entries -- indicate that, with automatic filtering of the output, even ungrammatical writing on arbitrary topics can yield an extensive knowledge base, which human judges find to be of good quality, with propositions receiving an average score across both corpora of 2.34 (where the range is 1 to 5 and lower is better) versus 3.00 for unfiltered output from the same sources.

El uso de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en las campañas electorales se generalizó sustancialmente en los comicios generales de 2008 tras el punto de inflexión que constituyeron el 11M y los días posteriores hasta las elecciones del 14 de marzo. Esta efervescencia ha supuesto una suerte de cambios fundamentales en los procesos de construcción del mensaje político y un acercamiento importante entre política y sociedad a través de este nuevo espacio de comunicación interactivo. La proliferación de las herramientas de la llamada Web 2.0 en el campo de la comunicación política, especialmente de los weblogs, ha constituido una nueva plataforma de comunicación en las campañas electorales. Políticos y periodistas, aunque también ciudadanos han interiorizado las potencialidades de la red como un medio para transmitir mensajes políticos. Internet es todavía concebido como un espacio libre donde el sistema político español, característicamente bipartidista, alcanza dimensiones tendentes a una mayor polarización de los mensajes. El artículo intenta discernir la incidencia relativa de estas nuevas herramientas en la opinión pública española en el marco de una sociedad que ha hecho de Internet un medio fundamental de comunicación, tanto pasivo como activo. Por ello, se han tomado como muestra cuatro de los weblogs más importantes del panorama mediático español, de los que se tratará de analizar los mecanismos discursivos y estrategias argumentativas, así como los temas y personajes con mayor presencia en los artículos, con el fin de constatar orientación ideológica de cada uno de ellos y su influencia social.

Social networks existed long before MySpace and Facebook hit the headlines. Sociologists and researchers have used the term "social networks" for over a century to describe complex sets of relationships between members of social systems at all levels. At its core, a social network -- whether face-to-face or web-based -- is a map of relevant ties among participants in the network. Within this social network map, individuals in a particular network may exhibit varying degrees of interconnectedness, ranging from tightly connected cliques to individuals with few connections. Nonetheless, all the individuals act as gateways to other networks. Online social networks have become technologically driven extensions of the relationships, interactions, and alliances that people establish as part of their everyday lives. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense (DoD) and its interagency partners underutilize online social networking to advance the U.S. National Strategy for Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication. Government departments and agencies should increase their influence through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging to support U.S. national strategy as it relates to strategic communications and the countering of messages sent by violent extremist organizations.

Since the Civil War, service members have used the memoir to describe their experiences at war. Today, good memoirs, which are normally the staple of postwar writing, have been temporarily replaced by online postings. Publishers are reluctant to publish well-polished memoirs because there is too much of a time delay between events and availability on the shelves, a demand that has been satisfied by blogs. As it is raw, unprocessed, and often inaccurate, blogging is not likely to last, but it has left an indelible footprint on the history of the current wars. The pressure of instant reporting has diluted the product, and to make headlines these days, inaccuracies and poor writing are excused in an effort to be first or controversial. The blog has been mistakenly labeled as the method by which today's generation will tell their stories to the world. However, blogs will likely become a footnote in our history, as the great memoirs of the current war are yet to come. Throughout history warriors have gone to war and had stories told about their accomplishments back home. Since the advent of the printer, a popular theme of short stories and novels has been of heroic warriors. By the time of the Civil War, the memoir became the standard for Americans to tell their wartime experiences and inspire the nation. Early memoirs were filled with religious righteousness and vehement support for the nation's cause. As the memoir evolved, there was a slow shift from writing about God and country to writing about the effect of war on man. As memoirs continued to evolve after the Second World War, the theme shifted to man's participation in war and its effect on culture. Great novels and memoirs from our generation have yet to be written, or have been written and not yet published. Just as the early writers in feudal society wrote about the great deeds of their knights, the writings from the current war will be invaluable in informing the nation of its warriors' successes.

The Internet allows people from different groups, societies, and cultures to communicate and share information about their beliefs with anyone who has a computer. People often distribute information to others in an effort to influence their actions and/or gain support for a cause. This thesis looks at different forms of online technology currently being used to obtain information for communication purposes and for entertainment, and what drives people to use them. The focus is on New Media technologies. New Media technology is defined as information and communication technologies and their associated social contexts. New Media consists of three distinct components. The first are the artifacts or devices that individuals use to communicate and/or convey information. The activities and practices used to communicate are the second element of New Media. The final element of New Media are the devices and practices used to develop social arrangements and/or organizational forms. New Media technology includes, but is not limited to, weblogs (blogs), podcasts, online forums, social networking sites (e.g., My Space, Facebook), video/picture sharing sites (e.g., YouTube), and viral marketing. The important characteristics of the definition of New Media are not technology dependent, but are based on the content they provide to their users. A qualitative analysis of 80 in-depth semi-structured interviews reveals that it is the content that drives the trial, use, adoption, and diffusion of New Media systems. Three questions are addressed in this thesis: Which of the six types of New Media services just mentioned are being used by people and to what extent are they being used?; Why do users try, adopt, and use New Media services, and in what contexts are they being used?; and Why do or don't users diffuse New Media services?

The Virtual Body. The Self and the Body in Swedish Diary Blogs There are no bodies on the internet and yet, there are bodies on the internet. This article deals with representations of the 'virtually physical' in personal weblogs. To examine the data drawn from 14 weblogs, a qualitative content analysis is made. The results show that the virtual body is widely present in these particular internet settings and that it is most commonly described as female. Moreover, the virtual body is to a large extent a fragmented body that one either takes control over or is controlled by.

The virtual body: the self and the body in Swedish diary blogs There are no bodies on the internet and yet, there are bodies on the internet. This article deals with representations of the ‘virtually physical’ in personal weblogs. To examine the data drawn from 14 weblogs, a qualitative content analysis is made. The results show that the virtual body is widely present in these particular internet settings and that it is most commonly described as female. Moreover, the virtual body is to a large extent a fragmented body that one either takes control over or is controlled by., Sociologisk Forsknings digitala arkiv

Denna uppsats undersöker varför vissa blogginlägg får många kommentarer jämfört med mindre kommenterade blogginlägg. Utgångspunkten är att undersöka en dagboksblogg skriven av en tonårig kvinna, då det finns förhållandevis lite forskning inom detta specifika område. Materialet som ligger till grund för undersökningen är en blogg som heter Kenza och de tre mest respektive minst kommenterade inläggen från denna blogg under perioder från 1 januari till 28 februari 2009. William Labovs teori om narrativer och Wolfgang Isers reception theory utgör uppsatsens teorier. Metoderna som används är läsbarhetsindex, nominalkvot, narrativ analys och interpersonell analys. Resultaten som framkommit ur analyserna visar att i jämförelse mellan de minst och de mest kommenterade blogginläggen har de mest kommenterade få långa ord och en utpräglad verbal stil. Blogginlägg med en tydlig narrativ struktur och ett direkt tilltal fick också fler kommentarer., This essay examines why certain posts on weblogs get more comments compared to less commented posts. The purpose is to examine an online journal weblog that is written by a teenage girl, since there exists little research within this field. The material is taken from a weblog called Kenza and I examined the three most commented and the three least commented posts during January and February 2009. The theoretical background for this essay is William Labov’s theory on narrative and Wolfgang Iser’s reception theory. The methods used are readability analyses, narrative analysis and interpersonal metafunction. From the results it can be concluded that in comparison with the least commented posts the most commented posts have fewer long words and a distinct verbal style. Weblog posts with an evident narrative structure and direct address towards the reader also got more comments.

Knowledge extraction (KE) efforts have often used corpora of heavily edited writing and sources written to provide the desired knowledge (e.g., newspapers or textbooks). However, the proliferation of diverse, up-to-date, unedited writing on the Web, especially in weblogs, offers new challenges for KE tools. We describe our efforts to extract general world knowledge implicit in this noisy data and examine whether such sources can be an adequate substitute for resources like Wikipedia.

Blogs or weblogs are online journals that are regularly updated, and cover thousands of topics. In a way blogs represent the free speech philosophy of the early days of the Internet in that they allow users to distribute opinion on an enormous variety of topics, and in some countries relatively uncensored opinion, though potentially they can be monitored everywhere. The blogosphere creates a new space in which public discourse can be expanded and viewed. Indeed, my research for this paper relied heavily on an excellent blog called EastSouthNorthWest, where a variety of articles from China's media are translated and posted, with some comment and analysis. During the Burma protests in September 2007 blogs were one of the few sources of information about the unrest not directly controlled by the Junta. Reporters without Borders claim on their website that 'Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure' ('Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents'). However, in the People's Republic of China (PRC) the emergence of blogs and the development of the Internet in general have been used to reinforce the central authority of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).