對於全世界的資訊從業人員而言，最開始的希望，總是藉由優良的開發技術，發展出一套功能強大軟體，進行銷售，在個人的成就感與金錢的回饋方面，求取個人或團隊的最大效益，經過了20年之後，特別是在這幾年，電腦軟體業界逐漸發展出來的網路平台，慢慢成為許多人的創業平台，特別是從2006年開始，網路平台進入了一個嶄新的web 2.0時代，近三年來，有許多探討網路平台web 2.0成功案例的論述，但是對於營運模式與獲利之道，卻並不多見，這個大概是導因於撰寫這些論述的學者，大多是置身事外的觀察者，而非網路平台的經營者，誠如彼得杜拉克所言：｢網路公司一開始無法獲利，不是罪惡，但如果18個月後，還沒有正向的現金流量(positive cash flow)，那就是騙子了。」，這是他在接受Business 2.0專訪時所表達的意見，證諸過去十年前仆後繼的網路業者，這裡所謂騙子，並不只是涉嫌騙取投資人的金錢，實際上，網路平台的創業家為自己也編織了一個不切實際的網路夢想，因為在擬定營運計畫時由於對於後來的獲利方式並不清楚，或認為只要有人潮、內容吸睛，自然就會浮現獲利之道，最糟糕的是絕大多數的業者都如此的過度盲目的樂觀，而自我蒙蔽，而不自知，暴起暴落處處可見，故而，本研究的目的就在於1.研究網路平台的發展軌跡，蒐集目前已知的曾經失敗與曾經成功的網路平台的經驗，藉以得知過去的相關經驗，2.向未來的有志藉由網路平台運作模式來創業的業者，提出建言，3.整理出網路平台生存本質與營運的重要策略與方法，以利業者在採取實際行動、或創業行動中，整理出一套自己專屬的思考模式與行動方向。

This submission sets out a narrative of how a practitioner in the field of education identified and implemented the changes required, both in research methodology and in practice, in order to answer the question ‘how do I improve my practice?’ (Whitehead and McNiff, 2004) while remaining true to a personal value system by not teaching or researching in ‘a living contradiction’ (Ibid: 5) where a value system and a practice are not working in harmony. This submission chronicles a self-study journey to improve practice by identifying and reflecting on the changes required to improve that practice when ‘teaching’ ten-year-old pupils historical enquiry online. The narrative demonstrates how a practice can be reconceptualised and illustrates the outcomes of that re-conceptualisation. The particular practice in question was set within the context of technological advances in the Internet over the last half decade: in the early research the pupils used the Internet as an online encyclopaedia while in the later stages of the research they used the Internet as a means to access online authoring sites on the read-write resource Web 2.0. The journey of change follows the practitioner from teaching historical enquiry within a classroom setting to that of teaching historical enquiry within an online authoring site, called a wiki. To achieve those changes many key concepts (that had informed teaching practices at the beginning of the research journey) had to be deconstructed and subsequently restructured using an alternative design. The learning process was one of the key concepts teased apart and reconstructed using Wenger’s ‘communities of practice’ approach as a template for designing a small community of practices. It was the emerging small community of practices on the wiki that developed into a new perspective on how to promote the learning process most effectively in an online context. The submission also narrates the ontological dimension to the journey where the practitioner’s key personal values were used in the change process to create a living theory. This value driven methodology created living standards of judgement. The submission identifies, then critically reflects on, the two voices representing the significance of the developing perspectives of the writer as researcher and as practitioner. It then uses journal entries, articles and interviews to follow the practitioner journey from perspective point one to perspective point two. It reflects critically on the change process being experienced and the growing confidence that emerged as the practitioner and researcher voices began, in combination, to challenge accepted practice and develop a new single voice that impacts upon both the professional context and the field of educational theory. It leads to the acceptance of some of Wenger’s assertions that underpin his notion that meaning is negotiated in communities of practice and examines the changes in thinking that eventually led to this model being interpreted as a reference point only and to the suggestion of a new perspective on the learning process. The contribution to knowledge is, then, to be found in this new perspective of what is meant by a community of practices and the learning processes it generates with reference to teaching historical enquiry skills to ten-year-old pupils on an online authoring site called a wiki.

Traditional communications media has been transformed and reshaped with the introduction of the Internet and its technologies. The Internet has massively evolved over time, and the World Wide Web or otherwise referred to as Web 1.0 has developed to what is so called Web 2.0. The explosive diffusion of this global system has fostered the emergence of Web-based communities supported by the existence of globally connected individuals. As both the number of World Wide Web virtual community sites and users has expanded and grown quickly, these communities have become a subject of study to researchers of multiple disciplines. However, sustaining a successful operation of any Web 2.0 community depends on the continuous participation of its own users. It is massively important to maintain committed members in terms of continuous participation. Yet, their level of participation might vary depending on one‘s personal, social, situational, and cultural influences that eventually affect their intentions and behaviour on whether to continue or discontinue participating in that community. Facebook as a particular Web 2.0 community has been used as an exemplary case study in this research reflecting the drivers of its continuous usage in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Moreover, very few studies on Web 2.0 communities covered the Middle East area and more specifically there is almost absence of research in Jordan on how users of Facebook along with their cultural and behavioural influences would continue using this Web 2.0 community or not. Therefore, this study tackles this issue to investigate the influences affecting the continuous participation in these communities This research develops a conceptual framework that can be used as an instrument to guide empirical work in the field of Web 2.0 communities. The empirical context of the research is random Facebook users in Jordan, where data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Results and findings show that Personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control has shown to be all significant and highly influential on affecting users‘ intentions to continue participating on Facebook, perceived behavioural control (i.e. facilitating conditions, controllability) ranked the highest in its significance towards examining users’ intentions to continue participating on Facebook. Followed by the subjective norms (i.e. critical mass, compliance, and informational influences), then ranked the personal attitude (i.e. satisfaction, compatibility). Results have proved that most Facebook users in Jordan do participate on this site in the first place to deliver epistemic value elements, not with a much difference came the social value after, then ranked the hedonic third. The utilitarian value proved to be insignificant by all means, therefore, users intend to continue participating on Facebook despite of the perceived value elements to be delivered. Interestingly, analysis have proved the insignificance of the three cultural dimensions (i.e. masculinity vs. Femininity, individualism vs. Collectivism, and long-term vs. Short-term orientation), therefore, it has not been considered moderating in the framework of this research. Furthermore, the study concludes with specific implications for relevant theories, and useful findings on the individual, organizational, and the societal levels. Additionally, researchers in similar areas can find this work useful as a way to approach new streams in studying participation in Web 2.0 communities.

No autorizada por el autor para ser publicada a texto completo / El presente trabajo de título tiene como objetivo diseñar un negocio fundado en la web que permita compartir materiales educacionales, percibiendo ingresos a través de avisos publicitarios. Este tema de memoria no enfrenta un problema en sí, lo que busca es una oportunidad de negocios; sin embargo esta oportunidad de negocios tiene algunas restricciones impuestas por el autor, la principal de ellas es que sea un sistema gratuito y abierto a todo el mundo, dentro de este modelo de negocios es donde entra la publicidad. De esta forma las empresas pueden llegar al público estudiantil mientras éste realiza una tarea cotidiana como lo es el estudiar o recopilar información educacional. Para llevar a cabo este objetivo es necesario definir una estrategia empresarial y de entrada, al igual que definir cuáles serán los procesos de negocios claves para llevar a cabo el servicio de buena forma. Una de las características más importantes que presenta este sistema es que está preparado para funcionar sobre otras redes sociales y servicios webs (Facebook y Blog), de esta forma se intentará aprovechar al máximo las potencialidades de otros servicios web. Las nuevas corrientes de la web han llevado a grandes empresas a crear novedosos productos para emprendimientos tecnológicos, gracias a estos productos es que el servicio ofrecido por el memorista puede permitirse una gran escalabilidad a un precio relacionado con su crecimiento, Una de las claves de la arquitectura tecnológica es externalizar los servicios de almacenamiento y procesamiento de datos. Una de las conclusiones más importantes que se pueden extraer del trabajo realizado es que el principal foco no es la gestión documental o el almacenamiento de archivos, ya que hoy en día existen muchas de estas herramientas gratuitas en la web, la clave son las conversaciones que se den en torno a los documentos y el contexto en que sean tratados.

Title: Blogs as a new tool of communication and promotion of fashion brands. Research question: How do fashion companies make use of bloggers as a new tool of communication to promote their brands? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to observe and explore how the fashion brands use bloggers and their blogs as a new method to advertise and communicate about them and their products to consumers. The study is conducted from an external point of view. Design/methodology/approach: This study is exploratory and descriptive and uses a qualitative method, with non-randomly method where the sample is composed of six international fashion blogs. To collect data the authors used guideline to conduct the content analysis of these selected blogs. Findings: This study shows that brands use the blogger as human being with the phenomenon of the word-of-mouth and opinion formers/leaders and they also make us of the blog content to incorporate ads to directly communicate to the online communities.

Denna kvalitativa studie syftar till att ta fram strategier för kommunikation åt företag som bedriver en plattform baserad på användargenererat innehåll. Internet idag är en vanlig kommunikationskanal för företag och trender och miljön ändras snabbt. Web 2.0 har vuxit fram i den digitala miljön de senaste åren, vilket innebär att företag idag för dialoger med sina kunder, en tvåvägskommunikation skapas istället för en envägskommunikation likt det var förut. Därför ämnar detta arbete titta närmare på hur plattformar kan jobba för att få mer aktivitet på plattformen. Ur teorin har vi tagit fram en ny kommunikationsprocess anpassad för digitala plattformar som grundar sig på användargenererat innehåll. Denna modell utgår från den klassiska kommunikationsprocessen men har utvecklats med delar som bör tas i åtanke då ett företag tillhandahåller en plattform för användargenererat innehåll, till exempel att de plattformar som undersöks har två olika intressenter att ta hänsyn till. Den empiriska studien gjordes genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med representanter från plattformar, där det finns användare som bidrar med produkten och konsumenter som sedan nyttjar produkten eller tjänsten som publiceras på plattformen. Den empiriska datan har delats in i kategorier utifrån teman som fanns i teorin; kommunikation, interaktivitet och kontroll, och därefter sorterats genom template analysis till ytterligare underkategorier. Resultatet visar att det är av stor vikt att en plattform skapar en känsla av gemenskap med sina användare och konsumenter, via tjänsten. I analysen tar vi upp de olika motivationstyper som kan ligga bakom bidragande till användargenererat innehåll på en plattform, och delar in dessa i social, individuell och finansiell motivation. Företagen bör jobba med att aktivera dessa i sin kommunikation på plattformen för att det ska bli aktivitet mellan användare och konsumeter. Modellen som togs fram ur teorin utvärderas jämtemot resultatet från empirin och presenteras i form av slutsatser. I den slutliga modellen byts feedback ut mot interaktion, som får en större betydelse i modellen. Vi förtydligar också vikten av att denna interaktion är en kontinuerlig process som plattformen bör jobba för att upprätthålla, och denna process inkorporeras i modellen. Vår studie ger ett teoretiskt bidrag i form av en utgångspunkt i ett outforskat ämne. Den ger också ett praktiskt bidrag i den framtagna modellen, som kan användas för att utarbeta strategier för marknadskommunikation hos plattformar för användargenererat innehåll.

In recent times, higher educational institutions have faced a challenge from the radical demands of their students. With the spread of students’ use of Web 2.0 applications, educational institutions also need to move with this trend and adopt Web 2.0 applications in education. As a contribution to the field of innovation in higher education, this study explores the pedagogical affordances of a social networking site (SNS) in higher education in Saudi Arabia. A case study methodology informed by Design-Based Research DBR approach was used. This approach was characterized by iterations of design and evaluation. The study was applied in two phases: Phase One was applied in the University of Exeter to evaluate a previously designed course, “The ICT Future”, with the innovation of a social networking site. The result of this phase was a framework which was applied in Phase Two, in King Saud University, which contributed to the design of an innovative course using social networking site, on "Web design". The data were collected by mixed methods: using stimulated recall interviews, reflexive report, and observation of the interaction on the social networking site. The findings of the study were used to help revise the framework for the design of a course which utilised the social networking site. The framework developed in this study was based on the findings of the pedagogical affordances of the SNS. The study concludes that the pedagogical affordances of the social networking sites are: reflection, stimulation, content-creation, collaboration, and online discussion. These affordances support students in higher education. Some important challenges in implementing the social networking site in higher education were highlighted. The study presents the need to change pedagogical practices in universities, and discusses various ways in which these changes could be implemented.

This thesis thematizes the influence of commerce or commercials on bloggers and aims to realise their point of view interpreted by the authors of selected blogs in certain specific categories such as: fashion, beauty, lifestyle and food blogs. It is therefore, a critical view of the Czech blogs in selected categories in order to determine their relationship with the commercial industry thereby linking them with the information and PR content. This paper attempts to compare the neutrality or conversely the impact of commercials on certain selected Czech blogs. The purpose of this research is to ascertain the attitudes of bloggers who succumb to pressures from commercial entities. The result of this work is to evaluate personal perspective on the issue of linking bloggers with marketing plans and advertising commercial entities. Findings of the reviews point to the concept of free labour and touch upon the broader issue of poorly paid workers in the Web 2.0 environment.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) in private tertiary institutions in South Africa to enhance the learning experience of scholars. The study adopted an interpretive ontological stance and subjective epistemological stance as the researcher sought to understand how-portfolios can be used to enhance learning. The focus was on understanding people in a social setting though employing field research to collect and interpret data. Action research, in this case employing a pre-test, intervention and post-test limited to a single cycle, was selected as strategy. The empirical part of the study was conducted during the first semester of 2014 (January to May) at a private tertiary university in Gauteng, South Africa. A pre-survey has been conducted before implementation and a post-survey after the implementation of e-portfolios to test the attitude of the participants, where after the results were compared. The pre-test was administered before creating e-portfolios and the post-test towards the end of the semester after developing and maintaining e-portfolios. Questionnaires were used to obtain information such as the attitude of the respondents on learning, assessment, reflection, collaboration and interpersonal communication through the use of e-portfolios. Questionnaires served as the main data collection tool throughout the survey. The sample was selected from first and second year students in the Information Technology faculty, with the sample size n=48. The researcher further collected data through observing subjects and conducting group interviews that were recorded to augment the questionnaire approach and verify the results through triangulation. The questionnaires were distributed to the participants who were given thirty minutes to complete. Responses were made using a five-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. The response rate was outstanding as all 48 subjects participated in the study. The researcher used a mixed-methods approach for this study; SPSS 22.0 was used for quantitative data analysis and thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data. Reliability for quantitative data was determined using Cronbach’s alpha. Regression analysis was done as well as correlations to determine relationships and associations. To further cement relationships, t-tests and Spearman’s correlation coefficient were employed. Trustworthiness for qualitative data and justification for credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability were discussed. vi The results revealed that e-portfolios could be used effectively at private tertiary institutions to enhance the learning experience of scholars as evidenced by the significant statistics obtained in this study.

The advent of the internet has resulted in the development from mail, radio and telephonic modes of delivery to electronic mode of delivery in distance education. It has been predicted that the impact of the internet on distance and online education will result in benefits such as wider reach of learners who might be disadvantaged by geographical locations and distance, greater flexibility and increased convenience for distance and online learners. However, the envisaged benefits seem to be elusive as a result of a range of impediments, including issues related to the digital divide. In this case study, focused on on-line students at a college of distance and open education in Botswana, students perceptions’ of both the benefits of and the impediments to their study are described, together with their perceptions of support strategies. Findings indicate the need for support strategies consistent with the nature of online learning in the 21st century. In particular, the findings of this study suggest that Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to enhance learner support, and that there is a need for careful exploration of the ways in which such technologies can be exploited and applied in support of on-line learners.