Computational techniques have transformed the journalistic approach. Journalists now have the opportunity to integrate user-statistics from the news website with their work. Singer (2011) argues that journalists seem particularly afraid of items, which they perceive as trivial or otherwise unsavory, will prove popular - potentially creating management pressures to produce more of those stories. She describes this practice as ‘‘traffic whoring’’. This phenomenon could affect journalists democratic function and their public responsibility. Through qualitative interviews we seek to answer the question: how do journalist perceive traffic whoring and how does it affect their journalistic work? Our study reveals that the interviewed journalists don’t consider themselves to be influenced by traffic whoring. On the contrary, their given statements describes the opposite. Partly due to the visibility of user-preferences, but also due to an increasing management demand to generate high numbers and statistics.

Video game journalism has been accused for lack in journalistic legitimacy for decades. The historical relation between video game journalists and video game publishers has always been problematic from an objective point of view, as publishers have the power to govern and dictate journalistic coverage by withdrawing financial funding and review material. This has consequently lead to lack in journalistic legitimacy when it comes to video game coverage. However, as the grass roots media movement gained popularity and attention in the mid 2000s, a new more direct and personal way of coverage became evident. Nowadays, grass roots media producers operate within the same field of practice as traditional journalists and the difference between entertainment and journalism has become harder than ever to distinguish. The aim of this master thesis is to discover if grass roots media is more critical than traditional video game journalism regarding industry coverage. The study combines Communication Power theory, Web 2.0 and Convergence Culture, as well as Alternative Media and Participatory Journalistic theory, to create an interdisciplinary theoretical framework. The theoretical framework also guides our choice in methodology as a grounded theory study, where the aim of analysis is to present or discover a new theory or present propositions grounded in our analysis. To reach this methodological goal, 10 different grass roots media producers were interviewed at 6 different occasions. The interviewees were asked about their opinions regarding grass roots media production, their own contribution, as well how they identified journalistic coverage. It was discovered that the grass roots media producers were not more critical than traditional video game journalists. This was because grass roots media producers operate under the rules of entertainment production. It was discovered that if grass roots media producers break out of the normative rules of entertainment production, they would either loose their autonomous freedom or funding, resulting in a catch-22 situation. Furthermore, it was found that grass roots media producers did not identify themselves as journalists; rather they identified themselves as game critics or reviewers. Thus, a video game journalist is categorised as an individual that report writes or edits video game news as an occupation, with formal journalistic training. However, since neither grass roots media producers nor industry veterans in general have journalistic training, it is still unclear who is a video game journalist. Lastly, we found that grass roots media producers have little possibility to influence traditional video game journalism. The only way to increase the status of journalistic legitimacy is by encouraging journalism itself, to engage in critical media coverage. As there is a public demand for industry coverage, and journalistic legitimacy is grounded on the normative democratic self-descriptions of the profession, video game journalism needs to move beyond entertainment and engage in democratically, constructive and critical coverage.

De plus en plus, des gens utilisent les sites de réseaux sociaux pour partager du contenu politique ou émettre leurs opinions à ce sujet principalement lors des campagnes électorales. L’objectif principal du mémoire est d’identifier les facteurs qui ont influencé les individus à émettre des commentaires politiques ou à partager du contenu politique par l’intermédiaire du réseau social Twitter lors de la campagne de 2012 au Québec.

Multilingualism is a reality in South African classrooms. The Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the national language policy recognize language rights and aims at supporting, promoting and developing the official languages. However, despite the advantages of mother tongue education, English is often chosen as language of learning and teaching at the cost of the African official languages. This study proposes the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning. Blended learning refers to the blending of traditional instruction methods, such as face-to-face instruction, with other forms of instruction such as online learning and teaching. Through a discussion of asynchronous and synchronous learning tools it was established that wikis would be used for this study. In terms of blended learning and learning theories the main emphasis in this study is on socio-constructivism as well as communal constructivism. The empirical research in this study focused on the establishment and testing of a conceptual model for the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning in the subject IT. The research took the form of a sequential embedded mixed methods design. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. A questionnaire was used with IT teachers to investigate the language and blended learning context. This was followed up with qualitative research in the form of interviews aimed at provincial and national experts in terms of the subject IT and e-learning. Based on the literature and these two investigations, a conceptual model was developed. The conceptual model’s effectiveness was tested through a quasi-experimental study. A questionnaire was also completed by the respondents at the schools after the completion of the study. Through the testing of the effectiveness of the conceptual model it was found that multilingualism could successfully be accommodated and promoted through this conceptual model. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

Multilingualism is a reality in South African classrooms. The Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the national language policy recognize language rights and aims at supporting, promoting and developing the official languages. However, despite the advantages of mother tongue education, English is often chosen as language of learning and teaching at the cost of the African official languages. This study proposes the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning. Blended learning refers to the blending of traditional instruction methods, such as face-to-face instruction, with other forms of instruction such as online learning and teaching. Through a discussion of asynchronous and synchronous learning tools it was established that wikis would be used for this study. In terms of blended learning and learning theories the main emphasis in this study is on socio-constructivism as well as communal constructivism. The empirical research in this study focused on the establishment and testing of a conceptual model for the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning in the subject IT. The research took the form of a sequential embedded mixed methods design. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. A questionnaire was used with IT teachers to investigate the language and blended learning context. This was followed up with qualitative research in the form of interviews aimed at provincial and national experts in terms of the subject IT and e-learning. Based on the literature and these two investigations, a conceptual model was developed. The conceptual model’s effectiveness was tested through a quasi-experimental study. A questionnaire was also completed by the respondents at the schools after the completion of the study. Through the testing of the effectiveness of the conceptual model it was found that multilingualism could successfully be accommodated and promoted through this conceptual model. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

In the new business world, organizational knowledge is considered to be a key factor for profitability attainment. This is true within any industry. It is a vital enabler of superior business accomplishments and developments. Managing such valuable knowledge enables organizations to gain a competitive advantage and advance in the process of wealth creation. As organizations worldwide become increasingly aware of the benefits that can be achieved by engaging in effective knowledge management practices, the need arises for additional research in order to identify and ascertain the effects of cultural differences among the operating environments of different firms, and to find out how these differences translate into varying uses of technologies and knowledge management practices in firms; that is the main objective of this research. To reach this goal, the study utilizes an exploratory research design to collect and analyze quantitative data from employees of various organizations in different countries and industries. We do this in order to explore the determinants of effective knowledge management from cultural, organizational, and technological perspectives. Specifically, the study will examine the country of Saudi Arabia and compare it to other countries. Quantitative data for an empirical investigation was collected through a web-based survey questionnaire sent to employees of various organizations within different national contexts and industrial settings. Drawing upon previously validated studies and several new hypotheses, this study presents a theoretical model that integrates different sociological and technological factors that influence employees’ behavior when using Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management. Sociological determinants include: power distance, long term-orientation, knowledge management environment, and personal and organizational behavior. The technological determinants include: Enterprise 2.0 tools, richness, sophistication, ease of use, usefulness and behavioral intention of really using these tools. The quantitative investigation reflects the testing of significant theoretical constructs and relational propositions from the theoretical model. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to estimate a structural relationship model among the sociological and technological determinants of the intentions of use of Enterprise 2.0. The key findings from this study emphasize the role of technology perceptions including: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, richness, sophistication of adoption, the use of Enterprise 2.0 technologies in the workplace, as well as the knowledge management environment of the organization. Furthermore, the results highlight the impact of factors pertaining to knowledge management, such as personal and organizational information on the use of Enterprise 2.0 tools. This study also found that divergences among countries with different cultural settings might affect the knowledge management environment and the use of Enterprise 2.0 in organizations; further investigation is needed in this area. Based on these findings, the study offers theoretical implications and suggestions for future research. This research provides guidelines for practices, processes, and technologies related to knowledge management. It also gives specific recommendations, for companies operating in various cultural contexts, on how to give priority to the context and the environment in which the knowledge is being exchanged as well as how to enhance the technological infrastructures that offer a behavioral incentive to use Enterprise 2.0 technologies for knowledge management.

From Facebook to Pandora, the various opportunities available online for entertainment, self-exploration and socialization have caught the attention of hundreds of millions of Internet users. While users value these opportunities for entertainment as well as an increased ability to connect with friends, these websites, in turn, are able to tap into the value of audience as commodity. While interaction is generally open and free, users are persuaded to internalize notions of commodity fetishism and commodity consumption. Further, the diversification of identity-forming opportunities available to users on these sites, although beneficial to the user, ultimately serve to benefit the sites and their corporate advertisers. It is the dialogical relationship between the user and platform in particular, that effectively veils the highly structured nature of these platforms. As a result of corporate actions on these sites, ideological interpellation, the process entailing the creation of, and recognition within, subjectivities, becomes more prevalent as a function of new technologies. This thesis will serve as an introduction to the concept of recursive interpellation and demonstrate how individuals come to configure subjectivities in the digital era.

Temos aktualumas Prekės ženklas yra ilgaamžiškiausias įmonės turtas, sukuriantis pridėtinę vertę ir padedantis įgyti konkurencinį pranašumą rinkoje. Tačiau sukurti sėkmingą prekės ženklą nėra lengva. Tam reikia ne tik originalių idėjų, bet ir nemenkų investicijų, kadangi prekės ženklo stiprinimas yra nuolatinis procesas. Kitaip tariant, vien sukurti sėkmingą prekės ženklą neužtenka. Nuolatinė konkurencija, vartotojų poreikių pokyčiai verčia nuolatos peržiūrėti prekės ženklo struktūrą ir priimti tam tikrus sprendimus dėl prekės ženklo stiprinimo. Šiais laikais televizija, radijas, žurnalai, internetas ir kt. masinės informacijos priemonės gali apimti didelę auditoriją vartotojų, tačiau reklaminės kampanijos kainuoja dideles pinigų sumas. Tačiau vis dėlto įmonės nevisuomet sulaukia tokio grįžtamojo rezultato, kurio tikėjosi. Taigi, kyla poreikis išsiaiškinti kaip teisingai parengti prekės ženklo stiprinimo programą, skatinančią vartotoją rinktis būtent šį prekės ženklą, bei kaip pasitelkti naujausių informacinių technologijų galimybes ir taip minimaliomis išlaidomis pasiekti kuo didesnę auditoriją ir gauti norimus rezultatus. Darbo objektas- prekės ženklas socialiniuose tinklapiuose. Darbo tikslas - išnagrinėti ir įvertinti prekės ženklo stiprinimo galimybes socialinėse medijose. Darbo tikslui pasiekti numatomi tokie uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti prekės ženklą ir jo stiprinimo metodus. 2. Išnagrinėti integruotąsias marketingo komunikacijas. 3. Išanalizuoti socialinių medijų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The Relevance of the paper. The brand name is the most durable of company‘s assets creating added value and helping to gain a competitive advantage in the market. Though creating a successful brand is not as easy as it seems. This requires not only original ideas but also a considerable investment because the brand-building is a continuous process. In other words, it is not enough only to create a brand name of the product. Constant competition and changes in consumer demands force the analysis of brand name structure and makes it take certain decisions on the enforcement of the brand building. Nowadays television, radio, magazines, the internet and other mass media can cover a large audience of consumers, though commercial campaigns cost a fortune. However companies do not ussually receive an expected feedback. Thus, there is an increasing demand to find out the right way of brand name building program which encourages choosing exactly this brand name for the consumer and also how to use the opportunities of new infomational technologies and in this way to reach as wider audience as possible with minimal cost and to acquire desired rezults. The object of the paper- the brand name in social networks. The aim of the paper- to examine and evaluate the opportunities of brand name strengthening in social media. Set goals in order to achieve the aim of the paper: 1. To analyze the brand and the methods of the brand strengthening. 2. To analyze the communications of the integrated... [to full text]

The Arab spring has been called a social media revolution and social media have been given large importance and significant space in both academic discussions and analysis in the media. The main focus of this study was to examine whether social media have impacted the news reporting of the conflicts. A sample of articles from four different newspapers was examined, taken randomly from all relevant articles published on the newspapers websites between December 2010 and December 2013. A part of that sample was checked for news agency cable reliance and the entire sample were checked for material from social media. Three newspapers were found to rely heavily on news agency material. The New York Times was the exception, having only 4 percent of articles being based on news agency material. Social media material and quotes were found and were used in the report-ing in different ways, but only in 4 percent of articles. It was mainly used as a way to get protester commentary. Two of the included newspapers were China Daily and the New York Times. The differences between the respective reporting in these newspapers were also examined in yet an-other subsample consisting of 100 articles from each newspaper. Several differences be-tween the reporting were found, with China Daily for example presenting a framing more in favour of the government of Syria than the New York Times.

Recent advances in information technology such as Web mapping and location-aware mobile devices have enabled non-experts to create, use and share volumes of spatial data in an increasingly accessible fashion. Such user-generated spatial data is usually referred to as Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). Two of the fundamental challenges associated with the exploitation of VGI relate to information overload and extraction of meaning. In order to deal with these challenges and improve the utility of VGI, this thesis investigates the potential of several interactive geovisualization techniques including filtering, dynamic spatial aggregation, linking and brushing, and tag-based visualizations. As a preliminary work to explore and structure the new research field of VGI, a framework of the different types of VGI is elaborated and followed by a review of the challenges and current solutions related to the utilization of VGI. Based on this review, a web-based prototype is developed to serve as a platform for the evaluation of selected geovisualization techniques. The prototype is then used in a series of workshops with rich citizen-generated data related to place-based community assets. The results of the case study show that the implemented geovisualization techniques enable users to find relevant subsets of information and to gain new insights on the data. Based on the potential shown by these results, future research directions are suggested.