<p><!--[if !mso]> <object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object><mce:style><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --></p><p>Traditional education have for long been remaining without major changes made to the actual system. Up until very recently, there has been reluctance towards making fundamental and dramatic changes to the system, but as societies change and develop by mirroring on past experiences, new minds and new ways of thinking emerge suggesting changes and new developments. Consequently, new educational approaches such as e-learning and virtual learning have emerged.</p><p>Lately, technology has been transforming and developing than ever before and the demand for modifying accordingly to new technology has become a prerequisite for all industries and institutions. Already with e-learning, a derived concept is worthy of notice. Authenticity, meaning validity and accuracy, has been imposed as one major issue when it comes to e-learning, and also v-learning.</p><p>The main goal of this thesis is to present answers and suggestions to the following research questions:</p><p>Ø  What value does a virtual education method create for the students?</p><p>Ø  What implications are there for an education through Second Life and what is the significance of such an environment?</p><p>Ø  What are the main auxiliary instruments or tools that enhance authenticity and the achievement of high presence in a virtual environment?</p><p>This research adopted an inductive approach using a qualitative research. The characterizations of knowledge used were descriptive knowledge, normative knowledge, explanatory research and evaluating research for the respective research questions. As a result of collaborating with Kalmar University, Sweden’s first Second Life course <em>“Oral Production” </em>was observed and to intensify the results, an interview was held with the course’s lecturer. The results were thereon analyzed and scrutinized based on the Empirical Findings, Theoretical Framework – consisting of mainly pedagogical theories and of articles concerning virtual learning environments.</p><p>The conclusion of this research entails the answers for the research questions. An education via a virtual environment is a development of e-learning, which is an enhancement of a traditional physical education. All students are persuaded to be active and participate in learning, which also promotes interconnectedness between students and teacher. Students can do role-playing and do presentations without feeling embarrassed about their “real” identities being represented. Main auxiliary instruments include virtual presentation boards, audio to communicate with each other and the avatar to direct the speech. Additionally, to enhance high presence in a virtual environment, involving all students with creative exercises seems to be another means in achieving high presence in a virtual environment.</p><p> </p>

René Schneider setzte das derzeit stark diskutierte Konzept einer "Bibliothek 2.0" in Bezug zur Geschichte und den aktuellen und möglichen Weiterentwicklungen des Web. Im Vordergrund standen dabei Werkzeuge des Web 2.0 (Folksonomies, RSSFeeds, Widgets, Mash-Ups) und deren Realisierungen im bibliothekarischen Kontext sowie der Zusammenhang zwischen dem sog. Web 3.0 oder SemanticWeb und der Sacherschliessung. Anschliessend wurde die Sacherschliessung als Schnittstellenproblem, d.h. aus der Perspektive der Gestaltung benutzerfreundlicher Oberflächen betrachtet und es wurde erörtert, inwieweit der Einsatz von Web 2.0- und Web 3.0-Technologie zur besseren Vermittlung des informationellen Mehrwerts der Sacherschliessung führen kann. René Schneider als Visionär: Für ihn ist das Internet eine große Bibliothek und alle ihre Nutzer sind ihre Bibliothekare.

Blockchains, smart contracts and cryptocurrencies are reaching further global adoption each day and are becoming more prominent to be the foundation for a new technological era and to be used in transactions globally. The technology has strong coherent properties, including a high level of security, decentralization, and its use of smart contracts to obviate intermediaries. These technologies offer the possibility to do any transaction without a centralized bank controlling, denying, or reversing the transaction. This report aims to shed light on blockchain technologies possible impact on society and if the current centralized-based system can be replaced or if it is deemed as necessary. What the potential outcome would be if these centralized authorities sees a decrease in power and how blockchains, smart contracts and stablecoins can be used as an everyday payment and transaction system, excluding all third parties. To do this, a literature review, a quantitative survey, and qualitative interviews were conducted. The literature review, to lay the ground for the questions in the survey, interviews, and additionally, to determine what blockchain and what kind of stablecoin is most suited for global adoption. The result from the qualitative interview were to acquire knowledge from more experienced individuals working or owning a company that is based on top of blockchains. Lastly, considering blockchain technology and web 3.0 is still under development and yet to become globally accepted, the questionnaire survey was conducted to retrieve the general consensus from individuals inside crypto communities. The report overall, came out to be successful, indicating that blockchain technologies has a bright future and that the decentralization it adds to society can benefit the individual in multiple of different ways, specifically in the financial sector. However, although the conclusion that blockchain technologies can be used as a global payment system were deemed successful, objective, and subjective opinions were discussed and reported relevant, whereas one individual might view the exclusion of intermediaries as necessary and beneficial, while the other – as something negative. Scalability issues in blockchains and smart contracts controversy, such as its complexity and its immutability aspect are also analyzed and discussed as a potential hindrance for further global adoption.

The Social Web, or Web 2.0, has recently gained popularity because of its low cost and ease of use. Social tagging sites (e.g. Flickr and YouTube) offer new principles for end-users to publish and classify their content (data). Tagging systems contain free-keywords (tags) generated by end-users to annotate and categorise data. Lack of semantics is the main drawback in social tagging due to the use of unstructured vocabulary. Therefore, tagging systems suffer from shortcomings such as low precision, lack of collocation, synonymy, multilinguality, and use of shorthands. Consequently, relevant contents are not visible, and thus not retrievable while searching in tag-based systems. On the other hand, the Semantic Web, so-called Web 3.0, provides a rich semantic infrastructure. Ontologies are the key enabling technology for the Semantic Web. Ontologies can be integrated with the Social Web to overcome the lack of semantics in tagging systems. In the work presented in this thesis, we build an architecture to address a number of tagging systems drawbacks. In particular, we make use of the controlled vocabularies presented by ontologies to improve the information retrieval in tag-based systems. Based on the tags provided by the end-users, we introduce the idea of adding “system tags” from semantic, as well as social, resources. The “system tags” are comprehensive and wide-ranging in comparison with the limited “user tags”. The system tags are used to fill the gap between the user tags and the search terms used for searching in the tag-based systems. We restricted the scope of our work to tackle the following tagging systems shortcomings: - The lack of semantic relations between user tags and search terms (e.g. synonymy, hypernymy), - The lack of translation mediums between user tags and search terms (multilinguality), - The lack of context to define the emergent shorthand writing user tags. To address the first shortcoming, we use the WordNet ontology as a semantic lingual resource from where system tags are extracted. For the second shortcoming, we use the MultiWordNet ontology to recognise the cross-languages linkages between different languages. Finally, to address the third shortcoming, we use tag clusters that are obtained from the Social Web to create a context for defining the meaning of shorthand writing tags. A prototype for our architecture was implemented. In the prototype system, we built our own database to host videos that we imported from real tag-based system (YouTube). The user tags associated with these videos were also imported and stored in the database. For each user tag, our algorithm adds a number of system tags that came from either semantic ontologies (WordNet or MultiWordNet), or from tag clusters that are imported from the Flickr website. Therefore, each system tag added to annotate the imported videos has a relationship with one of the user tags on that video. The relationship might be one of the following: synonymy, hypernymy, similar term, related term, translation, or clustering relation. To evaluate the suitability of our proposed system tags, we developed an online environment where participants submit search terms and retrieve two groups of videos to be evaluated. Each group is produced from one distinct type of tags; user tags or system tags. The videos in the two groups are produced from the same database and are evaluated by the same participants in order to have a consistent and reliable evaluation. Since the user tags are used nowadays for searching the real tag-based systems, we consider its efficiency as a criterion (reference) to which we compare the efficiency of the new system tags. In order to compare the relevancy between the search terms and each group of retrieved videos, we carried out a statistical approach. According to Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, there was no significant difference between using either system tags or user tags. The findings revealed that the use of the system tags in the search is as efficient as the use of the user tags; both types of tags produce different results, but at the same level of relevance to the submitted search terms.

Ce mémoire traite des concepts et de l'implantation du Web sémantique et du Web de données au sein d'institutions documentaires. Une analyse et une définition des technologies caractérisant ces concepts sont d'abord présentés dans l'objectif de les clarifier et d'assurer une bonne compréhension des différents enjeux qui en découlent pour les acteurs du domaine. Ensuite, les éléments démontrant la pertinence et les défis pour les professionnels de l'information sont décrits. Puis, l'objectif est d'analyser le processus de mise sur pied d'un projet de Web de données au sein de la Bibliothèque nationale de France pour proposer une transposition possible au contexte de Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, en vue d'une application. La liste des treize étapes pour l'implantation d'un projet de Web de données en bibliothèque ainsi que la proposition de l'application d'une méthodologie de développement de logiciel à ces pratiques sont ensuite présentées. Suite à cette analyse, des recommandations quant aux différentes étapes d'implantation sont proposées. / This dissertation discusses the concepts and implementation of Semantic Web and Linked Data within libraries. Analysis and definition of technologies characterizing these concepts are first presented with the objective to clarify and ensure a good understanding of the various issues arising for actors in the field. Then, the elements demonstrating the relevance and challenges for information professionals are described. The objective is to analyze the implementation process of a Linked Data project with the Bibliothèque nationale de France to propose a possible transposition to the context of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, for an application within the latter. A list of thirteen steps for the implementation of a library Linked Data project and the proposal for applying a software development process on these practices are presented. Following this analysis, recommendations regarding these various stages of implementation are proposed.

The main goal of the diploma thesis is to present a complex view of the online communication, standing on three main pillars. The first pillar is the market environment that creates the basic conditions for the online communication. Second important point is the digital communication itself. In the thesis there are described the specifics of the mostly utilized digital media. The last key element is the internet user. Thanks to many segmentation criteria we can distinguish between the users and define unique characteristics of the users that can be useful for market targeting and positioning. For that reason, the main theme of the practical part of the thesis is the segmentation of the internet population of Czech Republic. The segmentation was performed via advanced analytical and segmentation software Data Analyzer that is working with the database MML-TGI collected by the research agency Medián.

Η παρούσα διατριβή έχει ως στόχο να συνεισφέρει στον τομέα του Web Engineering εισάγοντας τρόπους αντιμετώπισης αυτών των προβλημάτων που αντιμετωπίζουν οι Μηχανικοί Παγκόσμιου Ιστού κατά τη διάρκεια του κύκλου ζωής των Εφαρμογών και των Πληροφοριακών Συστημάτων Παγκόσμιου Ιστού επόμενης γενιάς, και ειδικότερα κατά το σχεδιασμό, την ανάπτυξη και συντήρησή τους. Ειδικά τα τελευταία χρόνια, η εξέλιξη των εφαρμογών Παγκόσμιου Ιστού στηρίζεται, κατά κύριο λόγο, σε δυο τεχνολογικούς “πυλώνες”: στις βασικές αρχές και τεχνολογίες του Web 2.0 και στο Semantic Web. Είναι ισχυρή η πεποίθηση πως αυτές οι δύο διαφορετικές “σχολές” στην εξέλιξη του Παγκόσμιου Ιστού δε βρίσκονται σε σύγκρουση μεταξύ τους, αλλά μπορούν να συνδυαστούν κατάλληλα ώστε να ξεπεράσουν τις όποιες εγγενείς αδυναμίες τους. Κατ' αυτόν τον τρόπο, οι εφαρμογές Παγκόσμιου Ιστού της επόμενης γενιάς θα είναι σε θέση να συνδυάζουν τις αρχές του Web 2.0, κυρίως αυτές που στοχεύουν στην ευχρηστία των εφαρμογών και στη συνεργατική ανάπτυξη, με το ισχυρό τεχνολογικό υπόβαθρο του Semantic Web που διευκολύνει σε μεγάλο βαθμό την ανταλλαγή και το διαμοιρασμό πληροφορίας μεταξύ των εφαρμογών Παγκόσμιου Ιστού. Προσφάτως, έχει αρχίσει να χρησιμοποιείται ευρέως ο όρος Web 3.0 για να περιγράψει τη μελλοντική κατεύθυνση που τείνουν να ακολουθήσουν οι εφαρμογές Παγκόσμιου Ιστού. Το Web 3.0 προβλέπεται σαφώς να περιλαμβάνει τις αρχές του Semantic Web και του Web 2.0, αλλά οι ερευνητές πιστεύουν πως θα περιλαμβάνει επίσης και κάποια πιο εξειδικευμένα πεδία όπως η Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη στον Παγκόσμιο Ιστό (Web AI). Σε κάθε περίπτωση πάντως, δεν έχει καταστεί ξεκάθαρο, όχι μόνο το ποια θα είναι τα πλήρη χαρακτηριστικά του Web 3.0, αλλά και το ποιες θα είναι οι κατάλληλες διαδικασίες και τεχνολογίες, με βάση τις οποίες θα μπορούν να δομηθούν και να αναπτυχθούν οι αντίστοιχες εφαρμογές επόμενης γενιάς, με αποτέλεσμα η πορεία προς το Web 3.0 να γίνεται προς το παρόν με αυθαίρετο και άναρχο τρόπο. Σε αυτή την κατεύθυνση, μελετάται η παρούσα κατάσταση σχετικά με την υποστήριξη των εφαρμογών του Web 3.0, και γίνονται συγκεκριμένες προτάσεις για τη βελτίωσή της. Σαν πρώτο βήμα προτείνεται μια αρχιτεκτονική τριών επιπέδων (3-tier), η οποία αφενός, στο χαμηλότερο επίπεδο, περιλαμβάνει μια ισχυρή υποδομή σημασιακής βάσης γνώσης που μπορεί να υποστηρίξει το συνδυασμό πολλαπλών διάσπαρτων πηγών δεδομένων, χωρίς να απαιτεί ένα ισχυρό προϋπάρχον σημασιακό υπόβαθρο, και αφετέρου, στα ψηλότερα επίπεδα, προσφέρει μεγάλη ευελιξία στο χρήστη κατά την αλληλεπίδραση με το υποκείμενο μοντέλο οντολογιών, και μπορεί να υποστηρίξει τη συνεργατική ανάπτυξη των εφαρμογών Παγκόσμιου Ιστού επόμενης γενιάς. Επίσης, ένα από τα σημαντικότερα τμήματα της παρούσας διατριβής, είναι η πρόταση για μια συγκεκριμένη διαδικασία ανάπτυξης και ένα μοντέλο κύκλου ζωής των εφαρμογών του Web 3.0, όπου, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τα ιδιαίτερα στοιχεία και τον διττό χαρακτήρα των εν λόγω εφαρμογών, δίνονται εμπεριστατωμένα βήματα για το πως μπορούν να ξεπεραστούν τα όποια εμπόδια και να υπάρξει η μέγιστη δυνατή απόδοση κατά το σχεδιασμό και την ανάπτυξη των εφαρμογών Παγκόσμιου Ιστού επόμενης γενιάς. Με βάση τα παραπάνω, δίνεται η δυνατότητα για την ανάπτυξη κάποιων ενδεικτικών εφαρμογών Παγκόσμιου Ιστού, οι οποίες συνδυάζουν τη φιλοσοφία του Web 2.0 και το ισχυρό τεχνολογικό υπόβαθρο του Semantic Web. / --

<!--[if !mso]> <object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object><mce:style><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --> Traditional education have for long been remaining without major changes made to the actual system. Up until very recently, there has been reluctance towards making fundamental and dramatic changes to the system, but as societies change and develop by mirroring on past experiences, new minds and new ways of thinking emerge suggesting changes and new developments. Consequently, new educational approaches such as e-learning and virtual learning have emerged. Lately, technology has been transforming and developing than ever before and the demand for modifying accordingly to new technology has become a prerequisite for all industries and institutions. Already with e-learning, a derived concept is worthy of notice. Authenticity, meaning validity and accuracy, has been imposed as one major issue when it comes to e-learning, and also v-learning. The main goal of this thesis is to present answers and suggestions to the following research questions: Ø  What value does a virtual education method create for the students? Ø  What implications are there for an education through Second Life and what is the significance of such an environment? Ø  What are the main auxiliary instruments or tools that enhance authenticity and the achievement of high presence in a virtual environment? This research adopted an inductive approach using a qualitative research. The characterizations of knowledge used were descriptive knowledge, normative knowledge, explanatory research and evaluating research for the respective research questions. As a result of collaborating with Kalmar University, Sweden’s first Second Life course “Oral Production” was observed and to intensify the results, an interview was held with the course’s lecturer. The results were thereon analyzed and scrutinized based on the Empirical Findings, Theoretical Framework – consisting of mainly pedagogical theories and of articles concerning virtual learning environments. The conclusion of this research entails the answers for the research questions. An education via a virtual environment is a development of e-learning, which is an enhancement of a traditional physical education. All students are persuaded to be active and participate in learning, which also promotes interconnectedness between students and teacher. Students can do role-playing and do presentations without feeling embarrassed about their “real” identities being represented. Main auxiliary instruments include virtual presentation boards, audio to communicate with each other and the avatar to direct the speech. Additionally, to enhance high presence in a virtual environment, involving all students with creative exercises seems to be another means in achieving high presence in a virtual environment.

This masters thesis deals with the Semantic Web, its link to existing Web and the technologies, that produce it. It also deals with its current use in practice, further examines the deployment in web content management systems and proposes semantic extensions for the Kentico CMS.

The world wide web has gone through several distinct eras since its launch in 1989, going through the eras Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. There is an upcoming era, Web 4.0, where the web will become seamlessly integrated with people's everyday life. However, creating consumer engagement across platforms has already been recognized as challenging in Web 3.0 (Dolan et al., 2016). A type of storytelling, known for creating engagement is transmedia storytelling (TS). TS is a technique of telling one single story across multiple platforms, and when enjoyed together becomes a full experience. There is limited research conducted on the relationship between TS and the web, which became the problem of this study. The purpose of this study is to explorethe research gap and it was fulfilled by asking two research questions. The first oneestablished an understanding about the relationship between TS and Web 2.0 and 3.0, tounderstand how TS evolves and adapts to the web. Based on the built foundation, the second question aimed to explore the possibilities of TS and Web 4.0, and how they could benefit from each other and grow together. To answer our research questions this paper utilised the method of a multiple-case study that examines two cases, one in Web 2.0, and one in Web 3.0. The data was manually collected, traced and broken down into instances using reverse engineering. To analyse the data, it was rebuilt with visual mapping to understand the connections, and lastly compared to the web characteristics and TS principles. Concluding the findings and analysis, it can be established that TS evolves alongside the web, utilising and adapting to the new characteristics. In Web 2.0, TS relied heavily on offline sources such as DVD’s and TV, while in Web 3.0, it existed solely online. The participatory activity also grew from Web 2.0 to 3.0, where the users were an active part of the campaign evolving in Web 3.0. TS manages to create engagement across platforms, and benefits from new technical innovations. After the individual case reports, and cross-case analysis, it could be concluded that TS has good chances of continuing to adapt in the rise of Web 4.0. This study explored the research gap further, offering valuable insight onthe topic and opening for various further research possibilities, where TS and web cancontinue being investigated.