Abstract Context: Online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have become the preferred interaction, entertainment and socializing facility on the Internet. However, these social network services also bring privacy issues in more limelight than ever. Several privacy leakage problems are highlighted in the literature with a variety of suggested countermeasures. Most of these measures further add complexity and management overhead for the user. One ignored aspect with the architecture of online social networks is that they do not offer any mechanism to calculate the strength of relationship between individuals. This information is quite useful to identify possible privacy threats. Objectives: In this study, we identify users’ privacy concerns and their satisfaction regarding privacy control measures provided by online social networks. Furthermore, this study explores data mining techniques to predict the levels/intensity of friendship in online social networks. This study also proposes a technique to utilize predicted friendship levels for privacy preservation in a semi-automatic privacy framework. Methods: An online survey is conducted to analyze Facebook users’ concerns as well as their interaction behavior with their good friends. On the basis of survey results, an experiment is performed to justify practical demonstration of data mining phases. Results: We found that users are concerned to save their private data. As a precautionary measure, they restrain to show their private information on Facebook due to privacy leakage fears. Additionally, individuals also perform some actions which they also feel as privacy vulnerability. This study further identifies that the importance of interaction type varies while communication. This research also discovered, “mutual friends” and “profile visits”, the two non-interaction based estimation metrics. Finally, this study also found an excellent performance of J48 and Naïve Bayes algorithms to classify friendship levels. Conclusions: The users are not satisfied with the privacy measures provided by the online social networks. We establish that the online social networks should offer a privacy mechanism which does not require a lot of privacy control effort from the users. This study also concludes that factors such as current status, interaction type need to be considered with the interaction count method in order to improve its performance. Furthermore, data mining classification algorithms are tailor-made for the prediction of friendship levels.

To end up as an immigrant in an unknown country and to try to participate in the majority society means both psychological and physical difficulties where their whole life is changing. Gemensamma Krafter is a prevention changing work in a housing area in Borlänge. It works among other things as a meeting place for people from different cultures. The aim with this study was to describe and to get increased understanding for the lives of a number of immigrant women who lives in Borlänge/Sweden and which importance “Gemensamma Krafter” has had for them. Eight women from Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Somalia were interviewed and the material was analyzed on the basis of categorisations of expressed meanings. The results show on a complex picture of these women’s lives in Borlänge. Their experience that Sweden is a safe country with a personal freedom without wars and with social rights as equal as other citizens is obvious but their experience of exclusion, discrimination and everyday racism is always present. The community with compatriots becomes important when one does not become accepted and participating in the majority society. It is in this community where the immigrant women strengthens their own identities and mobilizes the force to a future's faith on work, education and participation in the society. Gemensamma Krafter is described by the women as an oasis, a meeting place where they can be confirmed and accepted for the persons they are. Here they meet Swedish women and get an insight in their world. The study gives an increased knowledge and understanding for the lives of the immigrant women and the importance of natural meeting places in the local society. / Att hamna i ett okänt land och försöka bli delaktig i majoritetssamhället innebär både psykiska och fysiska svårigheter där hela ens livsvärld förändras. Gemensamma Krafter är ett förebyggande förändringsarbete i ett bostadsområde i Borlänge. Det fungerar bl.a. som en mötesplats för människor från olika kulturer. Syftet med studien var att beskriva och få en ökad förståelse för invandrarkvinnors liv i Borlänge/Sverige och vilken betydelse Gemensamma Krafter haft för kvinnorna. Åtta kvinnor från Syrien, Irak, Turkiet och Somalia intervjuades och materialet analyserades utifrån meningskategorisering. Resultatet visar på en komplex bild av dessa kvinnors liv i Borlänge/Sverige. De uttryckte att Sverige är ett tryggt land med frihet utan krig och med sociala rättigheter som andra medborgare men att upplevelsen av utanförskap, diskriminering och vardagsrasism finns ständigt närvarande. Gemenskapen med egna landsmän blir viktig när de inte blir accepterad och delaktig i majoritetssamhället. Det är där de stärker sin egen identitet och mobiliserar kraften till en framtidstro på arbete, utbildning och delaktighet i samhället. Gemensamma Krafter beskrivs av kvinnorna som en oas, en mötesplats där de blir bekräftad och accepterad. Där träffar de svenska kvinnor och får en inblick i deras värld. Studien ger en ökad kunskap och förståelse för invandrarkvinnornas liv och visar på vikten av naturliga mötesplatser i lokalsamhället.

Although there has been much work done in the industry and academia on developing the theory and application of social networks as well as recommender systems, the relation between these research areas is still unclear. An innovative idea, which enables to integrate these areas, and applies recommendation systems to the online social network systems, is proposed in this thesis. Recommendation systems for social networks differ from the typical kinds of recommendation solutions, since they suggest human beings to other ones rather than inanimate goods. Thus, conventional recommendation methods should be enhanced by social features of the networks and their members. This thesis presents the result of the study on the recommendation framework for virtual communities. It also contains an overview of recent approaches to recommendation systems and social networks, as well as description of the online social network systems.

This diploma thesis deals with the written form of communication by users of the social networking website Facebook and members of specified groups. Its aim is to map errors in written expression in the topics of spelling lexicography, morphology and syntactics. In addition it is focused on analysing the extent to which typographical rules are disregarded. These problems were investigated by analysis of the inserted statuses and comments by the members of the selected and specified groups of Facebook. In my research, I found that a large number of the authors made elementary mistakes in spelling that are taught in the first grade of the primary school. Another important discovery is that many users hold the opinion that observing the grammatical rules is less of a priority than the content of their communication.

This thesis examines several nuanced issues, including equitable access, regarding long-distance intercity travel. In the United States, studies of transportation equity focus on affordable access to local destinations and basic services. The limited studies of long-distance intercity travel focus on observed demand, ignoring latent or unmet demand. Both quantitative and qualitative data are used to explore the differences between those who participate in long-distance travel and those with unmet need for it. This thesis found that the ability to participate in long-distance travel plays a role in one’s overall well-being. Undertaking long-distance trips facilitates access to opportunity for cultural and educational experiences, as well as the maintenance and creation of social capital, factors which were indicated by study participants. The first part of the thesis examines equity in access to long-distance travel between individuals by using data from a state-wide survey completed by 2,232 Vermonters for the Vermont Agency of Transportation in 2016. Five ordinal logistic regression models that approximate different levels of realized and unmet travel are used to understand how access to intercity travel differs by socioeconomic, geographic location, and household characteristics. A total of 22 percent of respondents indicated they had unmet demand at least once per year. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between those who had unmet demand within Vermont and outside of Vermont, proxies for local and intercity travel, respectively. Income level, Internet access, and education level were found to be significant predictors of realized long-distance travel. Household size and composition, household vehicles, age, income, and self-reported urban residence were predictors of both unmet local and long-distance travel need. In addition, full-time employment was significant for local unmet need, while miles to the nearest metropolitan area was a significant predictor for longer travel needs. Models of actual travel were stronger than for unmet demand, indicating that other unmeasured predictor variables may be important, thus requiring qualitative exploration. The second part of the thesis consists of an in-depth examination using semi-structured interviews regarding intercity travel with 24 women living in Chittenden County, Vermont. In addition to the qualitative survey methods, data from a social network geography survey designed specifically for the study and an overall well-being survey were used. Interviews were coded by theme relating to travel type, barriers to travel, and impact on quality of life. A majority of participants felt long-distance travel was very important or essential to their well-being and they wished to increase the amount they did. Additionally, participants felt the need to meet with friends and family in-person, therefore necessitating long-distance travel to those who lived further away. There was also a discrepancy between the desire to meet with friends and family and how often the participants actually were able to do so. Those with higher incomes had less unmet long-distance travel need.

Le principal objectif de cette thèse est d'évaluer les protocoles qui prennent en considération la protection de la vie privée et qui nécessitent seulement des métadonnées locales pour détecter les comportements malveillants sur les réseaux sociaux décentralisés. En appliquant des techniques d'analyse de réseaux sociaux qui réduisent la quantité de métadonnées sensibles, nous obtenons des résultats acceptables comparé aux techniques qui ne préservent pas la vie privée. De plus, nous prévoyons d'élaborer une série de recommandations pour construire de futurs réseaux sociaux décentralisés qui découragent cette type des comportements abusifs. / The main goal of this thesis is to evaluate privacy-preserving protocols to detect abuse in future decentralised online social platforms or microblogging services, where often limited amount of metadata is available to perform data analytics. Taking into account such data minimization, we obtain acceptable results compared to techniques of machine learning that use all metadata available. We draw a series of conclusion and recommendations that will aid in the design and development of a privacy-preserving decentralised social network that discourages abusive behavior.

This research examined demographic factors and reported preferential learning mode among a sample of Florida Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members compared to a national sample profile of OLLI members. This study was prompted by an earlier study of OLLI members conducted by the National Resource Center (NRC) for OLLIs, which produced a national profile describing OLLI members. Although there was a national profile for OLLI members, there were no existing profiles of Florida OLLI members that could be used by OLLI administrators and instructors. This study employed an online survey to compare data between the national OLLI member profile and the Florida profile. Demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, and relocation after retirement, as well as reported preferential learning mode were compared. The data resulting from this comparison indicated that although the gender and marital status distributions of the sample participants were similar, a majority of the other demographic variables were different for the Florida and national OLLI samples. The reported preferential learning mode between national and Florida OLLI members also were significantly different, in contrast to earlier research, which suggested that OLLI members were a homogenous group. The findings from this study suggest that it is important for adult education field educators, administrators, and OLLI instructors to recognize the growing diversity and technical proficiency of current retirees in order to continue to promote effective lifelong learning practices.

Keeping forestland intact has emerged as a critical policy objective at state and federal levels. This target has been supported by substantial public investment. The collective impact from the bequest decisions of millions of landowning individuals and families has the potential to affect the extent and functionality of future forests in the United States. Despite a growing body of research devoted to studying these transitions in forest ownership, much remains unknown about how family forest owners make decisions in this arena. The social and emotional dimensions of woodland succession planning have been particularly under-examined. This thesis explores the process of planning for the future use and ownership of woodlands through in-depth analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with family forest owners in Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Vermont. The first article investigates how family forest owners evaluate and integrate stories derived from their social networks when planning for the future of their woodlands. Analysis of the themes contained in stories framed as “cautionary tales” revealed common fears surrounding succession planning. The second article explores the complexity of emotional relationships with family forests showing how emotional geographies manifest in the succession planning process. Together, these studies deepen understanding of how family forest owners plan for the future of private woodlands and offer implications for Extension and outreach.

The subject of diploma thesis are online social networks and how they can be used in education. The first part deals how social networks can help in education, it analyses communi-cation as crucial aspect educational process. Theoretical part is also trying to define online social network with the aim on education, few of social networks are presented with exam-ples how can they be used in practise. The practical part consists in the implementation of a chosen social network (proba-bly Yammer) into the real teaching courses of the Department of system analysis - intro-ductory on subjects 4SA615 - Information Management and 4SA526 - New media and social networks. Questionnaire is used to evaluate the results and to get feedback from the student on the implemented project (social network). Recommendations are proposed based on the feedback, which could be applied to improve the courses in upcoming semes-ters. In the best-case scenario, the conclusion of this diploma thesis could lead to imple-menting the social network for whole department, or even university.

Historically human endeavors around the globe are in search of bilateral relationships. Knowledge and commerce has played a very significant role in increasing the ability for humans to connect for the betterment of the human species. As the means of communication improve, mutual benefits to the community as a whole also increase. Moreover, the benefits are filtered down to members of the overall community. Recent advancement in electronic communication technologies and in knowledge, in particular, physical, chemical, engineering and medical sciences and philosophies, have facilitated nearly instantaneous multi-cultural interactions. Local problems and solutions have become global. This has generated a need for cooperation, coordination, and co-management at local and global levels. This instant communication and easy access to almost all members of the global community, with minimal cost and effort, causes an increase in uncertainty and lack of clarity in communication and misunderstanding between the members of the community. This leads to a fuzzy and stochastic environment. In short, the 21st century has seen a significant increase in the need to consider all human endeavors as being subject to random environmental fluctuations. More precisely, currently the human species is highly mobile. In this work, an attempt is made (1) to balance communities working cooperatively and cohesively with one another while preserving member ability to retain individuality and fostering an environment of cultural state diversity. We develop (2) constructive analytic algorithms that provide tools to study qualitative and quantitative properties of multicultural diverse dynamic social networks. Under network parametric space/set conditions (3) cohesion and co-existence of members of multicultural dynamic network are insured. The parametric conditions (4) are algebraically simple, easy to verify, and robust. Moreover, the presented study of parametric representations of cohesion, co-existence and consensus attributes and robustness of multicultural dynamic networks provides a quantitative tool for planning, policy and performance of human mobility processes for members of a multicultural dynamic network. We develop and investigate (5) a deterministic dynamic multicultural network. To exhibit the significance of the analysis, ideas, the complexity and limitations, we present a specific prototype model. This serves to establish the framework for finding explicit sufficient conditions in terms of system parameters for studying a complex dynamic network. Further, we decompose the cultural state domain into invariant subsets (6) and consider the behavior of members within each cultural state subset. Moreover, we analyze the relative cultural affinity between individual members relative to the center of the social network. We then (7) outline the general method for investigating a multicultural cultural network. We also demonstrate the degree of conservatism of the estimates using Euler type numerical approximation schemes. We are then able to consider how changes in the various parametric effects are reflected on the dynamics of the network. The deterministic multicultural dynamic model and analysis is extended (8) to a multicultural dynamic network under random environmental perturbations. We present a detailed prototype model for the purpose of investigation. Introducing the concept of stochastic cohesion and consensus in the context of probabilistic modes of convergence (9), the explicit sufficient conditions in terms of system parameters are given to exhibit the cohesive property of the stochastic network. The effects of random fluctuations are characterized. We then extend the stochastic model (10) to a multicultural hybrid stochastic dynamic network model. By considering a hybrid dynamic, we can explore the properties of a multicultural dynamic under the influence of both continuous-time and discrete-time cultural dynamic systems. This model captures external influences and internal changes that may have an impact on the members and system parameters of the dynamic network. We extend the ideas of global cohesion and consensus to local cohesion and consensus (11). Again, the detailed study is focused on a prototype hybrid multicultural dynamic network. Using the ideas and tools developed from the stochastic network (12), we are able to establish conditions on the network parameters for which the cultural network is locally cohesive. Using Euler-Maruyama type numerical approximation schemes to model the network, we better understand to what extent the analytically developed estimates are feasible.