From social action to business action - A qualitative research on the professionalization process of a blogger: Case P.s. I Love Fashion -blog

Blogging is one of the most common forms of social media today. Blogs have become a powerful media and bloggers are settled stakeholders to marketers. Commercialization of the blogosphere has enabled an increasing number of bloggers professionalize and blog as a full-time occupation. The purpose of this study is to understand the professionalization process of a blogger from an amateur blogger to a professional actor. The following sub-questions were used to further elaborate the topic: What have been the meaningful events and developments fostering professionalization? What are the prerequisites for popularity in blogging? Are there any key success factors to acknowledge in order being able to make business out of your blog? The theoretical framework of this study was formed based on the two chosen focus areas for professionalization; social drivers and business drivers. The theoretical framework is based on literature from fields of marketing and social sciences, as well as previous research on social media, blogging and professionalization. The study is a qualitative case-study and the research data was collected in a semi-structured interview. The case chosen to this study is a lifestyle-blog. The writer of the case blog has been able to develop her blog to become a full-time professional blogger. Based on the results, the professionalization process of a blogger is not a defined process, but instead comprised of coincidental events as well as considered advancements. Success in blogging is based on the bloggers own motivation and passion for writing and expressing oneself in the form of a blog, instead of a systematic construction of a successful career in blogging. Networking with other bloggers as well as affiliates was seen as an important success factor. Popularity in the blogosphere and a high number of followers enable professionalization, as marketers actively seek to collaborate with popular bloggers with strong personal brands. Bloggers with strong personal brands are especially attractive due to their opinion leadership in their reference group. A blogger can act professionally either as entrepreneur or blogging for a commercial webpage. According to the results of this study, it is beneficial for the blogger’s professional development as well as career progress, to act on different operating models

A VOICE OF THEIR OWN: MUSIC AND SOCIAL COHESION IN TURKISH ALEVI LIFE

This dissertation examines the role that music has played in the expression of identity and revitalization of culture of the Alevis in Turkey, since the start of their sociocultural revival movement in the late 1980s. Music is central to Alevi claims of ethnic and religious difference—singing and playing the bağlama (Turkish folk lute) constitutes an expressive practice in worship and everyday life. Based on research conducted from 2012 to 2014, I investigate and present Alevi music through the lens of discourses on the construction of identity as a social and musical process. Alevi musicians perform a revived repertoire of the ritual music and folk songs of Anatolian bards and dervish-lodge poets that developed over several centuries. Contemporary media and performance contexts have blurred former distinctions between sacred and secular, yet have provided new avenues to build community in an urban setting. I compare music performances in the worship services of urban and small-town areas, and other community events such as devotional meetings, concerts, clubs, and broadcast and social media to illustrate the ways that participation—both performing and listening—reinforces identity and solidarity. I also examine the influence of these different contexts on performers’ musical choices, and the power of music to evoke a range of responses and emotional feelings in the participants. Through my investigation I argue that the Alevi music repertoire is not only a cultural practice but also a symbol of power and collective action in their struggle for human rights and self-determination. As Alevis have faced a redefined Turkish nationalism that incorporates Sunni Muslim piety, this music has gained even greater potency in their resistance to misrecognition as a folkloric, rather than a living, tradition.

Screening Diversity: Women & Work in Twenty-First-Century Popular Culture

Screening Diversity: Women and Work in Twenty-first Century Popular Culture explores contemporary representations of diverse professional women on screen. Audiences are offered successful women with limited concerns for feminism, anti-racism, or economic justice. I introduce the term viewsers to describe a group of movie and television viewers in the context of the online review platform Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and the social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. Screening Diversity follows their engagement in a representative sample of professional women on film and television produced between 2007 and 2015. The sample includes the television shows, Scandal, Homeland, VEEP, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Wife, as well as the movies, Zero Dark Thirty, The Proposal, The Heat, The Other Woman, I Don’t Know How She Does It, and Temptation. Viewsers appreciated female characters like Olivia (Scandal), and Maya (Zero Dark Thiry) who treated their work as a quasi-religious moral imperative. Producers and viewsers shared the belief that unlimited time commitment and personal identification were vital components of professionalism. However, powerful women, like The Proposal’s Margaret and VEEP’s Selina, were often called bitches. Some viewsers embraced bitch-positive politics in recognition of the struggles of women in power. Women’s disproportionate responsibility for reproductive labor, often compromises their ability to live up to moral standards of work. Unlike producers, viewsers celebrated and valued that labor. However, texts that included serious consideration of women as workers were frequently labelled chick flicks or soap operas. The label suggested that women’s labor issues were not important enough that they could be a topic of quality television or prestigious film, which bolstered the idea that workplace equality for women is not a problem in which the general public is implicated. Emerging discussions of racial injustice on television offered hope that these formations are beginning to shift.

A influência das redes sociais na perceção e escolha de um destino turístico na Geração Y

As redes sociais têm potencial para influenciar os indivíduos nas suas escolhas. O objetivo deste estudo é perceber se as redes sociais têm influência na perceção e escolha de um destino turístico por parte dos utilizadores. No sentido de entender todo o processo de partilha de conteúdos por parte dos utilizadores online, no que toca à divulgação de destinos turísticos, foi escolhida como referência a maior rede social a nível mundial - o facebook. Foi adotada uma metodologia quantitativa, assente na construção de um questionário colocado online a cerca de 250 pessoas, utilizadores de facebook, de ambos os sexos, e com idades compreendidas entre os 16 e os 32 anos – Geração Y ou geração Millennium. Os dados recolhidos foram tratados e analisados com o auxílio do software SPSS e do Google Forms. Foi possível, nesta investigação, identificar a sensibilidade dos indivíduos face à partilha de conteúdos turísticos realizados por amigos, familiares e ícones nas redes sociais. Este estudo é importante no sentido em que as empresas ligadas ao sector podem incentivar os utilizadores a partilhar as suas férias e conteúdos na página da empresa e tornar-se, assim, numa estratégia de marketing potenciando quer a sua visibilidade organizacional, quer a do destino em causa.

El escenario de las artes visuales contemporáneas en la ciudad de Guayaquil durante el presente siglo

La investigación presenta un análisis valorativo sobre el escenario de las Artes Visuales contemporáneas en Guayaquil durante el presente siglo y analiza el funcionamiento de los distintos componentes del mundo del arte, así como las relaciones entre ellos, a partir de la incidencia del ITAE en el contexto artístico de la ciudad. El estudio opta por una estrategia teórico-metodológica de orientación cualitativa y su método empleado permite considerar al ITAE como caso de estudio. Como consecuencia, se apuesta por un diseño de investigación flexible e interactivo, que permite la construcción del conocimiento y el análisis en profundidad con relación al contexto que genera la propia investigación. Los principales hallazgos demuestran que el escenario artístico local se ha revitalizado en el siglo XXI producto del surgimiento de una nueva y vasta generación de artistas en la ciudad. Tanto las obras, como los artistas, el público, las ciencias del arte, los medios de difusión, los espacios expositivos, el mercado del arte y la formación artística han tenido importantes transformaciones como consecuencia de la emergente producción de arte contemporáneo y del destacado papel que el Instituto Superior Tecnológico de Artes del Ecuador ha tenido en la formación de los jóvenes artistas y de la incidencia directa que estos han alcanzado en los distintos agentes de la escena cultural de la ciudad

As redes sociais online na hotelaria

Dissertação de Mestrado, Direção e Gestão Hoteleira, Escola Superior de Gestão, Hotelaria e Turismo, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Média-arte locativa e mapeamentos dinâmicos na compreensão de fluxos urbanos : o contributo do dispositivo móvel na atividade do caminhar como prática artística

O interesse pela análise de espaços urbanos através de dispositivos comunicacionais móveis (de meios digitais) – perspetivando a sua transformação contando com a participação colaborativa da população – traduz o enquadramento geral da investigação. As práticas artísticas, complementadas por métodos de estudo de cidades (capazes de abordarem a respetiva complexidade de modo multioperativo e flexível), foram integradas na pesquisa tendo em linha de conta o acentuado desenvolvimento que as mesmas têm conhecido para a compreensão da atual condição urbana. O resultado foca a hibridização de processos que permitem acrescentar conhecimento coletivo sobre estruturas urbanas, expresso em mapeamentos dinâmicos que promovem leituras aumentadas de realidades urbanas. Assente no enquadramento teórico e respetiva revisão da literatura (abrangendo áreas disciplinares da média-arte locativa, da análise urbana e dos mapeamentos dinâmicos), procedeu-se ao desenvolvimento de dois artefactos complementares, cuja elaboração implicou três fases: i) pré-produção; ii) produção; iii) pós-produção. Na primeira, conceptualizaram-se os artefactos, definindo-se critérios e especificando parâmetros de análise. Complementarmente, consideraram-se softwares a utilizar bem como a seleção de atores urbanos que participaram em experiências associadas à investigação. No que se refere à produção, encetaram-se diversas ações de apropriação e apreensão de espaços urbanos selecionados na Vila de Caminha, recorrendo à técnica do caminhar mediado pela tecnologia. Na terceira fase, a informação resultante foi analisada, comparada e sistematizada através de uma reflexão final. Registaram-se marcas e apropriações na Vila de Caminha, integrando abordagens da média-arte locativa, da morfologia urbana e tecnologias digitais. A partir desta metodologia, a resposta aos objetivos da investigação contribui para a colmatação da lacuna identificada no estado arte, dado demonstrar-se a relevância da convergência operativa entre a apreensão urbana e os fluxos informacionais e comunicacionais para o revelar de vivências espaciais urbanas quotidianas (passadas e presentes) que ocorrem sobre a estrutura física das cidades. Em síntese, as práticas artísticas, provindas da média-arte locativa, expressam – em mapeamentos dinâmicos e através de realidade aumentada – o devir coletivo de experiências individuais nos espaços das cidades, acrescentando histórias à sua memória e história urbana.

El community manager y la comunicación de los valores de marca de destino a través de los medios sociales.

El objeto de esta comunicación trabajo es analizar la comunicación de los valores de marca de destinos que proyectan los principales destinos turísticos en España. Se parte de la hipótesis de que, hasta la fecha, los territorios no explotan lo suficiente sus valores de marca, ya que utilizan más los social media para comunicar atractivos, a pesar de que los usuarios prefieren compartir más las experiencias y lo emocional. Para ello, el trabajo se apoya en una encuesta a los responsables de la comunicación digital o community managers de diferentes destinos turísticos, así como en el análisis de contenido de los mensajes compartidos en las principales redes sociales (Twitter y Facebook). Como principales resultados, se observa que salvo excepciones, los destinos turísticos españoles optan por compartir más información sobre atributos tangibles frente a los valores de marca que en realidad, suelen ser señas de identidad que definen la personalidad de un destino, y que son en general más valorados por los viajeros en los medios sociales.

Les liens entre les émotions, les médias et la mobilisation sociale : une étude de cas sur la révolution égyptienne en 2011

Ce mémoire porte sur les liens entre les médias, les émotions et la séquence d’événements lors d’une mobilisation sociale. Nous avons fait une étude de cas sur la révolution égyptienne de 2011. L’objectif est de comprendre comment les gens se mobilisent lors d’un événement de cet ordre. Au niveau théorique, nous explorons les travaux de Castells (2012) sur les mouvements de foule. Nous présentons la théorie d’intelligence affective pour résumer ce que les chercheurs ont dit sur la place des émotions en temps de mobilisation. En ce qui concerne la méthodologie, nous avons effectué des entrevues semi-structurées avec des Égyptiens qui ont participé à la révolution de 2011 ou l’ont suivie. Nous utilisons des cartes cognitives pour comprendre leur expérience. Une carte cognitive est une analyse qui vise à révéler les représentations, soit les liens que voient les personnes entre différentes composantes. Les résultats de cette recherche semblent illustrés le fait qu’au début de la révolution, les gens ont surtout utilisé Facebook pour en apprendre sur les manifestations. Plus tard, autres formes de communication ont pris de l’importance pour s’informer sur ce qui se passait dans le pays et pour mobiliser les gens. Par ailleurs, de la colère s’est fait sentir à la fois pendant et avant la révolution. La discussion a permis d’analyser la mobilisation sociale avec l’arrivée du web 2.0 et de s’interroger sur ce phénomène ainsi que sur l’importance de la communication interpersonnelle et des émotions durant une révolution.

Les liens entre les émotions, les médias et la mobilisation sociale : une étude de cas sur la révolution égyptienne en 2011

Ce mémoire porte sur les liens entre les médias, les émotions et la séquence d’événements lors d’une mobilisation sociale. Nous avons fait une étude de cas sur la révolution égyptienne de 2011. L’objectif est de comprendre comment les gens se mobilisent lors d’un événement de cet ordre. Au niveau théorique, nous explorons les travaux de Castells (2012) sur les mouvements de foule. Nous présentons la théorie d’intelligence affective pour résumer ce que les chercheurs ont dit sur la place des émotions en temps de mobilisation. En ce qui concerne la méthodologie, nous avons effectué des entrevues semi-structurées avec des Égyptiens qui ont participé à la révolution de 2011 ou l’ont suivie. Nous utilisons des cartes cognitives pour comprendre leur expérience. Une carte cognitive est une analyse qui vise à révéler les représentations, soit les liens que voient les personnes entre différentes composantes. Les résultats de cette recherche semblent illustrés le fait qu’au début de la révolution, les gens ont surtout utilisé Facebook pour en apprendre sur les manifestations. Plus tard, autres formes de communication ont pris de l’importance pour s’informer sur ce qui se passait dans le pays et pour mobiliser les gens. Par ailleurs, de la colère s’est fait sentir à la fois pendant et avant la révolution. La discussion a permis d’analyser la mobilisation sociale avec l’arrivée du web 2.0 et de s’interroger sur ce phénomène ainsi que sur l’importance de la communication interpersonnelle et des émotions durant une révolution.

Website content and design in SME: insights from Portugal

Although there is a vast amount of literature on website evaluation, relatively little has been written about the analysis of websites of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). This paper examines a comprehensive set of content and design features of 915 websites of Portuguese SME, as well as the relationship between these features and enterprise size. The results indicate that the majority of the websites are used to convey information, rather than to make transactions, support networking and collaboration or to interact dynamically with users. Accessibility or privacy and security features are not common among websites. Web 2.0 features have a low presence in SME websites, but social media emerged as a construct. In contrast with existing literature, the study has found that website content and design features are positively related with enterprise size. The contributions and implications are discussed together with avenues for further research.

Situação de risco com impacto em toda a família: gravidez na adolescência

Introdução: A gravidez na adolescência constitui uma situação de risco com impacto em toda a família, podendo gerar crises não apenas na jovem que engravida - em virtude da inexperiência e consequente dificuldade que surge para cuidar de um filho - , como do ponto de vista transgeracional. Objetivos: Aplicar o Modelo Dinâmico de Avaliação e Intervenção Familiar (MDAIF) Figueiredo (2009) e avaliar o impacto dos cuidados de enfermagem numa família em contexto clínico. Métodos: Estudo de caso qualitativo realizado com base no MDAIF em contexto clínico nos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. Este estudo focou-se no processo de intervenção familiar desenvolvido com uma família de uma adolescente de 16 anos que engravida, fruto de uma relação fugaz com um rapaz 9 anos mais velho que conheceu através das redes sociais (Facebook). Instrumentos: Genograma, Ecomapa, Apgar familiar e Escala de Graffar. Resultados: Família extensa, com diferentes subsistemas e limites rígidos. A família encontra-se na etapa do ciclo vital – família com filhos adolescentes, segundo Duvall (1977). Família de classe média. Com a gravidez não desejada da adoelscente, e apesar da relação conflituosa com a sua mãe, esta torna-se um apoio importante no percurso da vida da adolescente e no desenvolvimento do recém-nascido. Conclusões: A utilização do MDAIF permitiu o desenvolvimento das habilidades dos enfermeiros para uma abordagem familiar, contribuindo assim para dar resposta às necessidades da família, enquanto unidade alvo de cuidados. Além disto, permitiu à adolescente prosseguir com a realização do seu projeto de vida, com o apoio familiar e social. Sugere-se a continuidade da utilização do MDAIF.

Commenting, sharing and tweeting news : Measuring online news participation

Social plugins for sharing news through Facebook and Twitter have become increasingly salient features on news sites. Together with the user comment feature, social plugins are the most common way for users to contribute. The wide use of multiple features has opened new areas to comprehensively study users’ participatory practices. However, how do these opportunities to participate vary between the participatory spaces that news sites affiliated with local, national broadsheet and tabloid news constitute? How are these opportunities appropriated by users in terms of participatory practices such as commenting and sharing news through Facebook and Twitter? In addition, what differences are there between news sites in these respects? To answer these questions, a quantitative content analysis has been conducted on 3,444 articles from nine Swedish online newspapers. Local newspapers are more likely to allow users to comment on articles than are national newspapers. Tweeting news is appropriated only on news sites affiliated with evening tabloids and national morning newspapers. Sharing news through Facebook is 20 times more common than tweeting news or commenting. The majority of news items do not attract any user interaction.

Big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living

Objectives: To discuss how current research in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living will be influenced by the use of big data. Methods: A scoping review of literature published in scientific journals and conference proceedings was performed, focusing on smart homes, ambient assisted living and big data over the years 2011-2014. Results: The health and social care market has lagged behind other markets when it comes to the introduction of innovative IT solutions and the market faces a number of challenges as the use of big data will increase. First, there is a need for a sustainable and trustful information chain where the needed information can be transferred from all producers to all consumers in a structured way. Second, there is a need for big data strategies and policies to manage the new situation where information is handled and transferred independently of the place of the expertise. Finally, there is a possibility to develop new and innovative business models for a market that supports cloud computing, social media, crowdsourcing etc. Conclusions: The interdisciplinary area of big data, smart homes and ambient assisted living is no longer only of interest for IT developers, it is also of interest for decision makers as customers make more informed choices among today's services. In the future it will be of importance to make information usable for managers and improve decision making, tailor smart home services based on big data, develop new business models, increase competition and identify policies to ensure privacy, security and liability.

Plan digital : estrategias digitales para negocios

En el presente documento se desarrollará un Plan Digital de Medios con el cuál se pretende impulsar un producto que será lanzado al mercado por la empresa de Nairo Quintana, la cual construye y comercializa bicicleta y accesorios para toda la familia y todo tipo de terreno. El producto innovador que revolucionará la industria, será un casco, cuyo objetivo principal es proporcionar a su portador los más altos niveles de seguridad, diseño y calidad, generando al consumidor experiencias de uso gratificantes, por su confort y tecnología aerodinámica. De igual forma, se busca conquistar nuevos mercados y audiencias, por medio de una cuidadosa segmentación de mercado basada en variables que permitan enfocarse en el nicho de consumidores más atractivos para dicho producto. Así mismo, cabe resaltar que esta estrategia digital aunque se enfoca en la promoción del casco, también pretende enriquecer el reconocimiento y posicionamiento de la marca, al igual que todas las líneas de producto con las que esta cuenta.