Dimitrios Giomelakis is a Special Research Scientist in the Department of Social and Political Sciences (Journalism Program) at the University of Cyprus. He received his PhD in journalism studies from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and his doctoral dissertation investigated the use and impact of different technological tools and internet services on news media websites and journalistic content. He holds a BA in Journalism and an MSc degree in Information and Communication Technologies, which focused on audio-visual production and education. Among his research interests are news and journalism studies, online journalism, media technology, SEO, Web/Digital Analytics, news content verification, and social media. His work has been published in edited volumes, conference proceedings and well-known referred journals in the field of media and communication studies such as Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies and Journalism Practice.
This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period a...
Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes ... more Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes of producing and consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism generally, more effective and contemporary.
The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the manner i... more The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the manner in which people obtain information [...]
The journalism profession has radically changed due to the digitisation and the development of ne... more The journalism profession has radically changed due to the digitisation and the development of new media. As content is moving online, rapidly evolving Internet technologies have affected basic journalistic work processes. In this context, changes in technology as well as audience engagement have greatly expanded the skills required to be a professional journalist nowadays. A number of studies have shown that search engines constitute an important source of the traffic to online news outlets around the world, identifying the significance of top rankings in search results. Concurrently, in the digital age, the interest in monitoring online activities as well as the significance of studying the traffic data has intensified. This chapter summarises the major findings of two studies regarding the use and impact of SEO and web analytics on news websites and journalism profession in Greece. Through examination of a sample of Greek journalists and several Greek news websites, it aims to pr...
The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human a... more The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human activities and people’s everyday life. In this context, technology has become an integral part of every business industry. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) along with the progress of internet has had significant impact on the journalistic field. However, journalism profession has always been considered to be closely related to technology. Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry. The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC) through social media and video pla... more The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC) through social media and video platforms raises increasing concerns about the intentional or unintentional spread of misleading information. As a result, people who are turning to the Internet for their daily news, need tools that help them distinguish between reliable and unreliable content. Here we present the Context Aggregation and Analysis tool, with the aim to facilitate the investigation of the veracity of User-Generated videos (UGVs). The tool collects and calculates a set of verification cues based on the video context, that is the information surrounding the video rather than the video itself, and then creates a verification report. The cues include information about the video and user that posted it, as well as the activity of other users surrounding it (what we call “wisdom of the crowd”), cross-checking with previous cases of fakes (“wisdom of the past”), and employing machine learning systems trained on pas...
Encyclopedia of Organizational Knowledge, Administration, and Technology
The extensive range of information resources and services is certainly one of the most important ... more The extensive range of information resources and services is certainly one of the most important features of the internet while at the same time, web search is considered as a crucial application for managing the massive volumes of distributed web content. Beyond argument, search engines have made an enormous contribution to the web by making the process of finding information online a very quick and easy process. This chapter provides an overview of Search Engine Optimization, with a focus on its different characteristics and practices as well its history and how it has evolved over the years. In order to give a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the current state of the Internet and in information search, basic knowledge of how search engines operate along with their recent updates are also provided.
In this chapter, the authors discuss at length the subject of search engine optimization (SEO), i... more In this chapter, the authors discuss at length the subject of search engine optimization (SEO), its different characteristics, and why basic SEO knowledge is considered as a useful tool for any web business. The chapter will address both the theoretical and practical issues related to the design and implementation of SEO and also will cover previous research done on this topic. In order to give a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the current state of the internet and in information search, basic knowledge of how search engines operate along with their recent updates will also be provided. The development of World Wide Web (Web 2.0) along with the growth of search engines over the last decade has brought significant changes in web content. In this context, the authors show how SEO has evolved over the years. Nowadays, social media and social signals have increasingly become one of the many factors search engines take seriously into account, which is another issue that ...
The rapid spread of misinformation online has been deemed as a growing problem in the current dig... more The rapid spread of misinformation online has been deemed as a growing problem in the current digital media environment with significant impact both on journalism and on society at large. As news practitioners are increasingly challenged by information overload and the need to process huge volumes of unstructured and unfiltered data within a very short time span, the veracity of online and User-Generated Content (UGC) and its spread through social media and video platforms has been identified as a key concern. This study aims to extend the body of knowledge on the verification of news video content, derived from social media platforms. Using a web-based tool that analyses the online context around a video post and presents a number of verification signals, a set of fake and real news videos coming from YouTube and Facebook were examined by a sample of journalism students (N = 90) regarding their veracity. A sample of professional journalists (N = 17) was also used for qualitative comparison purposes and additional results. The results of the study highlight the significance of online context as well as the efficacy of a semi-automated process in the verification of video content and journalism practice, in conjunction with useful verification features and practices.
This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly (a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.
challenges, state‐of‐the‐art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, ... more challenges, state‐of‐the‐art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, but not limited to, the following themes related to SEO: Theory of SEO, different types of SEO, SEO criteria evaluation, search engines’ algorithms, social media and SEO, SEO applications in various industries, SEO in media web sites, etc. Through invited and open call submissions, a total of five excellent articles have been accepted, following a rigorous review process that required a minimum of three reviews and at least one revision round for each paper.
The journalism profession has changed dramatically in the digital age as the internet, and new te... more The journalism profession has changed dramatically in the digital age as the internet, and new technologies, in general, have created new working conditions in the media environment. Concurrently, journalists and media professionals need to be aware and possess a new set of skills connected to web technologies, as well as respond to new reading tendencies and information consumption habits. A number of studies have shown that search engines are an important source of the traffic to news websites around the world, identifying the significance of high rankings in search results. Journalists are writing to be read, and that means ensuring that their news content is found, also, by search engines. In this context, this paper represents an exploratory study on the use of search engine optimization (SEO) in news websites. A series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with professionals at four Greek media organizations uncover trends and address issues, such as how SEO policy is operationalized and applied inside newsrooms, which are the most common optimization practices, as well as the impact on journalism and news content. Today, news publishers have embraced the use of SEO practices, something that is clear also from this study. However, the absence of a distinct SEO culture was evident in newsrooms under study. Finally, according to results, SEO strategy seems to depend on factors, such as ownership and market orientation, editorial priorities or organizational structures.
The development of online journalism together with the rapidly evolving Internet technologies has... more The development of online journalism together with the rapidly evolving Internet technologies has affected basic journalistic work processes. As content is moving online, the interest in monitoring web traffic numbers is crucial for media companies and anyone who publishes online newsworthy content. This paper studies the use of Web Analytics in the context of media outlets and online journalism in general. Using as case study Greek newsrooms and a sample of Greek professional journalists, the research focuses on how media organizations are using such quantitative measures and their impact on news work. The results of the survey indicate a significant impact on the way journalists create or address news stories, as well as differences among media outlets and a lack of a newsroom, editorial analytics culture.
Journalism and Mass Communication, December 2016, Vol. 6, No. 12, doi: 10.17265/2160-6579/2016.12.001
This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites ... more This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites and social media. Specifically, the study examines the role of social media metrics (i.e., shares and likes of news articles) in shaping users’ opinion about the websites. Users’ news sharing intention in social media is also investigated. Based on a structured online questionnaire (N = 7,404), the results confirm that WTPE can be found in social media metrics without the presence of specific message content. It should be noted that the effect was found at three perceptual levels, self, friends, and other users. Regarding intention for news sharing, text was indicated as the most important reason among Internet users. Finally, the work demonstrates significant correlations between WTPE and article characteristics that influence people’s attitudes to share news online.
The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human a... more The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human activities and people’s everyday life. In this context, technology has become an integral part of every business industry. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) along with the progress of internet has had significant impact on the journalistic field. However, journalism profession has always been considered to be closely related to technology.
Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry.
The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
The rapidly evolving technologies during the last two decades have undeniably caused great change... more The rapidly evolving technologies during the last two decades have undeniably caused great changes in the field of journalism. The development of online journalism has affected the process of journalistic work, creating at the same time new techniques and practices. On the Internet, search engines still drive a great amount of traffic to news websites. For that reason, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results pages remain crucially important for media organizations. Nowadays, journalists or web editors should be able to write and create appropriate content for the web. This paper discusses in detail the impact of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on digital journalism. Through a quantitative analysis, a survey concerning Greek media websites is presented. The aim was two-fold: on the one hand, to find out to what extent the use of SEO affects the traffic of a media website whilst on the other hand, to discover to what degree media professionals in Greece utilize the possibilities given through search engines in order to increase their traffic. Finally, a number of SEO elements and practices often used into the news content are noted.
Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes ... more Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes of producing and
consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or
remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results
pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its
implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this
field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this
article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism
generally, more effective and contemporary.
In today’s digital media environment, search engines constitute a significant gateway to news and... more In today’s digital media environment, search engines constitute a significant gateway to news and an important source of traffic for online news outlets worldwide, identifying the significance of top rankings in search results. In this context, search engine optimization (SEO) has entered newsrooms as an essential element of disseminating the content of online media organizations, creating new practices and challenges for media professionals. However, the transition to the Semantic Web (SW) and the development of major search engines in recent years have led to the emergence of Semantic SEO as a new approach to old SEO practices, creating at the same time new challenges for the news media industry. This study investigates the application of Semantic SEO inside newsrooms and its impact on journalism and news media organizations. Drawing upon a series of semi-structured interviews with Greek SEO experts and a systematic review of the notion of semantic search and the corresponding semantic SEO technologies, the objective of this work is to present an analysis of how Semantic SEO affects news media and journalism content as well as to identify some of the technological practices that could contribute to enhancing the discoverability of news content in the changing context of online search.
This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period a...
Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes ... more Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes of producing and consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism generally, more effective and contemporary.
The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the manner i... more The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the manner in which people obtain information [...]
The journalism profession has radically changed due to the digitisation and the development of ne... more The journalism profession has radically changed due to the digitisation and the development of new media. As content is moving online, rapidly evolving Internet technologies have affected basic journalistic work processes. In this context, changes in technology as well as audience engagement have greatly expanded the skills required to be a professional journalist nowadays. A number of studies have shown that search engines constitute an important source of the traffic to online news outlets around the world, identifying the significance of top rankings in search results. Concurrently, in the digital age, the interest in monitoring online activities as well as the significance of studying the traffic data has intensified. This chapter summarises the major findings of two studies regarding the use and impact of SEO and web analytics on news websites and journalism profession in Greece. Through examination of a sample of Greek journalists and several Greek news websites, it aims to pr...
The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human a... more The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human activities and people’s everyday life. In this context, technology has become an integral part of every business industry. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) along with the progress of internet has had significant impact on the journalistic field. However, journalism profession has always been considered to be closely related to technology. Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry. The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC) through social media and video pla... more The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC) through social media and video platforms raises increasing concerns about the intentional or unintentional spread of misleading information. As a result, people who are turning to the Internet for their daily news, need tools that help them distinguish between reliable and unreliable content. Here we present the Context Aggregation and Analysis tool, with the aim to facilitate the investigation of the veracity of User-Generated videos (UGVs). The tool collects and calculates a set of verification cues based on the video context, that is the information surrounding the video rather than the video itself, and then creates a verification report. The cues include information about the video and user that posted it, as well as the activity of other users surrounding it (what we call “wisdom of the crowd”), cross-checking with previous cases of fakes (“wisdom of the past”), and employing machine learning systems trained on pas...
Encyclopedia of Organizational Knowledge, Administration, and Technology
The extensive range of information resources and services is certainly one of the most important ... more The extensive range of information resources and services is certainly one of the most important features of the internet while at the same time, web search is considered as a crucial application for managing the massive volumes of distributed web content. Beyond argument, search engines have made an enormous contribution to the web by making the process of finding information online a very quick and easy process. This chapter provides an overview of Search Engine Optimization, with a focus on its different characteristics and practices as well its history and how it has evolved over the years. In order to give a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the current state of the Internet and in information search, basic knowledge of how search engines operate along with their recent updates are also provided.
In this chapter, the authors discuss at length the subject of search engine optimization (SEO), i... more In this chapter, the authors discuss at length the subject of search engine optimization (SEO), its different characteristics, and why basic SEO knowledge is considered as a useful tool for any web business. The chapter will address both the theoretical and practical issues related to the design and implementation of SEO and also will cover previous research done on this topic. In order to give a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the current state of the internet and in information search, basic knowledge of how search engines operate along with their recent updates will also be provided. The development of World Wide Web (Web 2.0) along with the growth of search engines over the last decade has brought significant changes in web content. In this context, the authors show how SEO has evolved over the years. Nowadays, social media and social signals have increasingly become one of the many factors search engines take seriously into account, which is another issue that ...
The rapid spread of misinformation online has been deemed as a growing problem in the current dig... more The rapid spread of misinformation online has been deemed as a growing problem in the current digital media environment with significant impact both on journalism and on society at large. As news practitioners are increasingly challenged by information overload and the need to process huge volumes of unstructured and unfiltered data within a very short time span, the veracity of online and User-Generated Content (UGC) and its spread through social media and video platforms has been identified as a key concern. This study aims to extend the body of knowledge on the verification of news video content, derived from social media platforms. Using a web-based tool that analyses the online context around a video post and presents a number of verification signals, a set of fake and real news videos coming from YouTube and Facebook were examined by a sample of journalism students (N = 90) regarding their veracity. A sample of professional journalists (N = 17) was also used for qualitative comparison purposes and additional results. The results of the study highlight the significance of online context as well as the efficacy of a semi-automated process in the verification of video content and journalism practice, in conjunction with useful verification features and practices.
This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentar... more This paper casts light on cultural heritage storytelling in the context of interactive documentary, a hybrid media genre that employs a full range of multimedia tools to document reality, provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly (a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.
challenges, state‐of‐the‐art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, ... more challenges, state‐of‐the‐art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, but not limited to, the following themes related to SEO: Theory of SEO, different types of SEO, SEO criteria evaluation, search engines’ algorithms, social media and SEO, SEO applications in various industries, SEO in media web sites, etc. Through invited and open call submissions, a total of five excellent articles have been accepted, following a rigorous review process that required a minimum of three reviews and at least one revision round for each paper.
The journalism profession has changed dramatically in the digital age as the internet, and new te... more The journalism profession has changed dramatically in the digital age as the internet, and new technologies, in general, have created new working conditions in the media environment. Concurrently, journalists and media professionals need to be aware and possess a new set of skills connected to web technologies, as well as respond to new reading tendencies and information consumption habits. A number of studies have shown that search engines are an important source of the traffic to news websites around the world, identifying the significance of high rankings in search results. Journalists are writing to be read, and that means ensuring that their news content is found, also, by search engines. In this context, this paper represents an exploratory study on the use of search engine optimization (SEO) in news websites. A series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with professionals at four Greek media organizations uncover trends and address issues, such as how SEO policy is operationalized and applied inside newsrooms, which are the most common optimization practices, as well as the impact on journalism and news content. Today, news publishers have embraced the use of SEO practices, something that is clear also from this study. However, the absence of a distinct SEO culture was evident in newsrooms under study. Finally, according to results, SEO strategy seems to depend on factors, such as ownership and market orientation, editorial priorities or organizational structures.
The development of online journalism together with the rapidly evolving Internet technologies has... more The development of online journalism together with the rapidly evolving Internet technologies has affected basic journalistic work processes. As content is moving online, the interest in monitoring web traffic numbers is crucial for media companies and anyone who publishes online newsworthy content. This paper studies the use of Web Analytics in the context of media outlets and online journalism in general. Using as case study Greek newsrooms and a sample of Greek professional journalists, the research focuses on how media organizations are using such quantitative measures and their impact on news work. The results of the survey indicate a significant impact on the way journalists create or address news stories, as well as differences among media outlets and a lack of a newsroom, editorial analytics culture.
Journalism and Mass Communication, December 2016, Vol. 6, No. 12, doi: 10.17265/2160-6579/2016.12.001
This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites ... more This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites and social media. Specifically, the study examines the role of social media metrics (i.e., shares and likes of news articles) in shaping users’ opinion about the websites. Users’ news sharing intention in social media is also investigated. Based on a structured online questionnaire (N = 7,404), the results confirm that WTPE can be found in social media metrics without the presence of specific message content. It should be noted that the effect was found at three perceptual levels, self, friends, and other users. Regarding intention for news sharing, text was indicated as the most important reason among Internet users. Finally, the work demonstrates significant correlations between WTPE and article characteristics that influence people’s attitudes to share news online.
The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human a... more The technological revolution over the last few decades has affected almost all aspects of human activities and people’s everyday life. In this context, technology has become an integral part of every business industry. The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) along with the progress of internet has had significant impact on the journalistic field. However, journalism profession has always been considered to be closely related to technology.
Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry.
The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
The rapidly evolving technologies during the last two decades have undeniably caused great change... more The rapidly evolving technologies during the last two decades have undeniably caused great changes in the field of journalism. The development of online journalism has affected the process of journalistic work, creating at the same time new techniques and practices. On the Internet, search engines still drive a great amount of traffic to news websites. For that reason, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results pages remain crucially important for media organizations. Nowadays, journalists or web editors should be able to write and create appropriate content for the web. This paper discusses in detail the impact of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on digital journalism. Through a quantitative analysis, a survey concerning Greek media websites is presented. The aim was two-fold: on the one hand, to find out to what extent the use of SEO affects the traffic of a media website whilst on the other hand, to discover to what degree media professionals in Greece utilize the possibilities given through search engines in order to increase their traffic. Finally, a number of SEO elements and practices often used into the news content are noted.
Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes ... more Internet technologies have changed basic journalistic work processes and brought about new modes of producing and
consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or
remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results
pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its
implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this
field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this
article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism
generally, more effective and contemporary.
In today’s digital media environment, search engines constitute a significant gateway to news and... more In today’s digital media environment, search engines constitute a significant gateway to news and an important source of traffic for online news outlets worldwide, identifying the significance of top rankings in search results. In this context, search engine optimization (SEO) has entered newsrooms as an essential element of disseminating the content of online media organizations, creating new practices and challenges for media professionals. However, the transition to the Semantic Web (SW) and the development of major search engines in recent years have led to the emergence of Semantic SEO as a new approach to old SEO practices, creating at the same time new challenges for the news media industry. This study investigates the application of Semantic SEO inside newsrooms and its impact on journalism and news media organizations. Drawing upon a series of semi-structured interviews with Greek SEO experts and a systematic review of the notion of semantic search and the corresponding semantic SEO technologies, the objective of this work is to present an analysis of how Semantic SEO affects news media and journalism content as well as to identify some of the technological practices that could contribute to enhancing the discoverability of news content in the changing context of online search.
This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites ... more This paper studies the web third-person effect (WTPE) hypothesis in the context of news websites and social media. Specifically, the study examines the role of social media metrics (i.e., shares and likes of news articles) in shaping users' opinion about the websites. Users' news sharing intention in social media is also investigated. Based on a structured online questionnaire (N = 7,404), the results confirm that WTPE can be found in social media metrics without the presence of specific message content. It should be noted that the effect was found at three perceptual levels, self, friends, and other users. Regarding intention for news sharing, text was indicated as the most important reason among Internet users. Finally, the work demonstrates significant correlations between WTPE and article characteristics that influence people's attitudes to share news online.
The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the
manner i... more The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the manner in which people obtain information. Soon after the introduction of the WWW, it was evident that traditional browsing was totally insufficient for internet users to locate the information that interests them. This need was covered with the development of search engines. Today, search engines play one of the most important roles in disseminating content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a collection of strategies that improves a website’s presence and visibility on a search engine’s results page (SERP). In other words, the higher and more frequently a site appears in search results, the more visitors it will receive through the use of search engines. The importance of SEO can be understood by the fact that many web sites today receive the majority of their web traffic through a search engine’s organic results. The methods that SEO includes can be divided into four major categories: keyword research/selection, search engine indexing, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization. On-page optimization includes the management of all factors associated directly with someone’s website (e.g., keywords, appropriate content, and internal link structure), while off-page optimization includes all the efforts made away from the website such as link building or social signal strategy. Undeniably, the world of search engine optimization has changed and evolved drastically over the years with a shift away from traditional ranking factors towards deeper analysis, and factors such as quality, multi-form content, and social signals. However, even though SEO has changed a lot, it remains an important part of any digital marketing strategy. This special issue is soliciting theoretical and case studies contributions, discussing and treating challenges, state-of-the-art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, but not limited to, the following themes related to SEO: Theory of SEO, different types of SEO, SEO criteria evaluation, search engines’ algorithms, social media and SEO, SEO applications in various industries, SEO in media web sites, etc. Through invited and open call submissions, a total of five excellent articles have been accepted, following a rigorous review process that required a minimum of three reviews and at least one revision round for each paper.
Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition (Chapter 700), 2018
In this article, we will discuss at length the subject of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), its d... more In this article, we will discuss at length the subject of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), its different characteristics and why basic SEO knowledge is considered as a useful tool for any web business. The article will address both the theoretical and practical issues related to the design and implementation of SEO and also will cover previous research done on this topic. In order to give a better understanding of the importance of SEO in the current state of the Internet and in information search, basic knowledge of how search engines operate along with their recent updates will also be provided. The development of World Wide Web (Web 2.0) along with the growth of search engines over the last decade has brought significant changes in web content. In this context, we will see how SEO has evolved over the years since mid 90's when it first emerged. Nowadays, social media and social signals have increasingly become one of the many factors search engines take seriously into account, which is another issue that this article will address.
Workshop on Reducing Online Misinformation Exposure (ROME) 2019 - Colocated with ACM SIGIR Conference, 2019
The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC)
through social media and video pla... more The uncontrolled dissemination of User-Generated Content (UGC) through social media and video platforms raises increasing concerns about the intentional or unintentional spread of misleading information. As a result, people who are turning to the Internet for their daily news, need tools that help them distinguish between reliable and unreliable content. Here we present the Context Aggregation and Analysis tool, with the aim to facilitate the investigation of the veracity of User-Generated videos (UGVs). The tool collects and calculates a set of verification cues based on the video context, that is the information surrounding the video rather than the video itself, and then creates a verification report. The cues include information about the video and user that posted it, as well as the activity of other users surrounding it (what we call “wisdom of the crowd”), cross-checking with previous cases of fakes (“wisdom of the past”), and employing machine learning systems trained on past cases of real and fake videos (“wisdom of the machine”). We evaluate the tool in two ways: i) we carry out a user study where end users are manually assessing the tool’s features on a set of UGVs from a real-world dataset of news-related videos, and ii) we quantitatively evaluate the automatic verification component of the tool. The tool assisted successfully with the debunking of 132 out of 200 fake videos, the verification of 142 out of 180 real videos and the performance of the classifiers reached an F-score of 0.72.
This report presents and assesses the plurality and
diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 i... more This report presents and assesses the plurality and diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 in the three countries comprising the Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) Hub.
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provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main
research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a
valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary
storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive
documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways
of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were
involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the
first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of
this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly
(a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a
good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.
Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry.
The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or
remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results
pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its
implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this
field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this
article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism
generally, more effective and contemporary.
provide sustainability of the production and successful engagement of the audience. The main
research hypotheses are enclosed in the statements: (a) the interactive documentary is considered a
valuable tool for the sustainability of cultural heritage and (b) digital approaches to documentary
storytelling can provide a sustainable form of viewing during the years. Using the Greek interactive
documentary (i-doc) NEW LIFE (2013) as a case study, the users’ engagement is evaluated by analyzing items from a seven-year database of web metrics. Specifically, we explore the adopted ways
of the interactive documentary users to engage with the storytelling, the depth to which they were
involved along with the most popular sections/traffic sources and finally, the differences between the
first launch period and latest years were investigated. We concluded that interactivity affordances of
this genre enhance the social dimension of cultural, while the key factors for sustainability are mainly
(a) constant promotion with transmedia approach; (b) data-driven evaluation and reform; and (c) a
good story that gathers relevant niches, with specific interest to the story.
Digital Journalism has been growing steadily during the last years introducing new trends and practices in journalism education. This has led to an increasingly demand for trained journalists concerning new skills and standards. Nowadays, the journalist is expected to have the ability to exploit a variety of tools and services in order to deal successfully with the changing work demands. While traditional work skills remain essential elements of the journalistic education, the challenge is to combine these with the needs of the new digital information age. Journalism education can play a significant role in the changing environment of media industry.
The present study focuses on the general and practical ICT knowledge of the 1st year undergraduate students in the School of Journalism & Mass Media Communication in Greece during the period 2003 - 2014. More specifically, the purpose was mainly to assess, over time, the progress of their knowledge and skills as well as to see their educational and training needs as future journalists. In summary, the findings presented in this paper demonstrate a significant improvement in knowledge of journalism students regarding ICTs. Finally, through students' opinion the paper discusses the necessity of ICTs in the journalism education as well as in journalism profession and work processes.
consuming news content. As long as major search engines continue to drive a great deal of traffic to news Web sites or
remain the primary entry point for many of them, factors such as visibility and high ranking on search engines results
pages remain crucially important. This paper examines the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and its
implementation on online journalism. According to research (Richmond, 2008), SEO has a significant impact on this
field and its knowledge can be a useful tool for journalists whose work appears online. The principal purpose of this
article is to outline a framework of suggested practices that can make journalistic work and Internet journalism
generally, more effective and contemporary.
manner in which people obtain information. Soon after the introduction of the WWW, it was evident
that traditional browsing was totally insufficient for internet users to locate the information that
interests them. This need was covered with the development of search engines. Today, search engines
play one of the most important roles in disseminating content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a
collection of strategies that improves a website’s presence and visibility on a search engine’s results
page (SERP). In other words, the higher and more frequently a site appears in search results, the more
visitors it will receive through the use of search engines. The importance of SEO can be understood by
the fact that many web sites today receive the majority of their web traffic through a search engine’s
organic results.
The methods that SEO includes can be divided into four major categories: keyword
research/selection, search engine indexing, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization. On-page
optimization includes the management of all factors associated directly with someone’s website (e.g.,
keywords, appropriate content, and internal link structure), while off-page optimization includes all
the efforts made away from the website such as link building or social signal strategy. Undeniably, the
world of search engine optimization has changed and evolved drastically over the years with a shift
away from traditional ranking factors towards deeper analysis, and factors such as quality, multi-form
content, and social signals. However, even though SEO has changed a lot, it remains an important part
of any digital marketing strategy.
This special issue is soliciting theoretical and case studies contributions, discussing and treating
challenges, state-of-the-art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, but not
limited to, the following themes related to SEO: Theory of SEO, different types of SEO, SEO criteria
evaluation, search engines’ algorithms, social media and SEO, SEO applications in various industries,
SEO in media web sites, etc. Through invited and open call submissions, a total of five excellent articles
have been accepted, following a rigorous review process that required a minimum of three reviews
and at least one revision round for each paper.
through social media and video platforms raises increasing concerns
about the intentional or unintentional spread of misleading
information. As a result, people who are turning to the Internet for
their daily news, need tools that help them distinguish between
reliable and unreliable content. Here we present the Context Aggregation
and Analysis tool, with the aim to facilitate the investigation
of the veracity of User-Generated videos (UGVs). The tool collects
and calculates a set of verification cues based on the video context,
that is the information surrounding the video rather than the video
itself, and then creates a verification report. The cues include information
about the video and user that posted it, as well as the
activity of other users surrounding it (what we call “wisdom of the
crowd”), cross-checking with previous cases of fakes (“wisdom of
the past”), and employing machine learning systems trained on
past cases of real and fake videos (“wisdom of the machine”). We
evaluate the tool in two ways: i) we carry out a user study where
end users are manually assessing the tool’s features on a set of
UGVs from a real-world dataset of news-related videos, and ii) we
quantitatively evaluate the automatic verification component of
the tool. The tool assisted successfully with the debunking of 132
out of 200 fake videos, the verification of 142 out of 180 real videos
and the performance of the classifiers reached an F-score of 0.72.
diversity of news media ecosystems in 2022 in the three
countries comprising the Mediterranean Digital Media
Observatory (MedDMO) Hub.