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Recurrent foodborne outbreaks associated with low-moisture foods prompted this study to evaluate apple-handling practices presented in apple-drying recipes available to United States consumers, and to explore the food safety implications of the recipes. Because little research is available on the safety of home fruit-drying, we conducted a systematic search of English-language apple-drying recipes from YouTube videos, blog articles, cookbooks, and university extension sources. Our evaluation found that most recipes excluded handwashing instructions, and potential cross-contamination practices were evident in 12% of the videos. Bruised or damaged apples were selected for drying in 16% of the videos, two blogs, and five cookbook recipes. Although more than half the blogs and videos demonstrated pre-treatment procedures, they did so predominantly to minimize browning with almost no mention of antimicrobial benefits. Drying temperature information was missing in 41% of the videos and 35% of the cookbooks that we evaluated. Even when temperatures were mentioned, most were insufficient for pathogen reduction according to the recommendations of previous studies. These videos, blogs, and cookbooks commonly advocated subjective indicators instead of unit measurements when slicing apples and checking for doneness. Our findings reveal the need for drastic improvements in food safety information dissemination to home apple-dryers and recipe developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne outbreaks have been associated with tree nuts and nut-related products that include a soaking step. A content analysis of consumer-shared recipes for soaking tree nuts and subsequently preparing nut-based dairy analogs was conducted to explore consumer handling practices and evaluate available food safety information. A keyword search was performed on YouTube and Google for videos and blogs, respectively. Recipes (n = 505) were coded for general characteristics, handling practices, and food safety messages. Of the 465 recipes that included a soaking step, 76% (353) included soaking for >8 h or overnight, and 17% (79) soaked at room temperature or warmer. Among the 66 recipes that included dried soaked nuts, 22 (33%) specified drying below 65°C (150°F). In recipes that included a fermentation step (212), commercial probiotics (63%; 133) were the most common starter culture, and the most frequently cited (14%; 30) temperature and time combination was 20 to 35°C (68 to 95°F) for 24 to 48 h. Of all the analyzed recipes, 49% (99) of videos and 30% (84) of blogs lacked food safety messages. These findings will aid development of sciencebased validation studies and educational materials for consumers and content creators for safe preparation of homemade soaked tree nut products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Objective: This study investigated the efficacy of a counselling video blog (vlog) from YouTube on depression reduction among primary school teachers in Nigeria. Methods: A 10-week group-randomized trial (GRT) was employed for this clinical investigation. Ninety-seven primary school teachers who had severe depression participated in the study. The authors used Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to collect data for the study. The authors used ANOVA with repeated measures to analyse the data collected in the study. Results: From the results the authors obtained, treatment and no-treatment group participants had severe depression at the initial assessment. However, exposure to a 10-week counselling vlog on YouTube reduced depression among participants in the treatment group, while those in the no-treatment control group still maintained severe depression. There was a significant reduction in depression among participants in the treatment group at the follow-up assessment, while no significant reduction was observed in the no-treatment control group at the follow-up assessment. Conclusion: From the findings of this study, YouTube channels should be utilized for different kinds of counselling. Specifically, counsellors should adopt vlog counselling in depression treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourist decision-making is based on the information available before visiting a destination. Although marketing content has a role to play, user-generated content (UGC) has gained momentum in recent years. This study considering the role of travel blogs and vlogs created by the user, aims to comprehend the role of these information sources in the decision-making of their consumers. The present research investigates the preference of travelers for UGC and its role in travel decision-making over other marketing information generated by destination marketing organisations (DMOs). The study is based on responses from 220 Indian tourists via an online web-based survey conducted using a structured questionnaire and applying multi-stage sampling. The study findings reveal a strengthened preference for blogs and vlogs among travelers compared to traditional DMO marketing content. The study provides implications for industry players that can help engage their visitors in UGC creation and dissemination for better marketing by suggesting suitable strategies for tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Current study aimed at examining how concepts of blogging and vlogging in touristic marketing can influence individuals' trust towards touristic destinations. Quantitative approach was used through distributing an online questionnaire on (370) individuals in Jordan. SPSS was used to screen and analyze gathered data, results of study indicated the acceptance of main hypothesis arguing that vlogging and blogging touristic marketing has a positive influence of customers' trust, also, results were able to uncover that cognitive needs, social values, and emotional & and epistemic values are very influencing when it comes to blogger/customer trust while information credibility appeared to have no impact, this can be attributed to the state of saturation that a client gets when being exposed to a good experience in terms of cognitive needs, social values, and emotional & and epistemic values study recommended paying attention to the level of information provided during blogging in order to increase the level of realism of the information provided, which would deepen the results of the experience experienced by the client. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the learning impact of introducing vlogs and blogs to graduate international business case studies. Data were collected over a four-year period from graduate business programs to compare assignment performances from students when case studies were presented with versus without the inclusion of vlogs and blogs. A rubric measuring six criteria was used to evaluate case study submissions and identify areas drawing upon specific learning skills. A crosswalk between the rubric and Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive levels linked student performance and these skills. Group comparisons of the 535 observations showed the inclusion of vlogs and blogs led to statistically significant improvement in students' learning outcomes in overall scores, failing rates, and high-score achievements. A performance examination of th3e international business case studies against the six specific grading criteria also showed marked advances in students' higher-level thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis or creation, which have been linked to developing cross-cultural awareness. The study indicates that instructors should thoughtfully curate sets of vlogs and blogs pertaining to products, services, values, cultures, and economic systems from multiple diverse origins to use in administering international business case studies used in their course curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia's accelerating authoritarian turn has not ignored the internet, and in recent years, the Russian state has clamped down on internet activities that diverge from the statist line, employing a variety of strategies to dominate online spaces. Nevertheless, oppositional voices flourish on the Russian internet, taking shape in independent blogs and videos. This paper explores three political bloggers through surveillant and resistance assemblages, making sense of this contestation through an interpretation of the Deleuzian virtual that underscores the emancipatory potential of online activities for producing more egalitarian configurations, but also taking stock of the ways that these technologies have increased domination. Encompassing the blurriness between digital and corporeal spaces, the paper contributes by revealing new geographies of contestation against state strategies to dominate the Russian internet. Overlapping with but not corresponding to Russian territorial boundaries, these dynamics highlight shifting spaces of power and resistance in the increasingly illiberal world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to clarify the genre-thematic classification of video blogging and the specific features of its affiliation with stylistic characteristics through the lens of a scientific approach. At present, there is no official classification of video blogging, but there are some types that help partially group all the variety of content into a single system. Methodology. The following methods were used during the study: scientific, content analysis, descriptive, statistical, comparative. The scientific novelty is to investigate video blogging as a subject of scientific analysis and study the genres of individual video platforms and online communities in terms of risks and opportunities. Conclusions. Video blogging is a relatively new concept that embodies an activity that is described by a communication function and a hybrid genre that has emerged as a result of technological progress. This phenomenon combines several genres, including the genres of comments and posts, and accompanies communicative situations on the Internet. The genre of this phenomenon is explained by its mobile features, because new modern videos are created every day, and they are difficult to refer to a specific topic because they are constantly mixed and modified with each other. The author's attitude towards his or her audience depends on aspects of individuality and aspects of personality. Today, a considerable number of successful video blogs are products of mass Internet consumption, devoid of monotonous content, which factor in the interests of the audience and help the film as efficiently as possible due to additional effects and editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research work is to examine the adaption of the Web 2.0 application in the libraries of Indian university. The study mainly emphasises the various Web 2.0 tools and their purpose and features on the select library websites. In terms of a quantitative technique, content analysis was conducted. For data collection, a checklist was created based on prior checklists and questionnaires from similar studies, as well as synthesised concepts from the reviewed literature. Then all selected university libraries websites were accessed by the researcher for data collection. The research result shows that Eight Indian university libraries used at least one or more Web 2.0 tools, and five Web 2.0 tools (SNS, RSS, Blogs, Wikis, and Vodcast) were utilised for specific purposes with characteristics. The selected university Web 2.0 application indexes have been observed low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a comparison of English-Estonian code-copying in blogs and in vlogs. This paper applies a usage-based approach, combining a cognitive angle with the code-copying framework. The aim is to provide a holistic view on contact-induced language change by applying bottom-up analysis of naturalistic multilingual language use. In contact linguistic literature it has been observed that there is a preference for insertions vs. alternations depending on sociolinguistic setting (community type, generation, proficiency) and structural properties of the languages involved. Research on English-Estonian language contacts has shown that in blogs there is no clear preference for either. From a different point of view, it has been observed that lexical impact (global copying in the terms of code-copying framework) precedes semantic and structural impact (selective copying) but provide no explanation. Comparisons between blogs (750 entries and 275,263 words from 45 bloggers) and vlogs (5,5 hours, approximately 36,854 words from 5 vloggers) shows that global copies and alternations heavily prevail over other types of copying, yet the number of selective copies is somewhat higher in vlogs and of mixed copies in blogs. Selective copies are loan translations rather than structural changes. We assume that (1) prevalence of global copies and alternations depends on genre norms (blogs and vlogs are constructed as non-monolingual, highly individualized genres); (2) as selective copies are mostly loan translations, it implies the role of meaning and cognitive aspects: idioms and fixed expressions are figurative and cognitively prominent; combinational properties and grammatical meanings are abstract; so, the more abstract the meaning is, the more cognitive effort and time is required for entrenchment and conventionalization; (3) copying and alternation is denser in vlogs because the genre is oral and spontaneous vs. written, edited genre of blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the agreement (in case and number) of English adjectives used with Estonian nouns in noun phrases (Eng ADJ + EST N) in Estonian blogs and vlogs. According to the Matrix Language Frame model (MLF), one would expect English adjective stems to take on Estonian inflections, but this is not always the case. The data comes from fashion and lifestyle blogs and vlogs that have Estonian as the main language and contain English language material to various degrees. Altogether, 84 noun phrases were analysed: in 35 instances the adjective agreed with the noun and in 46 instances it did not; in 3 instances the agreement was complicated to determine. The analysis showed that English adjectives that have a sound structure similar to Estonian adjectives as a rule agree with Estonian nouns. Factors that may lead to non-agreement are stem alternation, differences in writing and pronunciation, and personal preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the student-success blogging project for the course Honors Professional Development: Community Outreach for sophomores in the University of Florida Honors Program. Topics discussed include strategy for facilitating student collaboration in honors; design, implement, and maintain an ongoing blog and video blog to facilitate first-year students' successful involvement in campus and community life; and finding places to study.

New media and globalisation has significantly transformed what it means to be literate in today’s society. As educators, it is important we use current research to inform the literacy opportunities we offer our students. This article investigates some of the current research in multiliteracies and how it might be used to transform classroom practice through the use of blogs and vlogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most clinicians-even those in their late twenties-did not grow up with contemporary technology, including social networks and cyber media, our adolescent clients have never known a world without it. We therefore often struggle not only to understand the impact of these technological forums on these younger generations, but also whether or not they can be useful tools or destructive agents in the therapeutic process. In this article we will consider research on the impact of Facebook, texting and other cyber technology on psychological health in adolescents. The data is often somewhat contradictory (e.g. one study says that Facebook makes adolescents lonelier while another says that it makes them feel more socially connected), but one finding is consistent: technology seems to amplify emotions not only in adolescents, but also in adults. In this article we will address ways that the technological world can affect adolescent development and what we, as clinicians, can do to ameliorate the negative and support the positive aspects of this sometimes overwhelming but clearly permanent aspect of contemporary life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates audience design in monologues. The study uses video blogs, a spoken, asynchronous form of computer-mediated communication, to illustrate how talk reflects the lack of an immediately present audience. It is based on a corpus of English language vlogs collected from the video hosting site YouTube. The study demonstrates how speakers adapt to a mediated speech situation where there is not even minimal feedback and the speaker has to address absent viewers. Clark and Carlson's audience design (1992) and Bell's audience design (1984), introducing the notion of participant roles, are central constructs in the present study. It is argued that when vloggers (re)assign participant roles, the audience is actively involved, as they have to recognize their new status. The phenomena examined in this paper include multimodal, syntactical, and lexical features. The particular context of the medium and the monologic nature of the data will be given special consideration in the analysis of genre specific features. These include terms of address (e.g. YouTubers , YouTube , vlog fans ), directives/directed language (e.g. comment , rate , and subscribe , leave me a comment ). Other features under discussion include questions ( how are you guys doing ), voicing the audience, constructed dialogue, whispering, gestures, categorization etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a data-driven approach to discover different styles that people use to present themselves in online video blogging (vlogging). By vlogging style, we denote the combination of conscious and unconscious choices that the vlogger made during the production of the vlog, affecting the video quality, appearance, and structure. A compact set of vlogging styles is discovered using clustering methods based on a fast and robust spatio-temporal descriptor to characterize the visual activity in a vlog. On 2268 YouTube vlogs, our results show that the vlogging styles are differentiated with respect to the vloggers' level of editing and conversational activity in the video. Furthermore, we show that these automatically discovered styles relate to vloggers with different personality trait impressions and to vlogs that receive different levels of social attention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite an increasing interest in understanding human perception in social media through the automatic analysis of users' personality, existing attempts have explored user profiles and text blog data only. We approach the study of personality impressions in social media from the novel perspective of crowdsourced impressions, social attention, and audiovisual behavioral analysis on slices of conversational vlogs extracted from YouTube. Conversational vlogs are a unique case study to understand users in social media, as vloggers implicitly or explicitly share information about themselves that words, either written or spoken cannot convey. In addition, research in vlogs may become a fertile ground for the study of video interactions, as conversational video expands to innovative applications. In this work, we first investigate the feasibility of crowdsourcing personality impressions from vlogging as a way to obtain judgements from a variate audience that consumes social media video. Then, we explore how these personality impressions mediate the online video watching experience and relate to measures of attention in YouTube. Finally, we investigate on the use of automatic nonverbal cues as a suitable lens through which impressions are made, and we address the task of automatic prediction of vloggers' personality impressions using nonverbal cues and machine learning techniques. Our study, conducted on a dataset of 442 YouTube vlogs and 2210 annotations collected in Amazon's Mechanical Turk, provides new findings regarding the suitability of collecting personality impressions from crowdsourcing, the types of personality impressions that emerge through vlogging, their association with social attention, and the level of utilization of nonverbal cues in this particular setting. In addition, it constitutes a first attempt to address the task of automatic vlogger personality impression prediction using nonverbal cues, with promising results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]