Presantation. University of Sheffield, City College Thessaloniki, 11th Students' Spring Symposium. 18/05/2012

1. Webvistas.org: changing (with) the
World Wide Web www.webvistas.org–info@webvistas.org
Oikonomou Michael
Zioupos Andreas
Ventouris Anastasios
Panagiotopoulou Konstantina
Papatsouma Ioanna
Vrogkistinos Spyros
Alexiou Giorgos
* Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
** University of Macedonia
11th Students Spring Symposium, City College Thessaloniki - 18th of May 2012

2. Web Today
• 2 billion people use the Web today
• The most social Technology ever developed
• No more just a huge system
Ecosystem!
• Web usage concerns any user personally but
influences the whole ecosystem.
• Consequently, many issues arise that come
over the extent of the analysis of the Web
strictly as a technology.

3. Web Today…
• Network Oligopolies

4. Safety, Trust, Privacy

5. Opportunity
• Economic Growth
• Personal Development
• Intercreativity

6. Web Science
• Many research questions arise that one
mere discipline like Computer Science,
Sociology or Psychology cannot answer
• A new scientific field: Web Science!
 Aims to understand the Web, engineer its
future and ensure its social benefit

7. Webvistas Community -
Introduction
• Under the context of Web Science the
Webvistas initiative was created
• Webvistas community has the vision of an
open and free Web alongside with a safer
and more inter-creative consciousness of
Web users
• Founded in Greece, 2011

8. Webvistas Community -
Introduction
• Webvistas community uses physical
meetings and online tools to enable
Webvistas members to collaborate.
• Main operations:
 Knowledge and Discussion (Forum, research
projects etc.)
 Action (events, festivals, workshops, hactivism)
• Open Community!
 Everyone is welcome to participate to the
community and contribute for the benefit of the
Web, and our living with it.

9. Vision and Mission
• Webvistas members consider that the
benefits of the Web usage overcome the
threats.
• They aim to evolve this usage to a
conscious and more creative Web
utilization.
• Community is working towards the vision
of a complementary Web that will be
open, free, safe and inter-creative!

10. Vision and Mission
• Community’s mission is that Web Services
will be multiplied while its users will capture a
viable space of the digital world.
• It aims to:
 identify the true capabilities, opportunities but
threats also
 introduce the study of the Web to all the levels
of the education system
 introduce into the political agenda, the Web as a
critical infrastructure for growth

11. The Members
• Anyone can become a member of
Webvistas!
• This is an open community!
• Already counting more than 900 members
• Students, Faculty, Parents, Kids, everyone!

12. The Members
• Interaction → Forum Platform
 and physical meetings!
• Participation into projects, working groups,
events, hactivism and many other activities.
• These activities are mostly members'
initiatives!

13. Operations
Webvistas community mainly operates by
focusing in
 knowledge / discussion and
 by taking action when possible

14. Knowledge and Discussion
• Main idea: Publish knowledge articles and
discuss them by using a forum platform
• Eight specific thematic areas:
1. Genesis of the Web
2. Technology of the Web
3. Web today
4. The new functioning of the Web
5. The main issues of the Web
6. The new values of the Web
7. Scientific Study of the Web
8. Web tomorrow

15. Knowledge and Discussion
• Additional topic: Open discussion &
Questions from the public. ( Members and
Anonymous )
• Synergies with faculty from the top Greek
Universities. Counting to 5 today.
• Significant Scientific Outcome! Mixing and
interaction by students of different
disciplines.

17. Actions
• Projects
• Workshops
• Presentations
• Games

18. Actions
• Events
(Photos from PreFestival - Veroia 2012)

19. Actions
Festivals!
Webfest are the Festivals that deliver our
vision to the Society.
Next Webfest:
Veroia, 16/09/2012

20. Conclusions
• Vision of an open and free Web alongside
with a safer and more inter-creative
consciousness of Web users
• Knowledge & Discussion
• Action
• Everyone is welcome to participate!

21. How to participate!
• Everyone is welcome to participate to
Webvistas Community!
• It is an open community...
• Someone can participate:
 To Forum
 Or voluntary on projects, events, festivals
and all other activities
 If you wish to participate contact us!

22. Webvistas contact details
More on www.webvistas.org!
: info@webvistas.org
: @webvistasorg
: facebook.com/webvistas