Abstract.The new generation of web-based communities, Web. 2.0, represents an innovation in terms of users interaction as it becomes increasingly dependent of it. It empowers users to create and manage content, placing them at the core of its success. This paper will propose a Web 2.0 Critical Success Factors (CSFs) theoretical framework. With the widespread popularity of these applications it becomes important to analyze the source of their success and unveil why some are more successful than others. More importantly, it may help Web 2.0 start-ups to understand what features they need to develop to make their applications succeed in an already very populated network.

Aim/PurposeAs e-Learning 3.0 evolves from a theoretical construct into an actual solution for online learning, it becomes crucial to accompany this progress by scrutinising the elements that are at the origin of its success. Background This paper outlines a framework of e-Learning 3.0's critical success factors and its empirical validation. MethodologyThe framework is the result of an extensive literature review and its empirical substantiation derives from semi-structured interviews with e-Learning experts. ContributionThe viewpoints of the experts enable the confirmation and the refinement of the original framework and serve as a foundation for the prospective implementation of e-Learning 3.0. FindingsThe analysis of the interviews demonstrates that e-Learning 3.0 remains in its early stages with a reticent dissemination. Nonetheless, the interviewees invoked factors related to technology, content and stakeholders as being critical for the success of this new phase of e-Learning. Recommendations for PractitionersPractitioners can use the framework as a guide for promoting and implementing effective e-Learning 3.0 initiatives. Validation of an e-Learning 3.0 Critical Success Factors Framework 340 Recommendation for ResearchersAs a new phenomenon with uncharted potential, e-Learning 3.0 should be placed at the centre of educational research. Impact on Society The understanding of what drives the success of e-Learning 3.0 is fundamental for its implementation and for the progress of online education in this new stage of its evolution. Future ResearchFuture research ventures can include the design of quantitative and selfadministered data collection instruments that can provide further insight into the elements of the framework.

In a research project, the selection of the sample method is crucial, since it has repercussions throughout the entirety of the study. It determines how the population under scrutiny will be represented and with what accuracy. Hence, it has an important impact in terms of the reliability and validity of the research in general, and consequently, its conclusions. This chapter aims to explore snowball sampling as a chain-referral sampling method. An introductory review of the relevant literature highlights its main characteristics, benefits, and shortcomings, and provides a broader insight to circumstances where it can be successfully applied. This theoretical prologue is followed by the analysis of its employment in an online questionnaire and the presentation of the lessons learned from this sampling decision.

The inclusion of Web 2.0 in education has been a polemic process comprised both with enthusiasm and scepticism. There is empirical evidence of Web 2.0's effective employment in educational contexts and it seems that the background of hesitation that has always accompanied Web 2.0's didactic progress is now more concentrated on questioning how to use it rather than whether or not it should be used. In light of this predicament, this chapter aims to analyse how some Web 2.0 tools are being used in higher education as well as to uncover what best practices should guide their successful deployment. This chapter begins by providing an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of using Web 2.0 pedagogically, and it then focuses on particular cases where educators have experimented with YouTube, wiki technology, and Twitter in their teaching settings. The lessons learned and the outcomes of their experiences are combined with current theory on Web 2.0 in education to serve as guidelines.

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