SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social Networking

Social Networking

Introduction

The 21st-century landscape is characterized by increasing globalization and a very accelerating change. As systems become more complex and interconnected, social networking is undergoing a transformation. One of the more recent trends in the study and practice of social networking is the focus on how individuals and businesses in networks shape the environment, unleash innovation, create access to resources, and increase their performance. This study examines social networking and its importance for individuals and organizations. It begins with an overview of core social network concepts and their implications for social networking. It then illustrates how networks benefit individuals, organizations, communities, and fields. It also emphasizes on the risks and dangers involved in the excessive use of social networks (Wellman, 2001).

Discussion

Development

In the 1990s, when consumer World Wide Web technologies were still being developed, analysts spoke of the web's potential as a social connector, creating communities and bringing people together in ways never before thought possible. These idealistic conversations made their trial run with Classmates.com, established in 1995 to reunite long-lost high school friends online. After that, a handful of networking sites spun off the Classmates. Com concept, but none took off in the ways that craigslist. Among these sites, craigslist has grown substantially, serving primarily as an online marketplace based in major cities around the United States and the world. While it fits the networking website definition broadly with its role as social connector, it does not allow its users to create individual profiles.

There are also social networks who are more interested in building online relationships around a niche interest. For the latter, there are sites like Dogster, which by definition weed out users who are not interested in sharing information and building a community around canine interests. It is unlikely that these specialty interest networking sites will overtake a giant like Facebook anytime soon, but they are important because they represent the desire for control over content and medium by users that was first given voice by the advent of online social networking. The diversification of networking sites has also made online networking more accessible to older users, many of whom would not have otherwise been compelled to participate in what is generally seen as a youth activity (Ronald, 2002).

Types of Social Networking Sites

If there is a phenomenon that has attracted attention in the Internet in recent times, and already beginning to show economic benefit to its creators, it is the emergence of the social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr and many more. The reason behind the success of these websites success is that they enable networking between those people from different places who have similar hobbies or mindsets.

MySpace

It is one of the most traditional social networks and has a large number of users registered (it is estimated that over 180 million to date). The interface, fully translated, is very easy to use, so anyone who is discharged in the service in less than five minutes is capable of handling it ...