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SOCIAL NETWORKING
The use
of a dedicated Web site to communicate informally with other members of the
site, by posting messages, photographs, etc.
Social Networking has become very
popular during the past few years, but it can still be very difficult to
understand for someone new to social networking.
Once signed onto a social network, having
answered a few basic profile questions, it is easy to sit back and wonder what
you are supposed to do next.
EXAMPLE:
The easiest way to understand social
networking is to think of it like high school.
You had friends in school, and you knew
quite a few people even if you weren't friends with all of them, but it's
likely that you didn't know everyone.
If you ever moved to a new school -- or
if you can imagine moving to a new school -- you start out with no friends.
After attending classes, you start meeting
people, and as you meet them, you begin associating with those that have
similar interests.
Getting started with social networking
is much the same as starting at a new school.
At first, you don't have any friends. But as
you join groups, you begin to meet people, and you build a friends list of
those with similar interests.
Social Networking Architecture
Social networking is
based on a certain structure that allow people to both express their
individuality and meet people with similar interests.
This structure includes
having profiles, friends, blog posts and
usually something unique to that particular social networking website such as the ability
to 'poke' people on “FACEBOOK” or high-five someone on “HI5”
Profile
This is where you tell the world
about yourself. Profiles contain basic information, like where you live and how
old you are, and personality questions, like who's your favorite actor and
what's your favorite book.
Social networks dedicated to a
special theme like music or movies might ask questions related to that theme.
Friends
Friends are trusted members of the site that are allowed to post
comments on your profile or send you private messages.
You can also keep tabs
on how your friends are using social networking, such as when they post a new
picture or update their profile.
Friends are the heart and soul of social
networking. It should be noted that not all social networks refer to them as
'friends' – “LinkedIn” refers to them as 'connections -- but all
social networks have a way to designate members as trusted.
Groups.
Most social networks use groups to help you find people with
similar interests or engage in discussions on certain topics. A group can be
anything from "Johnson High Class of '98" to "People Who Like
Books" to "Doors Fans".
They are both a way to
connect with like-minded people and a way to identify your interests.
Sometimes, groups are called by other names, such as the 'networks' on
Facebook.
Discussions.
A primary focus of groups is to create interaction
between users in the form of discussions. Most social networking websites
support discussion boards for the groups, and many also allow members of the
group to post pictures, music, video clips, and other tidbits related to the
group.
Blogs.
Another feature of some social networks
is the ability to create your own blog entries. While not as feature-rich as
blog hosts like “Wordpress” or “Blogger”, blogging through a social network is perfect for
keeping people informed on what you are up to.
Widgets.
A popular way of letting
your personality shine through is by gracing your social networking profile
with web widgets. Many social networks allow a variety of widgets, and you
can usually find interesting widgets located on “widget galleries”.
Why Start Social Networking?
Social Networking is a
nice form of entertainment, great for meeting people with similar interests,
and can be a very effective business technique for entrepreneurs, writers,
actors, musicians or artists.
Most of us have hobbies,
or things that we are keenly interested in such as books, television, video
games or movies. Social networks allow us to reach out to others that have the
same interests.
For example,
if you like movies, “Flixster” can
help you decide if you might like a new movie just out at the theaters. If you
like music, “Last.Fm” can help you find new artists that are similar to
your favorite bands.
EFFECTIVE
FACTS
The first significant Social Network
online was AOL which offered countless chat rooms, discussion groups, news
groups et al whereby individuals shared common space and common interests to
share or promote ideas, experiences, insights as well as simply to talk and
connect with others.
In recent years, social networking
online has literally exploded along with the growth of the internet and new
internet technologies and capacities.
YouTube has seen even wider
acceptance and usage over the past few years providing anyone the opportunity
to post home-made videos.
One out of every 4 searches on the
internet today is a YouTube search seeking multimedia content for countless
topics and interests.
Facebook,
and more recently, Twitter have exploded on the scene providing two very
popular portals with distinctly different approaches.
Facebook
is more of a personal networking site as it promotes “reconnecting” with old
high school, college, post graduate and former corporate friends and
associates.
Many have extended their networks to include
commercial interests as well.
Twitter is not as personal as
Facebook in a study.
Twitter is a microblogging site that
limits all single posts to a limit of 140 characters and is intended to answer
the question
“What are you doing now?”
While simple on its face, Twitter’s open
interface has paved the way for countless tools and utilities that allow users
to build large networks of followers.
In fact, following others and being followed
is central to the Twitter experience … whether or not you have ever met the
Tweep before.
You can just start following people
or you can use Twitter’s Search to seek Tweeps that with similar interests or
ones who have specific interests or expertise you wish to get involved
in.
Building a large loyal network of
followers can be very powerful if you are able to provide your followers with
worthwhile comment and content that is unique, helpful, entertaining and
engaging.
For example, you can Tweet about a
new blogposts or article or song that you’ve written and link to it. If
your content is great, you will find that more and more Tweeps will follow you.
Linked-In is commonly used by
business professionals with like-minded interests and activities.
It is just another social
network but structured and designed for business professionals.
Here you can post your resume, your interests,
receive and give personal and professional recommendations.
As with Twitter and Facebook,
and for that matter, all social networking, the more you give to your network,
the more you will receive in return. Kind of like life offline as well,
don’t you agree?
Director
Michael Haneke accepts the Best Foreign Language Film award for “Amour”
onstage during the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on February 24,
2013 in Hollywood, California
Andrea Nix Fine accepts the Best Documentary
.”The inspiring story of a 15-years-old homeless and undocumented girl
in CA who refuses to give up her dream of being an artist” was the first
oscar winning film crow funded. This is a beautiful example of the
wonderful communication revolution we are living. Short Subject award
for “Inocente” onstage during the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on February 24, 2013 in Hollywood, California.
Director John Kahrs accepts the Best Animated Short Film award for “Paperman”
onstage during the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on February 24,
2013 in Hollywood, California.Congratulations to John Kahrs and the team
behind Paperman, which just took home the Oscar for Best Animated Short
Film!
The
story of a young man in NYC relying on his heart, imagination, a stack
of papers—and a little luck—to win the girl of his dreams.