Posted: Fri 10 August 2007

Social Networking

Well, the first thing you’re going to say is “What’s social networking?” The chances are that you already are a social networker… or at least know someone who is!

Social networking is the interaction with others through the medium of the internet and virtual communities. In these communities, an initial set of founders sends out messages inviting members of their own personal networks to join the site. New members repeat the process, growing the total number of members and links in the network.

Now I’m sure you have all had an invite in your inbox from a friend telling you to join one of these social networks… but how do we know which one is going to be the best!! I intend to discuss a few of the most popular networks, in the hope that you will be able contribute to this blog with your own comments about other social networks and your experiences with them.

My personal favorite, which has been dominating news and internet space recently, is Facebook. This website really has escalated into a global phenomenon, with almost everyone I know under 35 having their own Facebook profile. It has got to a stage where people believe you are strange if you’re not on Facebook, which I find rather odd as I’m not a huge advocate of it myself. But we’ll talk about that later.

Face book’s popularity is almost unprecedented, since its creation in 2004 there are now over 25 million users and it is deemed to be the most popular social network ever! Proof of this seems to be everywhere… From someone browsing Facebook on their laptop in a village pub the other day to every 16 – 24 year old girl I met in a recent trip to the USA talking about it.

This globalised phenomenon does have its advantages; I for one am in regular communication with people that without such social networks in place I may have lost touch with. There becomes almost a feeling that there are people, not just around the country, that you know but worldwide. Contacting people met abroad becomes realistic, and not just someone you meet once and get on with but never hear from again.

There are obviously downsides to these social networks, the intrusion into your life and the fact that people you barely know feel like you’re their best friend can become frustrating. Equally the degree to which people’s fascination with the lives of others can become absurd, it becomes the same as the reasons people buy things like Heat magazine to read about the lives of celebrities.
People become tracked to see what they are up to, and serious relationships are able to be scrutinized like meaningless lifetime occurrences. So much is Facebook becoming part of life that our vocabulary is also affected by it, one phrase that sticks in my mind to do with this is “Facebook stalker” referring to people who spend their time following the activities of others lives to a ridiculous extent. This raises the question of its impact on society; no longer will people not know what others are doing as they can track aspects of your life online. So much so that people will change from the traditional ways of behaving. For example a breakdown of a relationship where 2 people no longer see each other, the activities of the other person can now be seen online through photos and stories transmitted across their “wall”. Which in turn begs the question, can people handle this level of information? Are people going to have to adapt to a new way of conducting ourselves socially because of the knowledge that things can be found out with such ease.

Such is this the case that in the national press recently articles have been appearing suggesting that employers check social networks such as Facebook before employing candidates for a job. Whereas previously anything you wished to keep to yourself was possible, you are now open to scrutiny because of the way you are depicted online.

Nevertheless, these are all extreme examples to what is an excellent means of communication and a great way to keep in touch with people. Not only is this but a huge advantage seen as being the transfer of knowledge that is available through these social networks. People are able to discover new things which without such networks existing would not have been possible. The fact that you list things like interests, favorite books, films and bands means that through other people you can discover new things and broaden your horizons.

The second biggest social network, MySpace.com, is particularly synonymous with these ideas as it has become a breeding ground for unsigned musical talent. Every small band can have a slice of the internet with the potential of a worldwide audience. Lily Allen has had great success off of the back of a cult MySpace following, showing the impact that word of mouth can have on these social networks. People are always talking about bands they have found on MySpace as a result of the way these networks function. Clicking through and looking at other members interests and favorite music, for example, may lead you to listen to a band whose song plays when you load up their page. You then tell a friend who does the same and so on… Things can escalate fast online. This is the reason why we believe social networking is so important, as it is a great way to be able to spread a message. The transmission of information can be rapid and that’s why we consider social networking to be an important aspect of online PR. The presence of your company online can spread awareness potentially worldwide… where else can you get such mass exposure!

Your thoughts on this topic would be greatly appreciated… this is an exciting new area of the world which has already captivated the imagination of millions. However this is by no means the end of this topic…we will simply have to wait and see what the future holds for social networking with over 200 estimated social networks to join the possibilities are endless. Let us know how you get on by leaving us a comment! Until Next Time …

By: Josh McCarthy
http://www.eazytiger.net
Web design and ecommerce Leicester

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