Social Networking
Social Networking Websites
A social network service is social software specifically focused on the building and verifying of online social networks for whatever purpose. Many social networking services are also blog hosting services. There are hundreds of social networking web sites. MySpace, Facebook are some current favorites
Basics
In general, social networking services, such as MySpace and Facebook, allow users to create a profile for themselves. Users can upload a picture of themselves and can often be “friends” with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. For example, if Sara lists John as a friend, then John would have to approve Sara’s friend request before they are listed as friends. Some social networking sites have a favorites feature that do not need approval from the other user. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allows the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them.
Additional features
Some major social networks have additional features, such as the ability to create groups that share common interests or affiliations, upload videos, and hold discussions in forums.
User behavior
Users often try to collect friends, or try to be linked to as many friends as possible. Therefore, it is not uncommon for users to receive friend requests from people that they do not know. Some users will create additional profiles that assume the identity of someone else, such as celebrities, politicians, or even their pets. Some will create profiles for fictional characters, and some will even create profiles for inanimate objects.
Privacy issues
On large social networking services, there has been growing concerns about users giving out too much personal information and the threat of sexual predators. However, large services, such as MySpace, often work with law enforcement to prevent such incidents.
Investigations
Social network services are increasingly being used in legal and criminal investigations. Information posted on sites such as MySpace and Facebook, has been used by police and university officials to prosecute users of said sites. In some situations, content posted on MySpace has been used in court to determine an appropriate sentence based on a defendant’s attitude.
Facebook, an online and social network service, is increasingly being used by school administrations and law enforcement agencies as a source of evidence against student users. The site, the number one online destination for college students, allows users to create profile pages with personal details. These pages can be viewed by other registered users from the same school which often include resident assistants and campus police who have signed-up for the service.
Some Current Favorite Social Websites
For a current list of all social networks, current membership numbers, and links to their home pages you can click —–> Here
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
