Facebook Screencast

My Facebook screencast: How to Create an Event

boyd Reading

Examining how class affects social networking is quite interesting. Boyd's reading says that teenagers are more likely to use Facebook or more likely to use Myspace based on their social class; since Facebook is more geared towards college students. I remember when I first join Facebook and it was strictly limited to college students, kind of felt like some special club. The main lesson I took away from Boyd's reading was, libraries should be aware of their user population and how they would use social networking sites. If a library is trying to attract new users or seeking more involvement from exiting users, it would be pointless to use a site that is unfamiliar and rarely used by their target population. Similar to other library services, the social networking sites used by the library should be enticing and accessible to the user population.

Ning

Ning is a social networking site that allows user to create their own online social networks. Ning reminded me of other social networking sites, such as Facebook.

Ning advantages:
-members can create their own profile, friend and interact with other users
-members can add photos, videos and audio
-members can join groups, have blogs, contribute to forums
-can share news and links with other users

Overall Ning allows users in the same community, such as RU SCILS, to connect and socialize outside the classroom.

Ning disadvantages:
-must be a registered user to access news, forums, blogs, etc.
-can replace face-to-face interaction
-social networking sites can be "sticky"

I could easily see Ning being used in a work environment. Employees could share news and events and also have their questions answered in the forum. Additionally it could be a shared workspace where several employees could contribute to one project. Ning could replace company emails, newsletters and chat devices.

"sticky"

As someone who started using Facebook (though never MySpace)four years ago I can personally attest to just how much time can be wasted on this type of social networking site. These sites are "sticky" or keep users returning because of the service they offer. Social networking sites allow you to connect and interact with friends, family, co-workers and even strangers anytime of day right from your own computer. Additionally, you can reconnect with old friends and receive up to date news on friends you don't see very often. Also, it's quite amazing just how much information people are willing to freely include on these sites. Want to know where you old college roommate is working or if someone from high school got married? Social networking sites can often provide this information in just a few clicks. Finally, the sheer amount of content and services offered by these sites can keep users busy for hours. Perhaps you log on just to check for updates...but then you see so-and-so uploaded new pictures, so-and-so sent you a happy hour drink, so-and-so challenged you to a trivia game...and before you know hours have passed. These sites are highly entertaining and offer amazing social networking capabilities that can keep users occupied for hours.