Social Networks--how to stay connected 24/7

Social Networks are nothing new. People have been finding ways to be and stay connected since the dawn of time.Whether we gathered around a campfire, at the matriarch's cave, on the village green, at the harvest field , at the church for communal rituals, or in hordes at the mall, humans have been ingenious in devising ways to share personal information.

The digital natives have created a new form - online social networks for communities of people to share interests and activities.

According to Wikipedia:

Most services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and so on. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today's society. Various social networking websites are being used by millions of people everyday on a regular basis and it now seems that social networking is a part of everyday life.

The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with MySpace and Facebook being the most widely used in North America,^[1] Bebo^[2], MySpace, Skyrock Blog , Facebook and Hi5 in parts of Europe,^[3], Orkut and Hi5 in South America and Central America,^[4] Friendster, Orkut and CyWorld in Asia and the Pacific Islands.^[5] Vkontakte.ru and LiveJournal in Russia.

Blogs vs Social Networking

I found a great wiki here which outlined some educational perspectives on uses of blogs and social networks. Of special interest is this description of why the social networking sites are so appealing---

Many parents understand the appeal of social networking sites, as they are used to the lengths that youth will go to receive attention--whether positive or negative. Our individual needs to be acknowledged, to be valued, and to be part of a group are heightened during teenage years. Social networking sites provide a fast and effective way to give and receive attention, and not all of it appropriate.

and why kids often behave inappropriately online---

Because technology often provides 1) a perceived buffer from regular consequences and 2) a real buffer from traditional social cues, people will say and do things through technology that they would not do face-to-face. (The scientific term for this is "disinhibition.") If this is apparent with email, instant messaging, and text messaging on cell phones, it seems even more glaring on social networking sites. Youth who do not have any real understanding of the dangers or consequences of certain behavior will often talk openly about sexual issues or post provocative pictures online. While this may sometimes reflect their actual behavior, it is believed that many youth are being provocative in order to gain attention--not realizing how dangerous this actually is.

I found another great resource for parents and educators on Doug Johnson's site--a series of lessons called Raising Good Citizens for a Virtual World an excellent description of the ways we model and teach ethical behaviour, calling forth the best that is in our children and youth. The optimist in me really believes that most people want to treat others the way they'd like to be treated themselves and this golden rule extends to the virtual world. When we take time to share with our children our own beliefs and values we give them something to hang onto as they navigate the tricky road of adolescence.

My favourite article echoes the Bonnie Raitt song I Jazzercized to so many years ago with the title:Let's Give Them Something to Talk About by Ashley Jones. EContent. Wilton: Mar 2008. Vol. 31, Iss. 2; pg. 10, 2 pgs.

Retrieved from Proquest, March 29, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1442269341).

This one hit the high spots for me. Jones writes that "humans, by nature, are social beings. Teenagers, by nature, are social machines." She quotes a new study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Teens and Social Media," which reveals some distinct differences between the ways teens and adults use social networks. She writes:

"90% of online adults are merely lurkers, and only 10% actually contribute to the Web 2.0 movement. In contrast, according to the report's findings, 64% of online teens have participated in a content-creating activity on the internet, up from 57% of online teens in 2004...

Most of the content creation among teens today occurs on social networking websites like the aforementioned Facebook or MySpace. In fact, according to the study, 55% of online teens ages 12-17 have a profile on a social networking site. Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew and one of the writers of this report says, "This survey discusses the conversational portion of social media. We found that teens want feedback, and they can get that feedback on social networking sites".

When it comes to social networking sites, feedback comes in many forms. Wall posts, photo albums, comments, blogging, and video posts are among the most popular, and the report from Pew finds that not only are teens in general using social networking sites to interact, but the type of online interaction varies depending on gender.

Girls have always demonstrated a more aggressive adoption of online messaging in general. Prior to Web 2.0, it was instant messaging, and now it is seen in the forms of writing on friends' walls and blogging. It seems that girls are more focused on verbal expression.

In contrast, teenage boys are posting video files more readily than girls. While the study states that 57% of all online teens watch videos online, teenage boys are twice as likely as girls to post video files (19% versus 10%). "There is a fascination with visual media, especially among boys, today," says Madden.

The endless loop of feedback that teens long for, comes in the area of comments. I can vouch for the importance of this based on the amount of time my 14 year old daughter spends posting and collecting comments. According to the Pew study:

89% of teens who post photos online say that people comment at least "sometimes" about the photos they post, and 37% of those teenagers say that their audience comments on their photos "most of the time." Further, 72% of teen video posters report receiving comments "sometimes," and 24% say that people comment "most of the time."

Another article I read, by Michael Stephens (2007). Social Networking Services. Library Technology Reports, 43(5), 45-51. Retrieved March 30, 2008, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1341876331), went into a detailed analysis of the strengths and weakness between MySpace.com and Facebook.com, with Facebook coming out ahead on most points, for security, ease of use, design layout, the fact that you are connected to your actual real friends, news updates and messaging. What intrigued me most is that several libraries and librarians are using Facebook in creative ways to interact with students (teens and college students).

Libraries and librarians are adding their presence here, too. Robert J. Lackie, associate professor/librarian at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, posted at the LibraryGarden blog about his use of Facebook:As a librarian and professor, I joined Facebook last year when I found out that the students in my public speaking class were communicating with each other via that tool, instead of our university's email system. It was amazing how much more open and willing the students were to sharing information about each other and their individual and group projects in our class, via Facebook. They were thrilled that I was willing to join Facebook, and they loved that I used it to find out and celebrate their birthdays, for instance, as they came up during the semester

The author concludes with a list of suggestions for possible ways to use social networking systems for libraries:

* Investigate some library MySpace profiles and create one for your library. Follow the lead of HCPL and PLCMC and create an extension of your library in users' space.

* Create a Facebook page for yourself. Add as much personal information as you'd like. Find colleagues to "friend." Try some of the applications and features. Then, follow the advice of librarians like Brian Mathews and engage your users in a conversation.

* Create a Ning social network for your library staff (or department, branch, agency, etc) and explore the features of a do-it-yourself SNS. Create groups for your library teams. Manage projects and communication channels for library-wide initiatives.

* Create a Ning site for your library users, such as a readers' community, homework or coursework help site, or technology support clearinghouse. Promote it. Invite participation.

These suggestions are quite ambitious, and intended perhaps, more for university and public libraries. A lot of the features of the virtual libraries we explored a few weeks ago are more likely to be useful in the elementary or high school school setting, but the idea of going where the users go is sound. Facebook has only been in existence since 2004. As with any other evolving use of technology, things are bound to change!

I came across tassl.com an application that uses Facebook to keep detailed track of your classes at university, connects you with other members of your classes, and includes contact with your instructors. This makes sense to me since a new university student could feel isolated. Lots of profs are using Facebook at the college level and are delighted with their ability to connect with individual students. At the High School level, use of social network sites is usually blocked--though students are very adept at finding ways to get around this hurdle. In High School, I think that an academic focus while using school computers is most appropriate. Social networking so far, needs to happen from home, with parental interest and monitoring.