Social networking sites have exploded all over the internet in the last few years. No doubt, you’ve heard someone talk about MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, or Twitter. These are just a few of the buzzwords out there that are names of more popular social networks. There are millions of Internet users who are looking to meet other Internet users who share the same interests, hobbies, or common goals. A social networking website can help connect these Internet users with others to build an online community.
Anyone can start a social network. Traditional social networks might allow anyone to become a member, thereby allowing people inside the online community to develop their own network of friends around common interests. Interaction within this larger community provides cultural diversity that might not happen within the scope of our limited “real world,” day-to-day networks.
Watch this video to see how social networks are developed in the "virtual" world.
The first site to gain mass attention was MySpace, which revolutionized the ways people in online environments form and maintain relationships. MySpace was created by college students as a place to share interests around music. It was quickly used by millions young people, often as a way to explore online identities.
Facebook is another of the most popular social networking sites that especially gained a lot of popularity when they opened their network up to everyone. Originally, this site was developed only for people connected to a college or university. Since opening up the site to everyone in Sept. 2006, the number of users has grown. Facebook has more than 500 million registered users. Facebook as a social networking tool helps facilitate the sharing of information through a user’s real world social network. Also, many people use Facebook to reconnect to old pals who are now spread across globe.
Recent data from Nielson Online indicates that by the end of 2008 social networking had overtaken use of email in terms of worldwide reach. According to the study, almost 67% of Internet users around the globe accessed “member communities” last year compared to 65% for email use. The study explored a number of other trends within social networking space. Reportedly, in 2008 users spent 63% more time on member communities than they did in the previous year. One such community, Facebook, saw growth of 566% in time spent on it by users worldwide, with the older users being the fastest growing demographic group – adding 12.4 million people between ages 35-49 in 2008.
Educause.edu, a non-profit organization promoting intelligent use of technology in higher education, published a series of PDF documents touting "7 Things" about various emerging technologies. For more on the positive aspects of Facebook, skim this document, "7 Things You Should Know About Facebook."
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To complete Thing 13 you must:
A. Register for an account at FaceBook , TakingItGlobal Ed, or LinkedIn
B. Create/update a profile, look at the privacy settings, and search for friends, family members, colleagues or collaboration opportunities
C.Take a look at Twitter as a teacher resource
D. Explore the dangers of social networking
E. Reflect on Thing 13 in your blog
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A. Register for an account at FaceBook , TakingItGlobal Ed, or LinkedIn
Facebook introduced some innovated concepts in the past year, opening up their code to developers to create applications. (Think how Microsoft Word is an application that runs on a Windows operating system or platform. Facebook is the platform.)
Wary that social networking might not be for you? Consider joining one of these networks:
TakingItGlobal (TIG) is an online community dedicated to youth exploring global issues and creating postitive change. Educators can join TIGed, which is the portion of TIG comprised of over 3,000 educators who want to connect to a global community of educators and provide their students access to online learning activities and learning resources.
LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals. Think of this site as a way of networking with business contacts, colleagues and former clients.
Another group of educators recently networked through an online book study using a network created in Ning to facilitate discussion, share photos, video content, and teaching ideas.
B. Create/update a profile, take a look at the privacy settings,
and search for friends, family members, colleagues or collaboration opportunities
It is always important to know about the tools you are using, especially when you are building a web presence. Take a few minutes to read the through some of the documentation linked below to learn as much as you can about developing a positive profile for yourself on the web. Then return to your account and check your privacy settings.
- Facebook Site Tour: Learn about the site, how to set up a profile and security features
- 12 Ways to use Facebook Professionally
- Safety and Privacy on TIG and How Privacy is Protected on TIG (FAQs)
- About LinkedIn
Once you've set up the profile you want the world to see, conduct a search for friends, family members, colleagues or collaboration opportunities and begin your network.
C. Take a look at Twitter as a teacher resource.
Imagine being connected througout the day through short messages to all of your network without having to contact each person individually. Twitter is an online service where each user has a webpage that is updated through posts of 140 characters or less, the size of a small text message, called "tweets." Some call this "microblogging."
Watch this video to see how Twitter works.
If you have trouble playing the video clip above, click here to play it directly from the Common Craft site.
Nationally known educator and educational technology consultant, Tony Vincent, recently posted this informative article to his blog at Arizona K-12 Center, "10 Things Teachers Should Know to Get Started with Twitter." Read to learn more about how educators might use this trendy platform as a learning resource. Then, it's your call, "to tweet, or not to tweet!"
D. Explore the Dangers of Social Networking
Read one or more of these articles:
- "Predators on Social Networks"
- "I Tube, We Tube...they all scream for You Tube!" (Parry Aftab, WiredSafety.org)
- "Know the Rules...Internet Safety Quiz for Adults" (from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - http://www.missingkids.com/ )
- "Seven Things You Should Know About My Space" (Doug Johnson)
For educators: Netsmartz.org has a number of real-life video scenarios for classroom use. Follow-up resources and activity cards for various grade levels are also available to use with students after viewing the videos. Select one of these video scenarios at http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm and preview it. Take a look at the follow-up activities and resources and think about how you might use these with your students.
E. Reflect on Thing 13 on your blog.
What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools?
Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
Deedy, Maura. "#21 Social Networking." Weblog post. Learning 2.0 @ New Canaan Library. 17 May 2009. 28 May 2009 http://newcanaanlearning.blogspot.com/2009/05/21-social-networking.html.
Ostrow, Adam. "Social Networking More Popular Than Email." Mashable:The Social Media Guide. 09 Mar. 2009. Mashable. 28 May 2009 http://mashable.com/
