From the monthly archives: January 2008

addendum to social networking defined

on January 31, 2008 · No Comments

Following an AM conversation with my husband, it was brought to my attention that the difference between “networks” and “networking” wasn’t clarified in my previous post and it is a difference worth noting. “Network(s)” (i.e. social networks) refer to ones own immediate social group. A network of people who are not strangers, but known individuals [...]

Following an AM conversation with my husband, it was brought to my attention that the difference between “networks” and “networking” wasn’t clarified in my previous post and it is a difference worth noting.

“Network(s)” (i.e. social networks) refer to ones own immediate social group. A network of people who are not strangers, but known individuals brought together via a collective purpose – a cause, organization or some other form of relation. “Networking” (i.e. social networking) is much more reflective of interactions and relationships with unknown individuals. As danah boyd mentioned that this can be inclusive of dating sites, chat rooms, bulletin boards, etc.

 

internet problems plague free computer program

on January 30, 2008 · No Comments

Cambridge – A city program focused on giving wireless Internet access to low-income residents is leaving the tenants of one public housing complex feeling disconnected (read more).

Cambridge – A city program focused on giving wireless Internet access to low-income residents is leaving the tenants of one public housing complex feeling disconnected (read more).

 

social networking defined

on January 30, 2008 · No Comments

Excerpt from danah boyd‘s post: “let’s define our terms: what is ‘social networking technology’?” In writing Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship, Nicole Ellison and I wrote many iterations of the definition of the term “social network sites” and why we chose to use this instead of “social networking sites.” For a good 20 [...]

Excerpt from danah boyd‘s post:
“let’s define our terms: what is ‘social networking technology’?”

In writing Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship, Nicole Ellison and I wrote many iterations of the definition of the term “social network sites” and why we chose to use this instead of “social networking sites.” For a good 20 versions, we had included this statement:

“Because the term ‘networking’ emphasizes relationship initiation, often with strangers, it can and has been expanded to refer to any site that allows people to communicate with people that they do not know, including dating sites, chatrooms, community sites, and bulletin boards.

danah’s definition is a great reminder of the basic foundation that social networks are built upon – relationships. I’ve been gone most of the month due to an exhaustive and humbling job hunt, which led me to many interesting conversations regarding social media in its many incarnations. The most exhilarating and recent discuss simply revolved around how to define social networking to an audience of individuals unfamiliar with its purpose and unable to define it free from the associated technological clutter.

Furthermore, danah’s definition articulates everything that I am unable to convey, but I am also a rather visual person – and have found that a visual reference point has been useful when trying to define something that has so many opinionated definitions. What I’ve come to is that social networks are wonderfully analogues with Tinker Toys.

You know those wooden toys that consist of primarily wooden circles and sticks that enable you to build interconnected spokes thus resulting in one large web of spokes that overlap and interact. Sound familiar? It’s a somewhat elementary depiction, but it does offer a visual reference point that highlights the nuts and bolts. A skeleton of sorts. Its strips away the glitz, glamor and applications that dilute the heart and soul of its purpose. Plus it’s enables me to explain social networking to both my nephew (4) and my mother (47) all in the same sitting.

 

politics, web 2.0 and barack obama

on January 9, 2008 · No Comments

It’s a new year and while I continue to be drawn to the realm of web 2.0 I have a new addiction – the ’08 election. The race is far from over – as it’s only just beginning – and despite ones political aspirations the candidates, their platforms and the overall race itself is fascinating [...]

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It’s a new year and while I continue to be drawn to the realm of web 2.0 I have a new addiction – the ’08 election.

The race is far from over – as it’s only just beginning – and despite ones political aspirations the candidates, their platforms and the overall race itself is fascinating to say the least. But what perhaps is the most interesting piece of it all is that there is not necessarily a disconnect between the election (particularly the “Obama Phenomenon”) and web 2.0, but rather a metaphorically speaking correlation.

An article I read this morning entitled, The Culture Root for Web 2.0 and Barrack Obama (@ Web 2.0 Journal), looks at this very issue.

On the other side, if you take a look at Web 2.0, doesn’t the Obama story remind us of something? Ajax came out from nowhere and took the developer world like a wildfire. Rich Internet Application (RIA) is becoming the de facto way of writing applications within just a couple of years, defying the existing establishments that have dominated the world of programming for decades. FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. and the other many Web 2.0 startups, typically started by some young inexperienced kids that nobody has heard of, suddenly became the center of our digital life. Time magazine’s “Person of 2006” is “You”. This “web 2.0” phenomenon is also taking our world by storm.

Likewise, similar questions can be asked: What is the reason for this “Web 2.0” phenomenon? Why now?

This particular race is worth staying on top of for so many reasons including the many implications based on who is elected, but it’s with an added twist – the integration of social media and the simple increased power of the web. The role the web has played has been instrumental and will continue to be so as the ’08 election plays out. It is safe to say that the rules of engagement are changing and politics (if not life) will never be the same.

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