Social+Networking

=
Social networking includes blogging, file sharing , chat rooms , messaging and wikis. Social networking is a very good means of connecting people around the world with common interests. However, there are also many drawbacks to social networking.=====

Blogging is the action of writing a blog. A blog is Short for Web log, a blog is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

File sharing is the public or private sharing of computer data or space in a network with various levels of access privilege. While files can easily be shared outside a network (for example, simply by handing or mailing someone your file on a diskette), the term file sharing almost always means sharing files in a network, even if in a small local area network. File sharing allows a number of people to use the same file or file by some combination of being able to read or view it, write to or modify it, copy it, or print it.

A chat room is a virtual room where a chat session takes place. Technically, a chat room is really a channel, but the term room is used to promote the chat metaphor.

Messaging is a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication.

A wiki is a collaborative web site comprising the perpetual collective work of many authors. Similar to a blog in structure and logic, a wiki allows anyone to edit, delete or modify content that has been placed on the Web site using a browser interface, including the work of previous authors.

> Definitely, it's cheaper to use online social networking for both personal and business use because most of it is usually free. While personal use is rather simple for anyone, the business functions are underestimated by many. In a social networking site, you can scout out potential customers and target markets with just a few clicks and keystrokes, adding a boost to your usual advertisements and promotional strategies. It lets you learn about their likes and dislikes, which is tremendous. If you want to fine tune your business, then this is the way to go, whether on a budget or not. > You definitely can gain the customers' confidence if you can connect to them on both a personal and professional level. Despite having to do a bit of work, it definitely pays off as you can be tapped for an offer if someone catches wind of your products or services. As long as you don't pursue them too aggressively, you will do well here. > You are friends with people who have other friends, and so on. There is potential in such a common situation. By using a social networking site, you can do what you can and get connected with these people to form a web of connections that can give you leverage if you play your cards right. As long as you give as well as you receive, then they will most likely stick with you. These connections are definitely valuable in the long run. || * Lack of Anonymity > You are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know. Most people would say be careful, but no one can be certain at any given time. As long as people can know who you exactly are, then some can find ways to do you in. > There is a potential for failure of security in both personal and business context. While many sites apply certain measures to keep any of these cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolute minimum, you still may never know. > If this is not your kind of thing, that it would just be a waste of time for you. The key to social networking is that it is supposed to be fun, whether you are just doing it for kicks or clicking around for business purposes. That should be reasonable enough for anyone, but there are those people who don't see the point. For them, it can be a disadvantage.
 * == Advantages of Social Networking == || == Disadvantages of Social Networking == ||
 * * Low Costs
 * Builds Credibility
 * Connections
 * Scams and Harassment
 * Time Consuming
 * Security could be a real issue when using social networking sites because someone may easily access your account and steal information. Also, anyone can view any information you put up on the internet, therefore, they may be able to find your address and this could be threatening to your safety.
 * Authenticity could be an issue because you never know who's behind the computer screen. It could be life threatening if you start chatting with a person you don't know.
 * Cyber bullying may take place between teenagers which could have serious consequences on a person's confidence.
 * Abuse of a person's personal information or photos. ||

media type="custom" key="7349047" align="center" width="127" height="127"

Here are some articles related to social networking:
[|What is Social Networking?] [|Social Networking to Save at Risk Students] [|Issues with Teens and Social Networking] [|Social Networking Tradegies] [|Teens and Social Networking] [|Social Networking Bullying]

media type="custom" key="7594931" align="center"

Here is an example of a blog:
[] []

[]
[]

There is a very wide variety of of social networking sites. The most popular are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and much much more. Social Networking sites serve to connect people around the world who share the same interests and hobbies, or just to connect long lost friends. Social networking has been very beneficial to businesses as well because they use social networking as a way of advertising and marketing. media type="youtube" key="X7gWEgHeXcA?fs=1" height="385" width="480" align="center"

media type="youtube" key="EjPTj9MLRwM?fs=1" height="385" width="640" align="center"

Key words:
 * Blogging
 * File sharing
 * Chat rooms
 * Messaging (IM)
 * Wiki
 * Cyber bullying
 * Social networking