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Monday, February 28, 2011

Social Networking / Social Media (Virtual Communities)


This is something we see on most websites. It allows us follow the group, company, team or person on social networking sites such as facebook, flickr, linkedin, twitter, Rss and many more.

There are many social media tools companies can use to interact with there customers and exchange information. Businesses are increasingly using these social networking tools because they are low in cost and allow the company to communicate easily.

The majority of generation Y have a social networking site, which I feel is a great thing as it allows our generation to communicate at the touch of a bottom. However with every positive there must be a negative. As with anything involving the Internet there are dangers to consider with social networking. For starters, it creates a place for online predators to gather information. This is a concern especially with myspace or facebook considering the number of teenagers who carelessly list personal information such as their full name, town, school, and post pictures of their houses or car.

Take a look at the video below to see how much the Social media has become a fad and revolutionised the world today.





A virtual community is a gathering place for people and businesses that do not have a physical existence. Web sites such as secondlife, kaneva and gaiaonline offer a virtual world/community that allow users to create a character of themselves known as an "avatar." Once created, they roam through this online world and interact with other avatars. The avatars represent other people sitting at their computers doing the same thing. Avatars allow people to be whomever they want. Men can become women and vice versa. Older adults can build their avatar to be 17 years old. Basically in a virtual world anything goes and no one can prove otherwise. This just like social networking can be dangerous as people may discise themselves as someone there not and plan to meet up offline. This in my opinion isn't very safe. I personally have no interest in virtual communities for this reason.
In conclusion I believe social networking / media are playing a massive role in the world today. They are gapping the hole in communication between people in far away countries. An example of this is my friends I made in the USA on work placement. Without the technology and social media I would not be able to stay in contact with all of these wonderful people. Another example of this will be the communication between my fellow international class mates who will travel home after there studies and I most certainally will want to stay in contact with all of them.

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