Speaking by the language of today, Social Media concept combines advanced web technologies with the meaning of both words "social" and "media". Being social is to be connected to some kind of society (either virtually or in reality). Media is the means of communication which is,popularly, the Web nowadays. Going formal, I found two proper definitions of social media:
Social media definition by Ron Jones
"It is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Most social media services encourage discussion, feedback, voting, comments, and sharing of information from all interested parties."
Social media definition by WebProNews Staff
"It describes the online tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and media itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of people."
The above definitions indicate how social media stormed our life in a friendly and most welcomed manner since we started using it as a replacement for the traditional media like T.V. So we can be updated with what's going on all over the world by social news sites, like Mashable, that allow people read about news and articles and vote/comment on them. Photos and videos for special moments and memories can be shared using social sharing sites, like Picasa and YouTube, so people create, upload, and share videos or photos with others. Most of our interactions and activities take place when we use social networking sites (SNS), like Facebook, that allow you to get connected to other people so you can keep up to date with their contact info, interests, posts, as well as share news and knowledge with them. Also social media enabled us to to save our bookmarks online and access them from anywhere or share them with others through sites like delicious.
Going specific to Social networks, let's have a look on the dates when the most popular SNSs started:
Social media definition by Ron Jones
"It is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Most social media services encourage discussion, feedback, voting, comments, and sharing of information from all interested parties."
Social media definition by WebProNews Staff
"It describes the online tools that people use to share content, profiles, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and media itself, thus facilitating conversations and interaction online between groups of people."
The above definitions indicate how social media stormed our life in a friendly and most welcomed manner since we started using it as a replacement for the traditional media like T.V. So we can be updated with what's going on all over the world by social news sites, like Mashable, that allow people read about news and articles and vote/comment on them. Photos and videos for special moments and memories can be shared using social sharing sites, like Picasa and YouTube, so people create, upload, and share videos or photos with others. Most of our interactions and activities take place when we use social networking sites (SNS), like Facebook, that allow you to get connected to other people so you can keep up to date with their contact info, interests, posts, as well as share news and knowledge with them. Also social media enabled us to to save our bookmarks online and access them from anywhere or share them with others through sites like delicious.
Going specific to Social networks, let's have a look on the dates when the most popular SNSs started:
- 2002: Friendster
- 2003: Myspace and LinkedIn
- 2004: Facebook
- 2006: Twitter
- 2011: Google+
Facebook is the most buzzy social networking site as we became familiar with it, that's why it recorded the first rank according to eBizMBA rank in June 2012. With facebook, you enjoy:
Social Networking Sites take care of your children!!! any profiles for persons of age under 16 are automatically set to "private" so they cannot be found by a general search.
But Take Care !
Be careful from technology and virtual community or you will be in trouble :D . Virtual social networks might affect your personality, psychological manner, and even your entire life negatively. I mean when you get used to talk to people virtually, you might have some kind of inability to socialize in real. Also social networking sites might threaten your time, with BIG wasting activities, that you would spend it with another productive activities. Another concern, How do you know that the person you are talking to is your friend herself/himself???? Again, your personality can be confused and you will not be able to have real conversations. Face-to-face socializing disappears gradually as the virtual socializing increases which may result in "social isolation" so you don't spend much time with your family just because you are living in your virtual bubble :D . Negative effects on health can be brain disorder, attention deficit, and rewire brain with repeated exposure. Vulnerability to security attacks like hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses. A more problematic case, social networking sites do not scan messages for viruses :$ .
So enjoy but take care ;)
- Creating new relationships, reconnecting with family and old friends (studies indicate that Internet users have wider social network than non-Internet users).
- Text/video chatting with friends ;) .
- Sharing status, photos, or videos with your friends and get their feedback via (likes) or (comments).
- Issuing questionnaires with your friends about important matters.
- Creating groups for people of common interests to discuss ideas and discover new ideas as well.
- Storing photos in albums with customized privacy.
- Playing games and installing cool Apps.
- Publishing important events so your friends can attend it.
- Doing activities beyond entertainment like publishing Ads or starting your own business and creating a page for exhibiting your business products and services.
- Developing and publishing facebook Apps!
Social Networking Sites take care of your children!!! any profiles for persons of age under 16 are automatically set to "private" so they cannot be found by a general search.
But Take Care !
Be careful from technology and virtual community or you will be in trouble :D . Virtual social networks might affect your personality, psychological manner, and even your entire life negatively. I mean when you get used to talk to people virtually, you might have some kind of inability to socialize in real. Also social networking sites might threaten your time, with BIG wasting activities, that you would spend it with another productive activities. Another concern, How do you know that the person you are talking to is your friend herself/himself???? Again, your personality can be confused and you will not be able to have real conversations. Face-to-face socializing disappears gradually as the virtual socializing increases which may result in "social isolation" so you don't spend much time with your family just because you are living in your virtual bubble :D . Negative effects on health can be brain disorder, attention deficit, and rewire brain with repeated exposure. Vulnerability to security attacks like hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses. A more problematic case, social networking sites do not scan messages for viruses :$ .
So enjoy but take care ;)
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