Social Networking - April 13 Assignment

A social networking service is an online service or site that focuses on building a network among people who share similar interests, activities, backgrounds or real life connections.   Social networking has become an essential way for people to connect with family, friends, and others with whom they share common interests.   Social networking sites are not only for people to connect with their community of friends, they are also used for business applications.  Facebook offers businesses an opportunity to market their products using Facebook Pages which functions differently than the social component of Facebook. LinkedIn is a social network that is used extensively by business people to connect with and build business connections.  Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, and events within their individual networks.   

When engaging in social networking activities, each user sets up a profile that reveals information about themselves and their interests.   Facebook and similar social networking sites like MySpace allow for pictures to be posted.    

To effectively use social networking sites for business applications it’s important to manage your network of friends and connections.  It’s best to establish connections with people you know or with people who share your professional interests.  Identifying these people is particularly useful in seeking out conversations and connections of interest to you. One way to start is to actively follow content that is relevant to your career or personal life.  Following blogs is a great way to accomplish this.  Bloggers usually have a social networking presence as well so you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.   You could also write a blog yourself and gain your own network of followers!  In many cases, social networking sites are used to drive the individual to your website or blog.  

Twitter can be a very useful tool as well.   A good way to find people and join a conversation is to search for keywords related to the topics in which you are interested. For example, if you work in social media, the best place to start is with the keyword "social media".  This requires some trial and error to see which keywords get you the results you want. You can also reply to people’s tweets and give your feedback or comments.

LinkedIn groups are good for career-related discussions.  Members share articles and start online conversations with each other. Do a quick group search on LinkedIn, and you will likely find a long list of groups within your field.  If the group is open (vs. invite-only), take a look at the discussions and members to get a feel for the content and makeup of the group and see if it’s a group that you would like to join.

Social networking provides a powerful tool for communicating and gaining access to individuals in your area of interest.  Used effectively, social networking can be a powerful tool in your professional arsenal.