No.+12+-+Explore+Social+Networking

=No. 12 - Explore Social Networking=



You've heard of social networking sites such as [|MySpace] and [|Facebook]. In this Thing, we will explore these two sites as well as another site that is gaining in popularity, [|Ning].

According to the [|Wikipedia] article on MySpace, it is "currently the world's **sixth** most popular English-language website and the sixth most popular website in any language, and the third most popular website in the United States... The service has gradually gained more popularity than similar websites to achieve nearly 80 percent of visits to online social networking websites. It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary [|popular culture], especially in English speaking countries.

Facebook is another popular social networking site. Launched in 2004, it was originally intended as a network for students at Harvard College. The site quickly expanded to other Ivy League schools, thn other universities. In 2006, the site was opened up for anyone over 13 to join. According to [|Alexa], a website that monitors web traffic, Facebook increased in popularity from September 2006 to September 2007, moving from 60th to 7 (right behind MySpace).

[|Ning] is a social networking site with a different focus. With Ning, you can set up your own social network based on your particular interest or join one that someone else has already created. There are several educator networks from which to choose. To learn more about Ning, check out one of the librarian or school related groups below.

Discovery Resources
[|What Is MySpace?] from about.com [|Create a MySpace Profile] from about.com YouTube tutorial - [|How to Set Up a MySpace Profile]

[|About Facebook] [|How to Use Facebook] video series from ExpertVillage.com

[|Video demo of Ning] by its CEO Gina Bianchini School related groups on Ning: [|Classroom 2.0], [|Teacher-Librarian Ning], [|Texas School Librarians], [|Teachers 2.0]

Discovery Exercises
1. Set up an account on MySpace or Facebook and post the link to your profile in your blog. 2. Search for libraries, authors, or people you know and add them to your friends list. 3. Join a Ning network and look around a bit. 4. Write a blog post about your experience that addresses these questions. Why is it important that educators know how social networking works? What new insights did you gain about these popular sites? What did you like or dislike about each of the sites you explored? Which site had the most useful features? Can you see a library or school application for any of these sites?

You're more than half-way through! Still having fun?? I hope so! Leave us a comment and let us know how you're doing so far...