Social Media-Social Networking sites

 

 

A social networking service (SNS) is an online vehicle for creating relationships with other people who share an interest, background. Social networking service users create a profile with personal information and photos and form connections with other profiles.

These users then use their connections to grow relationships through sharing, emailing, instant messaging, and commenting. Social networking services may also be referred to as a "social networking site" or simply "social media."

·         A social networking service (SNS) is an online vehicle for creating relationships with other people.

·         Social networking services are more commonly referred to as "social networking sites" or "social media."

·         Social networking services business models are based on online advertising.

Successful specialized Social networking services include YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok.  Facebook alone have over 2.91 billion users worldwide.

Social Networking Service Characteristics

While social networking services may take many forms, and has several characteristics

Some characteristics include:

·         User-generated content, such as photos, videos, and posts that inform other users about the activities and interests of the poster.

·         The ability to connect individuals from all over the world, though some platforms recommend that individuals know one another in real life before connecting online.

·         They are free. Their business model is based on breadth of membership, therefore charging for use would be counterproductive. Still, the possibility remains that if a network grew large and useful enough, charging a fee may be possible.

·         They connect people with common histories, such as school attendance, work colleagues, or people who share a common interest.

·         They may help forge and develop relationships between people who share a profession or business network.

·         They may be used to help individuals find information, products, services, or resources that are relevant to them.

 

Social media dramatically change the media landscape of the 21st century and consequently the way people communicate with each other, bringing a new way to conceptualize public opinion.

 

 

What Is Social Media?

The term social media refers to a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through virtual networks and communities. Social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content, such as personal information, documents, videos, and photos. Users engage with social media via a computer, tablet, or smartphone via web-based software or applications. More than 4.5 billion people use social media, as of October 2021.

 Social media is an ever-changing and ever-evolving field, with new apps such as TikTok and Clubhouse coming out seemingly every year, joining the ranks of established social networks like Blog, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

All social media involve some sort of digital platform, whether that be mobile or stationary. Social media allow some form of participation.

BLOG 

A blog is a website where someone regularly records their thoughts or experiences or talks about a subject. In the early 2000s, blogging emerged in a variety of forms when several political blogs were born. Today, there are more than 570 million blogs on the web. 

 

A blog, a shortened version of “weblog” is an online journal or informational website displaying information in reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first, at the top. It is a platform where a writer or a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.

What is the purpose of a blog?

There are many reasons to start a blog ; the main purpose of a blog is to connect you to the relevant audience.  

Blog structure

The appearance of blogs has changed over time, and these days blogs include a wide variety of items and widgets. However, most blogs still include some standard features and structures.

Here are common features that a typical blog will include:

·       Header with the menu or navigation bar.

·       Main content area with highlighted or latest blog posts.

·       Sidebar with social profiles, favorite content, or call-to-action.

·       Footer with relevant links like a disclaimer, privacy policy, contact page, etc.

 

Blogs need frequent updates.

Blogs also promote reader engagement.

Readers have a chance to comment and voice their different concerns and thoughts to the community.

Blog owners update their site with new blog posts on a regular basis.

Definition of a blogger: A blogger is someone who runs and controls a blog. He or she shares his or her opinion and knowledge on different topics for a target audience.  A blogger is someone who writes regularly for an online journal or website.

 

 A political blogger might provide weekly commentary on current events.  A personal blogger keeps a website which may include diary-like entries, photographs, and links to other sites. Such a blog is a record of how the blogger spends her days — vacations, weekend outings, books and movies she's watched, and so on. Fashion bloggers might take photos of outfits or link to shopping sites, and pop culture bloggers might recap last night's TV shows. Blogger comes from blog, first used in 1998 as shorthand for weblog.

 

Social media allows you to do at least four important things: 

·       Discover new ideas and trends.

·       Connect with existing and new audiences in deeper ways

·       Bring attention and traffic to your work.

·       Build, craft and enhance your brand.  

 

FACEBOOK

Facebook is a social networking website launched in February 2004

Facebook, with more than two billion users worldwide, is the most powerful and influential of the social networks. It is a great way to connect with family, friends and friends of friends. It remains mainly a personal network for most people, but it is useful for business and professional outreach as well. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and others when he was a student at Harvard; though when the site was initially launched, it was restricted to Harvard students only. Later the privilege was extended to high school students and later to everyone that is 13 years or older (Boyd, 2007). As of July 2010.  Facebook was ranked as the most used social

network worldwide.

YouTube

 YouTube provides   forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and 

acts as a major distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers, large and small.

YouTube is based in San Bruno, California and uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. In November 2006, within a year of its launch, YouTube was purchased by Google Inc. in one of the most talked-about acquisitions to date.

 

YouTube has entered into a number of partnership relations with content providers such as CBS, BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, NBA, The Sundance Channel and many others (YouTube, 2005). YouTube offered the public a beta site of the site in May 2005, six months before the official launch in November 2005. The site grew rapidly, and in July 2006, the company announced that more than 65,000 new videos were being uploaded every day, and that the site was receiving 100 million video views per day (YouTube, 2005).

 

TWITTER

Twitter gained a lot of popularity first because it offered more different options such

as micro blogging and secondly because it was used by some celebrities. Twitter is a free social networking microblogging service that allows registered members to broadcast short posts called tweets. Twitter members can broadcast tweets and follow other users' tweets by using multiple platforms and devices. Tweets and replies to tweets can be sent by cell phone text message, desktop client or by posting at the Twitter.com website

 

 

Tweets, which may include hyperlinks, are limited to 140 characters, due to the constraints of Twitter's Short Message Service (SMS) delivery system. Because tweets can be delivered to followers in real time, they might seem like instant messages to the novice user.

 

 GOOGLE BUZZ

Google buzz is a social networking and messaging tool that integrates a web-based email program which will work through the popular Gmail service, will allow users to post status updates, photos and links to members of their network, as well as pull in their activity on other sites like Twitter or Facebook .