INFO

Social Networks are one of the main ways that young adults communicate with each other -- 55% of all teenagers use social networking sites, and use of these sites has even surpassed landline telephones for a certain percentage of teenagers according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project ( PIP_Teens_Social_Media_Final.pdf).

It is worth noting that these networks incorporate many of the tools we are exploring in other Things -- blogging, photo and video sharing, internal email, message boards, and IM.  One-stop shopping is part of their appeal . . . one username, one password, all the info in one spot.

Another part of the appeal is the need to "belong to a group"  -- a milestone of adolescent development.  Young people create their own groups, "friend" people, and more . . . often without the watchful eye of a parent or other authority figure.  This is one of the reasons many teenagers like MySpace and Facebook.  Facebook began as a college-focused social network. (In fact, it originally required a .edu address to join.)  When it opened up to everyone, many Facebook users were not happy -- the exclusivity for young adults seemed lost.  However, many adults are discovering the appeal of social networking; you may be interested in reading 12 Ways to Use Facebook Professionally.  LinkedIn is a social network specifically for professionals.

Of course, the lack of the watchful eye is, to some parents, teachers, and librarians, the reason social networks are suspect and prone to abuse.  Many parents, schools, and organizations opt for blocking access to these sites.  Others look to education on internet safety, privacy, appropriate use of technology, and other issues as a way to allow use of these networks that are so important to teens and young adults.

MySpace and Facebook may grab the headlines in social networking, but there are many other social networks.  Social networks are online communities created around interests with people-to-people recommendations and communication.  These specialized social networks allow like-minded users to find and interact with one another, whether around crafts or cars or any other shared interest.  Some examples are Classroom 2.0 Ning, Teacher Librarian Ning, Minnesota Life, Bake Space, Film Crave, Shelfari, and Fuzzster.

DO

• Watch this Common Craft video about Social Networking:

• Join Facebook.  Facebook is for an older crowd than MySpace, it is growing more quickly, and it is more secure since you are not able to see a user's profile until that person has accepted a friend request.   You can either dive right in or watch this tutorial.  There is more to Facebook than meets the eye, so take some time to explore what you can do.  (Optional: You may want to join MySpace, too, for a well-rounded experience of what teenagers are using.)

• Join another social network with a more specific target audience.  Maybe you want to join one of the networks mentioned above (Classroom 2.0 Ning, Teacher Librarian Ning, Minnesota Life, Bake Space, Film Crave, Shelfari, and Fuzzster) or maybe you want to find your own by googling "social network" and a keyword such as "kayaking," "cars," "teachers," or whatever.  If you can't find a group that fits you . . .

• Use Ning. With Ning you can "create your own social network for anything."  Really.  For anything.  And really fast.  Go to ning.com and type in a name for your social network and pick a web address. (For example: Porch Sitters and porchsitters.ning.com).  Click Create.  Continue to follow the directions; it is really easy.

• Or use Ning to find a social network (if you are not ready to create your own).  Go to ning.com and either browse Popular Social Networks or click on the gray box that say Search Popular Networks and type in keywords such as "23 Things."

• Read Social Networking in the Classroom: Learning by Stealth
  

BLOG

• Before MILI, did you belong to any social networks?  Which ones?  What has been your experience as part of that network?

• How's Facebook?  MySpace?  Other social networks you joined?

• Did you have any trouble finding a social network that fit your interests?  Does online social networking appeal to you personally?  Why or why not?

• Is online social networking used in your professional sphere in some way?  If so, how?  If not, can you think of a way using an online social networking site might be beneficial to your educational community, whether with colleagues or students?

• If you set up a social network using Ning, how did it go?