Social Networks

Pros & Cons

Presented by Sadie Hébert
February 19th, 2009
 The Web is Evolving

The Internet is made of numerous networks and

protocols
 One part of the Internet is the World Wide Web

The Web is still a young technology

 The very first website was published on August 6, 1991

(I remember this because my daughter was also born that

day)

The Social Web (XDI) is a new proposal that may

replace the Web as we know it
 Social Networks 101

What is an online social network?

 Websites with profiles, buddy lists, blogs, photos, video, groups,

connections, communication, etc.

 It’s all about sharing and connecting

 Also called social network services or SNS

 Website Examples

Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Flickr
Various other sites begin with “tw” or end in “r”
And many, many more…
 Love it or hate it, they’re here to stay...

Social network services have become an important

part of modern culture

MySpace.com and Facebook.com are among the most

heavily visited websites in the United States.

Social aspects are now appearing everywhere – some

are hidden in the coding

Many jobs now require familiarity with SNS

 What will it do for me?

Cheap advertising for businesses

Exposure for musicians

Fast way to distribute information to many people

Fun and recreation

Way to keep in touch with others

 Caveats

Time consuming
 I really don’t want to read about someone giving their dog a bath
 Information overload – like getting lost in Wikipedia land

Privacy, security, and misrepresentation

 Too much personal info online
 Risk of identity theft
 Party in England
 Megan Meier suicide
 Many cases of sexual assault

Getting “dooced”
 Your boss may be reading
 What Can I do?
 Set your profile to private
 Nobody really has 753,564 friends
 Doesn’t apply to businesses and self-promotion

 Don’t post confidential or personal information

 Don’t assume that your data is private or secure

 There is always going to be a copy saved somewhere in cyberspace…could be a long lost
backup tucked away in storage…but it is there
 Don’t post anything that you wouldn’t want your grandma to read
 No ranting about your workplace or coworkers

 Don’t visit SNS sites at work unless you’re allowed to do so

 Remove your information from online directories

 http://websearch.about.com/od/peoplesearch/tp/free-people-search-engines.htm
 Want to learn more?

This presentation and more

will be posted on my blog at
webdevology.com

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