INF506- Introduction

Well the modules are online so it looks as if the semester has now started.

Introduction

According to my notes there are a few definitions that I should refer to for the sake of continuity throughout the course. They are:

Social networks in a Web 2.0 world are “designed to allow multiple users to publish content themselves… The published information may be on any subject and may be for consumption by a select number of friends, employers, employees, etc., or for general consumption by anyone on the Web…. Social networks include commercially published content or editorial content, or may be entirely user driven. Content is text, images, video or any other media. (p.2-1) 

Social networking sites are websites “primarily designed to facilitate interaction between users who share interests, attitudes and activities, such as Facebook and MySpace”, and “typically allow users to create ... ‘profile[s]’ describing themselves and to exchange public or private messages and list users or groups they are connected to in some way.” (p.2-2) 

Social media sites refer to websites “that allow individuals to share content they have created, such as YouTube (video sharing) and Flickr (photo sharing). While interaction occurs on social media sites, the primary purpose of the site is to publish and share content.” (p.2-2) 

Social software refers to “software that supports the ability to collaborate online” (also known as collaborative software) (p.B-12) 

Social computing refers to “The use of social software.” (p.B-12)

These definitions were taken from the OCLC report, Sharing, Privacy and Trust in our networked world: A Report to the OCLC Membership. (2007).

I may need to rework my definition of social networking that I submitted for the first assessment item of the subject.