The 5 Characteristics of Social Networks

Hi Sam!!!

What’s up

Lisa?

User Based Users submit and

organize information Direction of content

can be determined by any user – no one person dictates the current topic

Freeform/unstructured

Interactive Not just a collection of

chat rooms and forums

Users can play games, take fun quizzes, share photos and ideas with friends

A way to connect and have fun with friends

Community Driven Members hold common

beliefs or interests Can make new friends with

people who say they share your interests or beliefs USE CAUTION

Can reconnect with old friends

Relationships Social networks are driven

by the number of relationships between its members

With no control on your settings, information will be dispersed to your friends, their friends, and so on…

Emotional Content In the past, web

content was primarily information

Social networks allow people to communicate needs within a community of friends and receive immediate responses

References

The 5 core characteristics of social networks were described in a 2007 research study by researchers at Rice University, the University of Maryland, and Max Planck Institute for Software Systems .

The characteristics are outlined at

http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Characteristics_of_Social_Networks