Web 2.0, Social Networking and Social Bookmarking

Syndication and Social Networking

Social networking is at the heart of many of the services and sites on the Internet these days.  This is now one of the most dominant methods of social networking in virtual communities, perhaps for the reason that it gives the user control rather than being computer controlled.  This essentially opens up the entire world of online content for easy aggregation into the existing social networking functionality, so that users can create a profile and personal network of friends whilst taking advantage of all of their favorite online tools and services.  Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals.  While social networking sites can increase a person's circle offriends, they also can increase exposure to people with less thanfriendly intentions.  Some social networking sites restrict who can use their siteWhile most social networking sites do not discriminate, and allow anybody to log on, a few sites have cropped up with a very particular sort of user in mind.  While social networking has gone on almost as long as societies themselves have existed, the unparalleled potential of the Internet to promote such connections is only now being fully recognized and exploited, through Web-based groups established for that purpose.  A number of social networking sites are utilizing mobile devices to keep their members connected to one another when they're away from their computers.  Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have seen tremendous growth over the past two years, attracting a young and engaged audience.  Commercial social networking sites thrive ?on a sense of immediacy and community.  Social networking is the business of engaging and interacting with other internet users in a communal online space.  Solutions to protecting privacy in online social networking sites can be approached in three different ways ? social solutions, technical solutions, and legal solutions.  Social networking sites create a central repository of personal information.  If social networking sites are a way to bring the masses together, advertisers are begging for a way to prune those masses into smaller, easier targets.  Social network aggregators is a relatively new breed of applications which try to consolidate all your various social networking profiles into one, with varying success.  Create a profile with your personal information, clippings from the web and your personal social networking lifestream.

Facebook

Facebook Platform has opened up this already hugely popular online destination to third-party developers, and the results are nothing short of breathtaking.  Facebook’s strategy is almost the polar opposite from MySpace.  Facebook enables you to upload as many pictures as you want and it also allows you to tag your photos.  MySpace, for example, builds on independent music and party scenes, and Facebook was originally designed to mirror a college community, though it has since expanded its scope to include high school, job-related, and regional networks.  Online social networking services have been around for some time now, with MySpace, Bebo and Facebook leading the pack.  Not only do developers get deep access to Facebook’s twenty million users, Facebook also becomes a rich platform for third party applications.  To my mind, this shift to a daring, open approach to third-party developers has been key to expanding Facebook to the next level.  ''I totally grok why Facebook is quickly becoming the most important social network and presence updater on the Web.  To a large extent, then, the applications you choose to integrate into your personal Facebook will largely be a matter of taste.  People are more likely to provide real pictures, names and information on their Facebook profile than other networks.  The application of social networks like MySpace and Facebook in a business context has been an issue of late.