Social Network

Social Network ing Defined A social networking service is any website or application that focuses on connecting its users. These connections are often based on shared interests, activities, or real - life relationships. Users are typically single individuals, though businesses, organizations, and public figures are often represented on social networks. According to a 2011 survey, 65 % of American adults 1 who are regularly online (and 47% of all American adults 2 Popular Social Network Services ) use social networking services . Facebook Launched in 2004, Facebook boasts over 1.1 bil members and consistently ranks among the world’s most visited websites 3 Facebook users connect with other individuals as “friends.” Facebook friends can chat, send private or public messages, and interact via games and applications. Users may also “like” or “recommend” businesses or organizations. . Common Facebook Terms 4 App Short for “application ,” apps extend the out - of - the - box Facebook experience. Users can install apps to play games, share media, or integrate with services outside of Facebook. Comment Users can leave comments ( short messages ) on almost every action within Facebook. Friend Facebook users you connect and share with. Group s User - created groups of people that share information and interact on Facebook. Like The ubiquitous gesture to indicate positive feedback on Facebook. News Feed The Facebook page that displays activity from a user’s social network. Page Businesses, brands, and public figures connect with Facebook users via pages. Users who like a page receive updates from that page in their news feed.

The most basic form of communication in Facebook ; a brief message, link, or media that syndicates across a user’s network.

Timeline The collection of status updates, photos, and other Facebook activity designed to collectively tell a user’s story. Users and page administrators choose what inf ormation to share on their timeline. Click a user name or page name to display their timeline.

Launched in 2006, Twitter is a microblogging and social networking service that allows users to “follow” each other. Users also send and receive “tweets , ” which are text messages up to 140 characters. Twitter boasts over 140 million active users who generate over 500 million tweets each day. 5 Businesses and brands search Twitter to gain insight into consumer sentiment and brand awareness, and many organizations use Twitter as an official communications marketing and/or service channel. As of June 2011, 13% of adults who are regularly online were Twitter users. Common Twitter Terms 6 @ The “@” symbol indicates a Twitter user. When a n “@” symbol precedes a username to begin a tweet, the tweet is treated as a Reply (see below). When the “@” symbol precedes a username in the body of a tweet, it is considered a Mention (see below). Bio The publicly viewable section of a Twitter user’s profile, currently limited to 160 characters. Direct Message Also known as a “DM” or a “message,” these tweets are shared only between the sender and the recipient. A user can only send a direct message to a follower. FF Short for “Follow Friday,” when Twitter users often list other users they’ve deemed worth following. Follow Twitter users “follow” each other to subscribe to their tweets or updates. #, Hashtag The “#” symbol indicates a hashtag, used to tag keywords in a tweet. When a “#” symbol precedes a word, Twitter turns the hashtag into a link that, when clicked, automatically retrieves similarly tagged tweets. Mention A ny twe et that contains a @username ; tracked independently on the Mentions Tab. Twitter a t a Glance Users: 140 m illion Web Rank: #8 Features: social networking, microblogging (called “ tweets ”)

Microblog Short - form content, typically only a few sentences in length. Reply, @Reply A tweet posted in reply to another user’s tweet, replies always begin with @username. Users only see other users’ replies if they follow both the sender and the recipient. Retweet, RT Twitter offers the ability to re - tweet another user’s tweet. A tweet beginning with “RT @username” indicates a retweet from @username. Tweet The basic form of communication in Twitter; a tweet can be up to 140 characters in length. Username Twitter users identify themselves with unique usernames, up to 15 characters in length

Launched in May 2003, LinkedIn focuses on professional social networking – social networking related to professional development – and has more than 225 million r egistered users 7 . As of March 31, 2012, LinkedIn gains two new users every second. 8 LinkedIn is also the only social networ king service that has more male users than female users. 9 LinkedIn places the user’s professional history and experience at the center of the platform. LinkedIn users are also strongly encouraged to limit their connections to users they’ve met in real life. Common LinkedIn Terms Accounts LinkedIn offers tiered premium accounts beyond the free Basic version. Business, Business Plus, and Executive accounts offer increased features and functionality. Connection LinkedIn users indicate their professional relationship by connecting to each other. Degree s Connections are indicated in degrees . First degree connections are users with whom you are connected. Second - degree connections are “friends of friends,” or those connected to your first - degree connections. Third - degree connections are contacts of second - degree connections. Introduction LinkedIn users offer introductions to other users they may not otherwise know. Group LinkedIn groups are public or private moderated groups of users who share similar interests. Network A user’s connections, measured in first -, second - , and third - degree connections. Recommendation Users write recommendations to endorse other users, businesses, or services.

Launched in 2009, Foursquare is a location - based social network that encourages users to “check - in” to real - world locations and events by awarding points and b adges for application activity. Users can leave tips and recommendations, create lists of places and activities, and track their friends as they check in around the world. Foursquare has become popular with business owners as a low - cost way to encourage re peat business. Foursquare has over 20 million users 10 Instagram . Part social network, part online photo - sharing service, Instagram allows users to personalize photos with stylized filters and share those photos via the application and other popular social networking services. Launched in 2010, Instagram claims 30 million users and was acquired by Facebook for a reported $1 billion in April 2012. 11 Pinterest An online pin - board, Pinterest allows users to “pin” interesting content and images from around the W eb, share those “pins” with their friends, and collaborate on shared “ pinboards. ” Pinterest launched in 2010 and has over 1 0 million registered users.