week 4 - Social Networking

Twitter.com started on 15th July 2006 has become one of the most famous social networking website. Works like a mini blogging, twitter has reported 190 million accounts  as in 2010. Users can do more than just sending words to its followers, but users can post videos-photos and even where they are at on a particular moment. Let's check out what is twitter in plain english

Even from this 2-minutes 25seconds, we can see how twitter has become a useful tool for users to be connected and share information with the user's followers. Twitter has become a tool for important people (such as actresses, public figures) to share informations with their followers. Twitter has some main tools, such as DirectMessage (DM), ReTweet (RT), and mentions that use (@username). 

Lets' compare it with an older social networking such as Facebook.com:

Facebook has more than 600million active users as January 2011. Started in Janauary 2004, TheFacebook.com has faced various kinds of changes. From its name, to how its settings-layouts-basic information needed, even with how valuable the website has become; not only for Mark Z. himself has the creator and the owner, but also for the users who are facebook.com active users.

Some similarities between twitter.com and facebook.com are:

• both websites work as social networking websites
• both websites are using web 2.0 application
• both websites nevertheless are trying to connect people together
• both websites are created as a tool for sharing (status, photos, videos, even current place they are at) among people

As twitter.com and facebook.com are trying to get its own market share in the public, they have differences, such as:

• Twitter.com gives current information, while facebook.com information given by the user(s) can be relevant in a longer period.
• Twitter.com only allows user to tweet within 140 characters/tweet, while on the other hand, facebook.com allows multiple posts that can be done through wall posts, statuses, notes, etc.
• Facebook.com has a software where it can remind users of her/his friends' and/or loved ones birthday and events that they are invited by other users, while not for twitter.com
• Facebook.com is not only a social networking in its own application, but it allows users to be connected with other users through games. Yet, twitter is simply sharing words, photos, videos, and current location with another users.

Each social networking websites are trying to give benefits for its users. It is one of the most strategic ways to make users stay in their websites. One social networking websites might use different tactics than other social networking websites. They are trying to compete with one another by making sure that the websites are useful to its users. Mark Zukerberg once said, that Facebook.com is not a usual social networking sites, but Facebook.com has become a utility that users can enjoy and use it effectively.

Without further due, we cannot escape the fact that Social Networking websites have been very helpful and it helps the users in various ways. Despite the negative effects social networking websites can affect us, it gives users easiness to keep in touch with their loved ones, friends or even just acquaintances. Another benefit a social networking website gives is it allows sharing information to mass audiences in an easier way and it is FREE (most of the time, except if you want to use certain applications that are considered as extra applications). There are still many other benefits of using social networking websites, such as facebook.com. It does not only gives you accessibility to share information or to be in touch with one another, but you can look for new friends (new opportunity) that are apperantly connected through your existing friends list. 

It is a very useful tools social networking websites have provided us to use, but it needs wisdom from us to make sure we use it correctly and effectively enough and not exploiting it. Have fun being and joining and using social networking websites!