May 26 2007
Social Networking
I listened to a very interesting report on Radio 4 yesterday, which I thought I’d share with you. Since I am enjoying the collaborative, supporting and sharing nature of the professional networks I think we are building up here, I am also interested in the more “social” side of networking.
A former colleague and a (still!) friend of mine sent me a link and request to join Facebook. I had previously chosen not to join, because of privacy issues – there have been a number of news reports about people perhaps not getting jobs because of drunken photos on Facebook and such things. However, I thought I’d go and have a look. In order to have a look, you have to join, and at present I have 8 friends, which include a few present colleagues and a cousin.
In the news report, Rory Cellan-Jones asks whether these “social networks” are just for young people. I have to say that I do feel too old for Facebook – I don’t think enough of my friends have (or will) register for it to be any “good”, at least without me asking them to join and seeming even geekier than I probably already seem by having half a dozen blogs already. Interestingly, when I asked my sixth formers about Facebook, they said it was for “old people”, and that myspace was for younger people. I don’t know much about Bebo, so I’ll make no comment on that.
I think for me there is an element of “what’s the point?”. With professional networking, you can share ideas, ask questions and provide support, whereas Facebook seems to be on the more frivolous side of life, which I suppose is fine if you have a healthy social life and you’re using it to plan your weekend get togethers, and it is convenient for quick wall-to-wall chats, but I don’t think it necessarily lends itself to more serious discussion … at least not from what I’ve seen in the week or so I have been registered. I’m loath to spend too long browsing … !
What do others think? Have you tried it? Are you on it? Will you be my “friend”?! Is there an age issue? Comments below, please!
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I joined just to see what it was like but can’t find you. Please email me your id on facebook so we can link up.
As that former colleague and (still!) friend, I thought I ought to comment.
Facebook initially started (I think) as a thing for university students, and developed from there. I guess there is an element of “what’s the point?” – for me it has been nice (in a similar way to Friends Reunited when that first started) to see what long lost friends from school, etc. are up to. I was just thinking this morning though, that of the 36 “friends” I have on Facebook, the few that I have communicated with via the site over the past couple of weeks are people that I communicate with fairly regularly (in two cases, every day at work!!!) anyway. I guess for me it is a bit of fun and something else to add to my list of work/housework avoidance strategies!
MySpace, I know very little about, but certainly my perception is that that is for younger people. And it is there that I have concerns about privacy issues – I know that a lot of students I teach think nothing of having their personal information, photographs, etc. on MySpace – perhaps because they are unaware of the possible consequences. (With Facebook, unless someone is your “friend”, all you can see is their photo – if they have chosen to add one – and their name.)
I think you use both professional networking and social networking sites in a way that suits you – each to their own!
Victoria, great to have the founder of Geogtastic on board and leaving comments! I agree it would be nice to see how “former” friends are getting on – the difficulty I have is in finding such friends! Oh dear, maybe I just didn’t have very many to begin with!!! I must also point out that it was precisely because you told me that my profile could be hidden that I decided, in the end, to log on. I will be interested to see who else joins!
I’m also on there and can’t find you! Come and find me! I don’t really have time to post a response that gets to grips with all the ideas here – in essence i agree that it’s all a bit frivolous but good fun in the right mood. Interesting that Facebook is perceived as for ‘old’ people! In my experience, MySpace is something used by musicians – most of my musician friends have a page and i keep meaning to set one up for my own music. The main feature of MySpace for me, that Facebook doesn’t have, is the abaility to upload tracks for people to listen or download. You can blog on myspace too – it seems to have more real ‘use’ than Facebook.
Social Networking…
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