Social Networking Websites

Social Networking Websites

Prissillya Mienata, Teresa Lee, Vivian Tam

Agenda/Overview• What are Social Networking Sites

– The 3Ws and H• Before SNS…..• Advantages and Benefits• Disadvantages• Real Life Applications• Fun Facts

What?• A group of people that share interests & activities through a

website• Content is created by members • Member network is interconnected

Who?• A site originally designed for college & university students (18

– 25 year olds)• Currently people of all ages use it• Now there are SNS that group together people with common

interests

Where?• SNS is accessible almost anywhere

– Computer with an internet connection– Cell phones– Media devices with Wi-Fi capabilities

How?• For most SNS all it takes is an e-mail address to create an

account• Anyone can become a member

Before SNS……

NOW……

Advantages / Benefits• Inexpensive• Cost of growing is almost free• Recruit new employees using lower costs• Businesses market products & generate awareness• Can reach out to large number of people

– SNS have hundreds of millions of users

Disadvantages• Risk of leaking sensitive corporate information• Negative publicity spread like wildfire• Intangible benefits• Risk of accidental release of confidential information by

employees• Specialized SNS may require a fee

Monetary Costs• Free to become a member or nominal fee on some SNS• Cost for advertisers to post ads on SNS

Examples of Vendors & Companies• Sony Pictures uses YouTube to post trailers to promote movies• American Film Studios host movies on MySpace • Elastic Path Software uses Facebook to:

– Promote company– Post job openings– Keep employees updated about office activities

Collaborations Among Companies• Starting in 2004, Cingular started to host 4 networking site

platforms: Rabble, CoolTalk, MySpace & Facebook on their mobile phones

• Myspace use HyperTargeting– Software that displays ads to user based on profile preferences

Facts• If Facebook was a country it would be the 4th most populous

country after USA and before Indonesia• Generation Y and Z considered e-mail outdated

– In 2009, Boston college stop distributing e-mail addresses to incoming students

• SNS has given credibility to the ‘6 degrees of separation’ theory

Years To Reach 50 Million Users…

• Radio – 38 years

• TV– 13 years

• Internet– 4 years

• Ipod– 3 years

• Facebook– 100 million in less than 9 months

Social Media Revolution• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

To Summarize• SNS can be helpful to businesses when used correctly• Enables us to discover relationships that otherwise would not

be found• SNS is rapidly expanding and becoming an integral part of our

lives

One Concrete Point• Although SNS has almost become a necessity in our lives, we

still need to remember that we are posting personal information on the web and that it is accessible to ANYONE in the world!!!

USE SNS WISELY!!!