The Social Network - a Primer
Friday, October 31st, 2008What is a social network?
Simply put, a social network is a group of things connected to other things via specific interdependencies or relationships. In the language of science, the things connected together are called “nodes,” and the relationships that bind nodes together are called “ties” or “edges”. Both are theoretically limitless; a network can consist of an infinite number of nodes connected together by an infinite number, and an infinite arrangement, of ties or edges.
In the context of an online social network, nodes are generally individuals—real people, in other words—bound together by ties or edges that represent specific relationships with real-world analogues, like friendship, common interests, common desires, and the like. A node, in this sense, consists of an online profile created by an individual. The profile contains information specific to that individual—his or her name, age, sex, locality, interests, etc.—and this information drives the connections he or she makes with other individuals via the information contained in their profiles.
When one individual connects with another individual (when one node connects to another via a tie or edge), that individual is then connected, virtually, to all the connections the other individual has made with other individuals, thereby extending the virtual network even further. In this fashion, the extent, or reach, of an online social network is theoretically bounded only by the limits of online technology.
What is social networking?
Social networking is the activity that takes place within a social network. Just as the activity that takes place within a real-world network or community of like-minded people is bound only by the limits of real-world interactivity between human beings, the social activity that takes place within an online social network is bound only by the limits of the features, functionality, and technology available online. At present, most online social networks provide a baseline functionality that allow nodes, or individuals, to:
- Find each other
- Establish ties or edges with other nodes (individuals)
- Communicate with each other asynchronously (i.e., mail, messages, or status updates) or in real-time (i.e., chat)
- Share information with each other (i.e., pictures, video, interesting links)
- Interact with each other (i.e., play online games)
- Build sub-communities or groups based on a common interest (i.e., fans of a certain music group, fans of a certain baseball team, or fans of a certain product)
What are some common online social networking features?
At present, many online social networks contain features similar or analogous to those listed below:
Chat
Chat (or instant messaging) is a means for individuals to communicate with each other in real-time, typically via an exchange of text-based messages. In a typical chat scenario, an individual notices that another individual is online and available to chat; he or she sends that individual a text message, and the individual responds or chooses not to respond to the message. If the individual chooses not to respond, the message is not delivered, and can eventually be discarded by the sender.
Mail/Messaging
Mail/messaging is a means for individuals to communicate with each other asynchronously via an exchange of text-based messages. Analogous to the email paradigm, in a typical mail/messaging scenario, an individual sends a message to another individual. The message is then stored in the recipient individual’s “inbox,” to be read by that individual and his or her convenience. Unlike email, however, the entire exchange takes place within the boundaries of the online social network’s interface; no email addresses or messaging protocols are utilized.
Blogs
Blogs are static or semi-dynamic web spaces created by individuals who wish to share their thoughts, opinions, or impressions with the greater web community. While blogs can and certainly do exist outside of the constraints of a typical online social network, the physical nodes within an online social network mirror or mimic blogs in that both provide an individual with the online real estate to share their thoughts, opinions, or impressions with a greater community. Further, just as blogs in the greater sense provide functionality that allows blog readers to leave comments on specific blogs, so do many of the physical nodes within an online social network.
Feeds
Feeds are methods by which new or updated content is distributed to content consumers via aggregators, or applications which gather web content from disparate sources into a single place for easier viewing. In a basic feed scenario, a content provider syndicates his or her web content so that consumers of the content can subscribe to it (i.e., “subscribe to the feed”). Aggregators, when instructed, then poll subscribed feeds to discover new or updated content. When new or updated content is found, the aggregator makes the content consumer aware of it programmatically. Like blogs, while feeds can and certainly do exist outside of online social networks, many online social networks offer aggregator tools so that individuals can see, quickly and at a glance, new content created by individuals with whom they have a tie or edge.
Status Updates
Status updates provide individuals with the means to broadcast their current status to those individuals with whom they have a tie or edge. Typically, status updates answer the question “what are you doing now?”, or “where are you now?”, and consist of no more than two or three lines of text that may or may not include an active hyperlink. Not only do many online social networks provide status update functionality, it is the sole raison d’être for Twitter, an extremely popular online social network.
Events
Events provide individuals with the means to plan and organize online or real-life events with the individuals with whom they have a tie or an edge. In a typical event scenario, an individual creates an event, invites other individuals to attend, and performs other event planning tasks. Those individuals who accept the event invitation can then participate in the online event space itself by adding comments, interacting with others attending the event, etc.
Online Media Sharing
Many online social networks provide individuals with the tools to share photos, videos, and music with those individuals with whom they have a tie or edge. In a typical media sharing scenario, an individual uploads a photo, video, or music file to his or her online profile—in other words, the media file becomes part of the individual’s online node. The media is then accessible to those individuals with whom the individual shares a tie or an edge. Further, the individual who uploads the media file to his or her profile can tag it with descriptive text, so it can be found more easily via search by those individuals with whom he or she shares a tie or an edge.
Why is social networking important for business?
Social networking is important marketing tool for business. Again, the real-world/virtual world analogue rings true; in the real world, social networks provide a rich environment for word-of-mouth marketing campaigns—the online world is no different. In fact, online social networks provide a sort of Garden of Eden environment for word-of-mouth marketing campaigns, because online social networks have several distinct advantages over other environments or audiences, including immediacy, ubiquity, cost effectiveness, and trust.
Immediacy
In the online world, events can take place at incredible speeds, bounded, once again, only by technology. For businesses, this makes just-in-time advertising possible, allowing businesses to react proactively to rapidly changing market conditions.
Ubiquity
Thanks to advances in communication technology, including 3G networks, the robustness of online Web 2.0 technology can be found in many handheld mobile devices, allowing individuals to remain connected to each other virtually anywhere they can connect to a communications network. This breakthrough has allowed many individuals to stay connected to the virtual world even away from their desktop or laptop computers. For businesses, this means an ever-increasing audience and an ever-increasing marketplace.
Cost Effectiveness
The standard feature set for most online social networks is free. For businesses, this provides the ability to influence evangelists, early adaptors, or brand-champions to promote business-friendly messages for little or no cost.
Trust
The underlying current of a social network, both in real-life or online, is trust. To connect with each other, individuals, or nodes, self-identify; the trust between them is therefore implicit, otherwise the tie or edge would have never been established. For businesses, this means an online social network is not only a potential marketplace or audience for its message, but a marketplace or audience built implicitly on trust, where each individual constitutes a “trusted advisor,” of sorts, to the other individuals in the network. And as real world experience has long since proved, no one is a bigger evangelist for a product or service than a satisfied customer, or a well-respected trend setter within a group of trusting peers.
