Social Media

What is Social Media?

Social media is the use of a variety of media for the purpose of social networking.

The term "media" is the tools we use and can include any technologies used for communication and interaction in conjunction with the web. Internet enabled mobile phones, netbooks and laptops can be used as well as traditional computers.

Social networking is the term used to describe two or more people interacting for a specific purpose. Commonly this is the use of online websites and applications to make connections with other people.

There are many reasons why people to want to connect, such as for a common interest such as hobbies, sporting activities and simply to extend personal relationships. Businesses may use online tools for trading - buying and selling - or for getting their services out to the public. Many social communities are formed for the sharing of knowledge, their beliefs and new items.

Types of Tools and Applications

There are many different tools and applications that are used for social networking. Each has a particular focus but all are predominantly information sharing tools. Many tools started out as single applications but are increasingly being merged into larger, all-inclusive applications. Social media tools can be used by individuals for personal communication or for business use in marketing or public relations. Sites will give the contributor options for making their information public for anyone to view or private for individual access only. There are variations within this to allow restricted access specific individuals and groups of people.

Some of the main types of tools and application in common use include the following

Blogs (web logs) are part of a website set aside specifically for regular author comments and entries. This is often daily or weekly. They can also include images or video and links to other sites. Visitors are encouraged to interact and leave their own comments, feedback and links. Blogs are a way for authors to reflect on life or daily business and can become like an online diary or soapbox.

Examples include Blogger and Wordpress

Microblogs are typically smaller and more regular then traditional blogs. They are limited to short sentences to a maximum of 140 characters. You can also add images, video links and URL’s. As well as being displayed in a web interface, postings can be forwarded to SMS or email.

Examples include Twitter and Tumblr

Music sharing sites specifically allow musicians to share their own works with the public. Musicians who have not been signed with a record company have an outlet to publish and sell their own original works to millions of people daily. Some of these sites feature creative remixes and mash-ups.

Examples include Mixter and Grooveshark

Photo/image sharing sites allows users to post photography, video and personal artworks. It allows people to exhibit their own work and comment on the works of others. Works are categorised and tagged to enable efficient searching and linking.

Examples include Flickr and Deviantart

Social bookmarking sites allow users to store references to other sites by creating and organizing bookmarks, similar to storing favourite sites in your web browser software but accessible from any web enabled computer. Descriptions can be added to these bookmarks, including comments and voting. This is called social tagging where links are made between shared content. These sites can include highlighting tools and sticky notes. Sites can be made public or private.

Examples include Delicious and Diigo

Social networks are web sites that focus on building relationships between people with shared interests and/or activities. There are many tools offered by these sites to locate and link to families and friends, share photos, promote events and keep in touch with regular updates and postings.

Examples include Facebook and MySpace

Issues with Social Media

When you are posting personal information onto a public space there are many issues to be considered and huge potential for misuse:

Copyright – Digital media (images, videos, podcasts, etc) posted on public sites generally belong to the creator but are accessible for anyone to view, copy, modify and repost…sometimes for malicious purposes. Do you know how to protect your copyright? How do you know what media is copyright free or available under licence?

Ensure you have permission to use or post pictures of other people on your site. Be aware that even if you delete your space, the content still exists on a server somewhere.

Do you know the policies of the sites you are posting your content to – do you retain ownership of the copyright? Have you read the Terms and Conditions?

Privacy – controlling who sees your personal information is not always easy – there are often options available for limiting access but not all users correctly apply the privacy settings. The biggest concern is with predators faking identification and age and misleading young people into risky situations. Be wary of data theft, viruses. Organisations can build profiles of online habits and behaviours. Posted content has a way of spreading to a wide audience and does not disappear.

Do you really want everyone to know where you are, who you are with, what you are doing and your every thought? Think before you post.

Security - most sites enable access through a username and password to prevent unauthorised people modifying your account details. It is important to keep this information secure so no-one can gain access and cause damage to your personal information. Use strong passwords and don’t share them. Ensure you sign out of an account before leaving a computer unattended.

How secure is your information on the social media site? Is it vulnerable to theft?

Trust – Most applications allow you to control who can see sections of your profile by granting different levels of trust – public, friends, family, colleagues, etc.

Beware over-posting too much information – your personal details, where you are, what you are doing – this information can be collected and used maliciously.

Do you know the consequences of the new features that are constantly being added to social media sites? How can you be sure the policies of the site haven’t changed?

Cybersafety

A good source of further information about issues with social media is the governments Cybersmart website.

Information for teens about trolling, cyber bullying, identity theft, sexting, unwanted contact, offensive content, copyright etc.

Social Media Safety information for Teens

Activity

1 - How do you deal with or handle?:

• • cyberbullying

  • sexting

  • identity theft

  • Offensive or illegal content

  • trolling

  • unwanted contact

2 - How do you protect your digital reputation?

Tips for socialising online

An easy guide to social media sites

Activity

1 - Register a Pinterest account to create a personal social media profile.

2 - You are to create 5 boards of your choosing and add at least 10 pins to each. You MUST pay close attention to the issues of Privacy, Security, Copyright and Trust and ensure you reveal no personal information.

3 - Write a procedure for setting up a new account.

4 - Compile a FAQ for newcomers to Pinterest, make sure you cover issues of copyright, privacy and security.

Issues with Business use of Social Media

Businesses can make positive use of a social media profile to market goods and services, provide a contact point for consumers, allow employee collaboration etc. However, misuse of social media can have negative effects on businesses and employees. The following infographics highlight some of these issues.

Popular Tools and Applications

The most popular social networking tool at the time of writing is Facebook. This site is evolving continuously and endeavouring to include all of the above tools to enable a single site for networking of people and organisations.

Some of the activities and terminology for Facebook include:

• create a personal profile

• add a friend

• update your status

• like other people places or pages

• send messages

• create events

• ask questions

• upload photos and video

• play games

• make notes

• search and connect to people

Facebook for mobile devices also allows you to check-in at a specific location and see who else is near you.

Twitter is currently the most well-known/common blogging tool in used by people and organisations. The messages sent and received are called tweets.

Files to Download

Revision notes, Powerpoints used in class and other resources available below: