Wiki Page, Social Media: W1.1 What is a Social Network?

Wiki Page
2013-05-15T09:38:53-06:00

What is a Social Network?

A social network describes the relationships (the edges) between individuals or groups (the nodes) and social media is the technology that might be leveraged to connect them, be it digital or other. We've had social networks and social media for a long time.

| | For a quick overview of social networking, watch Social Networking in Plain English, by @CommonCraft (have a little giggle over the MySpace reference ... it was 2007, after all). It may help, up front, to understand how Social Media is different, so also watch Social Media in Plain English.

Below are two examples of social network maps visually illustrating the concepts of nodes and edges. You can (and should) generate your own social network maps for Facebook and LinkedIn by following the directions on the Assignment: Map a Social Network.

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Example of a Facebook Social Network Map | Example of a LinkedIn Social Network Map

| | Read Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship (PDF) by Danah M. Boyd and Nicole B. Elliso, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

Read Mark Suster's TechCrunch Series:

Social Networking: The Past

Social Networking: The Present

Social Networks: Future