Textbook: Social Networking | Computer Science for Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Social Networking
Computer
First edition 2010
BOOK
6
DVD
Inside
Games!
!
buyin g computers!
Thin king s kills
Appli cations
Computer
Level 6
Jy oti:	 Ev en	 after	 the	 adv ent	 of	 computers	 and	 Internet,	 the	 earlier	 w ebsites	 w ere	 	 passiv e,	 	 that	 is,	 the	
user was only at the information receiving end. He/she could not react to the given information or 
contribute content to the website. 
Moz: The next development was social networking sites, where the user became an active contributor 
to websites. Two examples of this model are online newspapers, where you can comment on any 
article, and online Wikipedia, where all the content is created and corrected by users themselves. 
Can	 y ou	 giv e	 me	 some	 more	 examples	 of	 social	 netw orking	 sites	 (SNS)	 that	 y ou	 hav e	 heard	 
about or used?
T ejas:	 I	 use	 Picasa	 for	 sharing	 my	 photos	 and	 Y ouT ube	 for	 sharing	 my	 videos.	 I	 also	 enjoy	 the	 activity	
of viewing and commenting on my friend’s photos and videos on these sites. 
Jy oti:	 I	 use	 Facebook	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 my	 friends	 and	 Flickr	 to	 share	 photos.	 I	 hav e	 seen	 my	
parents using LinkedIn to network with other professionals (See Fig 1). 
Jy oti:	 Moz,	 w e	 hav e	 been	 giv en	 a	 new	 exciting	 assignment	 in	 school	 and	 w e	 w ant	 to	 discuss	 some	
points with you. 
T ejas:	 Y es,	 Jy oti	 is	 writing	 a	 report	 on	 “Features	 of	 some	 popular	 Social	 Netw orking	 sites”	 and	 I	 am	
writing	on	“Pros	and	cons	of	Social	Netw orking”.
Jy oti:	 I	 found	 that	 Social	 Netw orking	 is	 a	 term	 that	 has	 many	 definitions.	 A 	 simple	 definition	 
is:	 “Social	 Netw orking	 Sites	 (SNS)	 are	 w eb	 sites	 that	 allow	 individual	 users	 to	 not	 only	 to	 create	 and	
share content, but also to communicate with other users on the site.”
T ejas:	 This	 kind	 of	 netw orking	 and	 communication	 activity	 w as	 happening	 earlier	 too,	 ev en	 without	
computers.	 Information	 w as	 disseminated	 through	 v arious	 media	 like	 Radio,	 Newspapers	 and	
Television. Communication was mostly through letters and telephone. 
Aim: In this lesson, you will learn:
- Social networking websites: purpose and features.
- Pros and cons of Social networking websites.
3
Page 2


Social Networking
Computer
First edition 2010
BOOK
6
DVD
Inside
Games!
!
buyin g computers!
Thin king s kills
Appli cations
Computer
Level 6
Jy oti:	 Ev en	 after	 the	 adv ent	 of	 computers	 and	 Internet,	 the	 earlier	 w ebsites	 w ere	 	 passiv e,	 	 that	 is,	 the	
user was only at the information receiving end. He/she could not react to the given information or 
contribute content to the website. 
Moz: The next development was social networking sites, where the user became an active contributor 
to websites. Two examples of this model are online newspapers, where you can comment on any 
article, and online Wikipedia, where all the content is created and corrected by users themselves. 
Can	 y ou	 giv e	 me	 some	 more	 examples	 of	 social	 netw orking	 sites	 (SNS)	 that	 y ou	 hav e	 heard	 
about or used?
T ejas:	 I	 use	 Picasa	 for	 sharing	 my	 photos	 and	 Y ouT ube	 for	 sharing	 my	 videos.	 I	 also	 enjoy	 the	 activity	
of viewing and commenting on my friend’s photos and videos on these sites. 
Jy oti:	 I	 use	 Facebook	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 my	 friends	 and	 Flickr	 to	 share	 photos.	 I	 hav e	 seen	 my	
parents using LinkedIn to network with other professionals (See Fig 1). 
Jy oti:	 Moz,	 w e	 hav e	 been	 giv en	 a	 new	 exciting	 assignment	 in	 school	 and	 w e	 w ant	 to	 discuss	 some	
points with you. 
T ejas:	 Y es,	 Jy oti	 is	 writing	 a	 report	 on	 “Features	 of	 some	 popular	 Social	 Netw orking	 sites”	 and	 I	 am	
writing	on	“Pros	and	cons	of	Social	Netw orking”.
Jy oti:	 I	 found	 that	 Social	 Netw orking	 is	 a	 term	 that	 has	 many	 definitions.	 A 	 simple	 definition	 
is:	 “Social	 Netw orking	 Sites	 (SNS)	 are	 w eb	 sites	 that	 allow	 individual	 users	 to	 not	 only	 to	 create	 and	
share content, but also to communicate with other users on the site.”
T ejas:	 This	 kind	 of	 netw orking	 and	 communication	 activity	 w as	 happening	 earlier	 too,	 ev en	 without	
computers.	 Information	 w as	 disseminated	 through	 v arious	 media	 like	 Radio,	 Newspapers	 and	
Television. Communication was mostly through letters and telephone. 
Aim: In this lesson, you will learn:
- Social networking websites: purpose and features.
- Pros and cons of Social networking websites.
3
Moz:	 Looks	 like	 y ou	 are	 already	 adept	 at	 using	 SNS	 for	 v arious	 activities.	 Why	 do	 y ou	 think	 SNS	
have become so popular? 
Jy oti:	 	 SNS	 lets	 y ou	 stay	 connected	 to	 friends	 and	 family .	 Y ou	 can	 also	 find	 old	 friends	 with	
whom	 y ou	 may	 hav e	 lost	 touch.	 SNS	 are	 popular	 because	 they	 are	 v ery	 easy	 to	 use.	 The	 user	
need not be aware of any programming languages or specific tools in order to use them. 
Moz:	 All	 the	 SNS	 provide	 some	 basic	 features	 like	 profile	 creation,	 content	 uploading,	 
and content sharing.
T ejas:	 Other	 specific	 features	 depend	 on	 the	 core	 focus	 area	 of	 the	 SNS.	 For	 example,	 Flicker	 has	 photo	
sharing as the main focus, YouTube has audio and video file sharing as the main focus, whereas 
W ikipedia	 has	 content	 creation	 as	 its	 main	 focus.	 These	 lines	 of	 distinction	 betw een	 SNS	 are	 also	
blurring	 because	 the	 new	 v ersions	 of	 all	 SNS	 are	 trying	 to	 merge	 focus	 areas,	 so	 that	 the	 user	 need	
not	 visit	 different	 SNS	 for	 different	 activities.	 For	 example:	 Facebook	 provides	 search,	 photo	 upload,	
video upload, chat room, instant messaging and email. (See Info box)
Fig. 1
Some Social Networking Sites
2001
2005 2004
2011
2006 2003
Page 3


Social Networking
Computer
First edition 2010
BOOK
6
DVD
Inside
Games!
!
buyin g computers!
Thin king s kills
Appli cations
Computer
Level 6
Jy oti:	 Ev en	 after	 the	 adv ent	 of	 computers	 and	 Internet,	 the	 earlier	 w ebsites	 w ere	 	 passiv e,	 	 that	 is,	 the	
user was only at the information receiving end. He/she could not react to the given information or 
contribute content to the website. 
Moz: The next development was social networking sites, where the user became an active contributor 
to websites. Two examples of this model are online newspapers, where you can comment on any 
article, and online Wikipedia, where all the content is created and corrected by users themselves. 
Can	 y ou	 giv e	 me	 some	 more	 examples	 of	 social	 netw orking	 sites	 (SNS)	 that	 y ou	 hav e	 heard	 
about or used?
T ejas:	 I	 use	 Picasa	 for	 sharing	 my	 photos	 and	 Y ouT ube	 for	 sharing	 my	 videos.	 I	 also	 enjoy	 the	 activity	
of viewing and commenting on my friend’s photos and videos on these sites. 
Jy oti:	 I	 use	 Facebook	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 my	 friends	 and	 Flickr	 to	 share	 photos.	 I	 hav e	 seen	 my	
parents using LinkedIn to network with other professionals (See Fig 1). 
Jy oti:	 Moz,	 w e	 hav e	 been	 giv en	 a	 new	 exciting	 assignment	 in	 school	 and	 w e	 w ant	 to	 discuss	 some	
points with you. 
T ejas:	 Y es,	 Jy oti	 is	 writing	 a	 report	 on	 “Features	 of	 some	 popular	 Social	 Netw orking	 sites”	 and	 I	 am	
writing	on	“Pros	and	cons	of	Social	Netw orking”.
Jy oti:	 I	 found	 that	 Social	 Netw orking	 is	 a	 term	 that	 has	 many	 definitions.	 A 	 simple	 definition	 
is:	 “Social	 Netw orking	 Sites	 (SNS)	 are	 w eb	 sites	 that	 allow	 individual	 users	 to	 not	 only	 to	 create	 and	
share content, but also to communicate with other users on the site.”
T ejas:	 This	 kind	 of	 netw orking	 and	 communication	 activity	 w as	 happening	 earlier	 too,	 ev en	 without	
computers.	 Information	 w as	 disseminated	 through	 v arious	 media	 like	 Radio,	 Newspapers	 and	
Television. Communication was mostly through letters and telephone. 
Aim: In this lesson, you will learn:
- Social networking websites: purpose and features.
- Pros and cons of Social networking websites.
3
Moz:	 Looks	 like	 y ou	 are	 already	 adept	 at	 using	 SNS	 for	 v arious	 activities.	 Why	 do	 y ou	 think	 SNS	
have become so popular? 
Jy oti:	 	 SNS	 lets	 y ou	 stay	 connected	 to	 friends	 and	 family .	 Y ou	 can	 also	 find	 old	 friends	 with	
whom	 y ou	 may	 hav e	 lost	 touch.	 SNS	 are	 popular	 because	 they	 are	 v ery	 easy	 to	 use.	 The	 user	
need not be aware of any programming languages or specific tools in order to use them. 
Moz:	 All	 the	 SNS	 provide	 some	 basic	 features	 like	 profile	 creation,	 content	 uploading,	 
and content sharing.
T ejas:	 Other	 specific	 features	 depend	 on	 the	 core	 focus	 area	 of	 the	 SNS.	 For	 example,	 Flicker	 has	 photo	
sharing as the main focus, YouTube has audio and video file sharing as the main focus, whereas 
W ikipedia	 has	 content	 creation	 as	 its	 main	 focus.	 These	 lines	 of	 distinction	 betw een	 SNS	 are	 also	
blurring	 because	 the	 new	 v ersions	 of	 all	 SNS	 are	 trying	 to	 merge	 focus	 areas,	 so	 that	 the	 user	 need	
not	 visit	 different	 SNS	 for	 different	 activities.	 For	 example:	 Facebook	 provides	 search,	 photo	 upload,	
video upload, chat room, instant messaging and email. (See Info box)
Fig. 1
Some Social Networking Sites
2001
2005 2004
2011
2006 2003
Jy oti:	 As	a	summary ,		I	hav e	created	mind	maps	of	SNS	features	as	shown	below .	
Info
Users	privileges
Category Name and Examples Description 
BLOG
Eblogger,	Wordpress
Blog	 websites	 allow	 users	 to	 enter	 posts	 about	
any	 topic.	 These	 posts	 can	 in	 turn	 be	 read	 and	
commented	 on	 by	 other	 users.	 Blogs	 are	 used	
by people to publish their creative content on 
the	 Internet.	 The	 posts	 can	 be	 organized	 based	
on	topic	and	date.
REFERENCE WEBSITES 
Wikipedia
Reference websites are online encyclopedia, 
where	 users	 or	 subject	 matter	 experts	 create	
content	 on	 any	 topic.	 The	 content	 is	 then	
published	after	review.
VIDEO SHARING 
YouTube
Video	 sharing	 sites	 allow 	 users	 to	 upload	
video	 files.	 Other	 users	 can	 watch,	 share	 and	
comment	on	these	files.
PHOTO SHARING 
Flickr,							Picasa,						Slideshare
Photo	 sharing 	 sites	 allow	 the	 users	 to	 upload	
photos,	 organize	 and	 create	 digital	 albums.	
Other	 users	 can	 view,	 share	 and	 comment	 on	
these	photos.
E-COMMERCE
IRCTC,	Ebay,	Amazon,	Flipkart
E-commerce	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 buy	 products	
like	 electron ic	 goods,	 automobiles,	 books,	
household	 goods,	 clothes	 and	 tickets.	 The	
users can pay online for the product, in many 
ways	such	as	credit	card	or	cash	on	delivery.
NETWORKING WITH  FRIENDS
Facebook,	Orkut,	Myspace,	Ibibo,	Hi5  
Friends	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 create	 profiles,	
belong	 to	 groups,	 list	 friends.	 A	 user	 can	 create	
content and keeps in touch with family and 
friends.
FORUMS
cnet,     quora,   techspot
Forums	 have	 different	 topics	 under	 which	 users	
can post queries or discuss on some specific 
topic.	 Technical	 forums	 are	 very	 popular	 where	
users	can	get	their	doubts	clarified	by	experts.
Page 4


Social Networking
Computer
First edition 2010
BOOK
6
DVD
Inside
Games!
!
buyin g computers!
Thin king s kills
Appli cations
Computer
Level 6
Jy oti:	 Ev en	 after	 the	 adv ent	 of	 computers	 and	 Internet,	 the	 earlier	 w ebsites	 w ere	 	 passiv e,	 	 that	 is,	 the	
user was only at the information receiving end. He/she could not react to the given information or 
contribute content to the website. 
Moz: The next development was social networking sites, where the user became an active contributor 
to websites. Two examples of this model are online newspapers, where you can comment on any 
article, and online Wikipedia, where all the content is created and corrected by users themselves. 
Can	 y ou	 giv e	 me	 some	 more	 examples	 of	 social	 netw orking	 sites	 (SNS)	 that	 y ou	 hav e	 heard	 
about or used?
T ejas:	 I	 use	 Picasa	 for	 sharing	 my	 photos	 and	 Y ouT ube	 for	 sharing	 my	 videos.	 I	 also	 enjoy	 the	 activity	
of viewing and commenting on my friend’s photos and videos on these sites. 
Jy oti:	 I	 use	 Facebook	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 my	 friends	 and	 Flickr	 to	 share	 photos.	 I	 hav e	 seen	 my	
parents using LinkedIn to network with other professionals (See Fig 1). 
Jy oti:	 Moz,	 w e	 hav e	 been	 giv en	 a	 new	 exciting	 assignment	 in	 school	 and	 w e	 w ant	 to	 discuss	 some	
points with you. 
T ejas:	 Y es,	 Jy oti	 is	 writing	 a	 report	 on	 “Features	 of	 some	 popular	 Social	 Netw orking	 sites”	 and	 I	 am	
writing	on	“Pros	and	cons	of	Social	Netw orking”.
Jy oti:	 I	 found	 that	 Social	 Netw orking	 is	 a	 term	 that	 has	 many	 definitions.	 A 	 simple	 definition	 
is:	 “Social	 Netw orking	 Sites	 (SNS)	 are	 w eb	 sites	 that	 allow	 individual	 users	 to	 not	 only	 to	 create	 and	
share content, but also to communicate with other users on the site.”
T ejas:	 This	 kind	 of	 netw orking	 and	 communication	 activity	 w as	 happening	 earlier	 too,	 ev en	 without	
computers.	 Information	 w as	 disseminated	 through	 v arious	 media	 like	 Radio,	 Newspapers	 and	
Television. Communication was mostly through letters and telephone. 
Aim: In this lesson, you will learn:
- Social networking websites: purpose and features.
- Pros and cons of Social networking websites.
3
Moz:	 Looks	 like	 y ou	 are	 already	 adept	 at	 using	 SNS	 for	 v arious	 activities.	 Why	 do	 y ou	 think	 SNS	
have become so popular? 
Jy oti:	 	 SNS	 lets	 y ou	 stay	 connected	 to	 friends	 and	 family .	 Y ou	 can	 also	 find	 old	 friends	 with	
whom	 y ou	 may	 hav e	 lost	 touch.	 SNS	 are	 popular	 because	 they	 are	 v ery	 easy	 to	 use.	 The	 user	
need not be aware of any programming languages or specific tools in order to use them. 
Moz:	 All	 the	 SNS	 provide	 some	 basic	 features	 like	 profile	 creation,	 content	 uploading,	 
and content sharing.
T ejas:	 Other	 specific	 features	 depend	 on	 the	 core	 focus	 area	 of	 the	 SNS.	 For	 example,	 Flicker	 has	 photo	
sharing as the main focus, YouTube has audio and video file sharing as the main focus, whereas 
W ikipedia	 has	 content	 creation	 as	 its	 main	 focus.	 These	 lines	 of	 distinction	 betw een	 SNS	 are	 also	
blurring	 because	 the	 new	 v ersions	 of	 all	 SNS	 are	 trying	 to	 merge	 focus	 areas,	 so	 that	 the	 user	 need	
not	 visit	 different	 SNS	 for	 different	 activities.	 For	 example:	 Facebook	 provides	 search,	 photo	 upload,	
video upload, chat room, instant messaging and email. (See Info box)
Fig. 1
Some Social Networking Sites
2001
2005 2004
2011
2006 2003
Jy oti:	 As	a	summary ,		I	hav e	created	mind	maps	of	SNS	features	as	shown	below .	
Info
Users	privileges
Category Name and Examples Description 
BLOG
Eblogger,	Wordpress
Blog	 websites	 allow	 users	 to	 enter	 posts	 about	
any	 topic.	 These	 posts	 can	 in	 turn	 be	 read	 and	
commented	 on	 by	 other	 users.	 Blogs	 are	 used	
by people to publish their creative content on 
the	 Internet.	 The	 posts	 can	 be	 organized	 based	
on	topic	and	date.
REFERENCE WEBSITES 
Wikipedia
Reference websites are online encyclopedia, 
where	 users	 or	 subject	 matter	 experts	 create	
content	 on	 any	 topic.	 The	 content	 is	 then	
published	after	review.
VIDEO SHARING 
YouTube
Video	 sharing	 sites	 allow 	 users	 to	 upload	
video	 files.	 Other	 users	 can	 watch,	 share	 and	
comment	on	these	files.
PHOTO SHARING 
Flickr,							Picasa,						Slideshare
Photo	 sharing 	 sites	 allow	 the	 users	 to	 upload	
photos,	 organize	 and	 create	 digital	 albums.	
Other	 users	 can	 view,	 share	 and	 comment	 on	
these	photos.
E-COMMERCE
IRCTC,	Ebay,	Amazon,	Flipkart
E-commerce	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 buy	 products	
like	 electron ic	 goods,	 automobiles,	 books,	
household	 goods,	 clothes	 and	 tickets.	 The	
users can pay online for the product, in many 
ways	such	as	credit	card	or	cash	on	delivery.
NETWORKING WITH  FRIENDS
Facebook,	Orkut,	Myspace,	Ibibo,	Hi5  
Friends	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 create	 profiles,	
belong	 to	 groups,	 list	 friends.	 A	 user	 can	 create	
content and keeps in touch with family and 
friends.
FORUMS
cnet,     quora,   techspot
Forums	 have	 different	 topics	 under	 which	 users	
can post queries or discuss on some specific 
topic.	 Technical	 forums	 are	 very	 popular	 where	
users	can	get	their	doubts	clarified	by	experts.
Register/Create	 profile: 	 Each	 user	 fills	 in	 information	 in	 a	 given	 form	 with	 data	 on	 age,	
education,	 location,	 likes,	 dislikes	 and	 hobbies.	 The	 user	 can	 add	 friends,	 categorize	 them	
into	groups,	decide	how	his/her	profile	is	viewed	and	by	whom	it	is	viewed.
Security settings: 	 The	 user	 can	 configure	 settings	 where	 she	 decides	 which	 content	 on	
her	 page	 is	 public	 or	 private.	 The	 user	 can	 block	 content	 from	 being	 viewed	 by	 a	 list	 of	
users,	can	report	SPAM	and	flag	content.	
Networking features: Activities	that	the	user	can	perform:
Chat	with	other	users. •	
Instant	messaging	with	other	online	users. •	
Upload	photos,	videos	so	that	they	can	be	viewed	by	others. •	
Play	games.	 •	
Enter	comments	on	content	generated	by	other	users. •	
Send	email. •	
Search and support: The user can search for content based on keywords, interests, 
schools.	The	user	also	has	support	in	the	form	of	FAQs	and	forums.
Info
Social	Networking	Sites	(SNS) 	Basic	Features 
Out	of	the	many	different	kinds	of	SNS,	File/Photo/Video	sharing	 sites	are	very	popular.	 •	
Some	important	aspects	of	these	sites	as	shown	in	the	figure	are:			
These	 sites	 need	 a	 registration,	 but	 they	 can	 also	 be	 accessed	 using	 the	 already	 existing	 •	
login	 passwor ds	 on	 other	 sites	 like	 Google,	 yahoo.	 Example:	 YouTube	 allows	 the	 user	 to	
access	its	site	with	Google	account	name	and	password.	
Some	 of	 the	 services	 provided	 by	 the	 site	 are	 free	 and	 some	 are	 paid.	 Example:	 	 •	
Minimal	 storage	 space	 is	 given	 for	 a	 free	 account	 but	 unlimited	 storage	 is	 provided	 for	 
a	paid	user.	
All	 users	 can	 Create,	 edit,	 upload,	 search	 and	 organize	 their	 files	 (documents,	 audio,	 •	
video,	photos)	on	these	sites.
Some	 sites	 (example:	 Photo	 Bucket)	 have	 special	 software	 tools	 to	 edit	 photos,	 add	 •	
effects	to	videos,	create	innovative	photo	albums,	and	import	photos	from	other	SNS.	
Privacy	 settings	 on	 the	 users	 account	 enable	 the	 user	 to	 share	 the	 content	 accordingly	 •	
(public,	private,	can	be	viewed	only	by	friends	etc.)		
Most	of	these	sites	can	be	accessed	even	from	mobile	devices.		 •	
Info
File/Photo/Video	sharing	SNS	
Crowdsourcing:	 Outsourcing	 of	 tasks	 on	 the	 SNS	 which	 can	 be	 performed	 by	 individuals	 •	
across	 the	 globe	 example :	 http://www.99designs.com is a website where clients can 
post	 requirem ents	 for	 a	 design	 assignment	 (logo,	 website,	 business	 cards	 etc)	 and	
individuals	 can	 submit	 their	 designs.	 The	 client	 gets	 to	 choose	 the	 best	 design	 and	 pays	 
the	individual	accordingly.		
Mashups:	 Combining	 visualization	 and	 data	 to	 create	 new	 services.	 Example:	 A	 mashup	 of	 •	
Google	 maps	 and	 twitter	 allows	 the	 user	 to	 see	 the	 areas	 on	 the	 google	 map	 from	 where	
the	 	 popular	 twitter	 content	 is	 being	 posted.	 Newsgro ups,	 forums	 and	 social	 bookmarking	
sites are different ways in which individuals with common interests can interact with  
each	other.	
Foursquare,	 WAYN	 (Where	 are	 you	 now	 )	 are	 examples	 of	 SNS	 where	 the	 user	 posts	 his/ •	
her	current		location	details	and	in	this	way	users	know	the	whereabouts	of	their	friends.	 	 	
Info
Other	features	of	 Social	Networking	Sites	( SNS)
Page 5


Social Networking
Computer
First edition 2010
BOOK
6
DVD
Inside
Games!
!
buyin g computers!
Thin king s kills
Appli cations
Computer
Level 6
Jy oti:	 Ev en	 after	 the	 adv ent	 of	 computers	 and	 Internet,	 the	 earlier	 w ebsites	 w ere	 	 passiv e,	 	 that	 is,	 the	
user was only at the information receiving end. He/she could not react to the given information or 
contribute content to the website. 
Moz: The next development was social networking sites, where the user became an active contributor 
to websites. Two examples of this model are online newspapers, where you can comment on any 
article, and online Wikipedia, where all the content is created and corrected by users themselves. 
Can	 y ou	 giv e	 me	 some	 more	 examples	 of	 social	 netw orking	 sites	 (SNS)	 that	 y ou	 hav e	 heard	 
about or used?
T ejas:	 I	 use	 Picasa	 for	 sharing	 my	 photos	 and	 Y ouT ube	 for	 sharing	 my	 videos.	 I	 also	 enjoy	 the	 activity	
of viewing and commenting on my friend’s photos and videos on these sites. 
Jy oti:	 I	 use	 Facebook	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 my	 friends	 and	 Flickr	 to	 share	 photos.	 I	 hav e	 seen	 my	
parents using LinkedIn to network with other professionals (See Fig 1). 
Jy oti:	 Moz,	 w e	 hav e	 been	 giv en	 a	 new	 exciting	 assignment	 in	 school	 and	 w e	 w ant	 to	 discuss	 some	
points with you. 
T ejas:	 Y es,	 Jy oti	 is	 writing	 a	 report	 on	 “Features	 of	 some	 popular	 Social	 Netw orking	 sites”	 and	 I	 am	
writing	on	“Pros	and	cons	of	Social	Netw orking”.
Jy oti:	 I	 found	 that	 Social	 Netw orking	 is	 a	 term	 that	 has	 many	 definitions.	 A 	 simple	 definition	 
is:	 “Social	 Netw orking	 Sites	 (SNS)	 are	 w eb	 sites	 that	 allow	 individual	 users	 to	 not	 only	 to	 create	 and	
share content, but also to communicate with other users on the site.”
T ejas:	 This	 kind	 of	 netw orking	 and	 communication	 activity	 w as	 happening	 earlier	 too,	 ev en	 without	
computers.	 Information	 w as	 disseminated	 through	 v arious	 media	 like	 Radio,	 Newspapers	 and	
Television. Communication was mostly through letters and telephone. 
Aim: In this lesson, you will learn:
- Social networking websites: purpose and features.
- Pros and cons of Social networking websites.
3
Moz:	 Looks	 like	 y ou	 are	 already	 adept	 at	 using	 SNS	 for	 v arious	 activities.	 Why	 do	 y ou	 think	 SNS	
have become so popular? 
Jy oti:	 	 SNS	 lets	 y ou	 stay	 connected	 to	 friends	 and	 family .	 Y ou	 can	 also	 find	 old	 friends	 with	
whom	 y ou	 may	 hav e	 lost	 touch.	 SNS	 are	 popular	 because	 they	 are	 v ery	 easy	 to	 use.	 The	 user	
need not be aware of any programming languages or specific tools in order to use them. 
Moz:	 All	 the	 SNS	 provide	 some	 basic	 features	 like	 profile	 creation,	 content	 uploading,	 
and content sharing.
T ejas:	 Other	 specific	 features	 depend	 on	 the	 core	 focus	 area	 of	 the	 SNS.	 For	 example,	 Flicker	 has	 photo	
sharing as the main focus, YouTube has audio and video file sharing as the main focus, whereas 
W ikipedia	 has	 content	 creation	 as	 its	 main	 focus.	 These	 lines	 of	 distinction	 betw een	 SNS	 are	 also	
blurring	 because	 the	 new	 v ersions	 of	 all	 SNS	 are	 trying	 to	 merge	 focus	 areas,	 so	 that	 the	 user	 need	
not	 visit	 different	 SNS	 for	 different	 activities.	 For	 example:	 Facebook	 provides	 search,	 photo	 upload,	
video upload, chat room, instant messaging and email. (See Info box)
Fig. 1
Some Social Networking Sites
2001
2005 2004
2011
2006 2003
Jy oti:	 As	a	summary ,		I	hav e	created	mind	maps	of	SNS	features	as	shown	below .	
Info
Users	privileges
Category Name and Examples Description 
BLOG
Eblogger,	Wordpress
Blog	 websites	 allow	 users	 to	 enter	 posts	 about	
any	 topic.	 These	 posts	 can	 in	 turn	 be	 read	 and	
commented	 on	 by	 other	 users.	 Blogs	 are	 used	
by people to publish their creative content on 
the	 Internet.	 The	 posts	 can	 be	 organized	 based	
on	topic	and	date.
REFERENCE WEBSITES 
Wikipedia
Reference websites are online encyclopedia, 
where	 users	 or	 subject	 matter	 experts	 create	
content	 on	 any	 topic.	 The	 content	 is	 then	
published	after	review.
VIDEO SHARING 
YouTube
Video	 sharing	 sites	 allow 	 users	 to	 upload	
video	 files.	 Other	 users	 can	 watch,	 share	 and	
comment	on	these	files.
PHOTO SHARING 
Flickr,							Picasa,						Slideshare
Photo	 sharing 	 sites	 allow	 the	 users	 to	 upload	
photos,	 organize	 and	 create	 digital	 albums.	
Other	 users	 can	 view,	 share	 and	 comment	 on	
these	photos.
E-COMMERCE
IRCTC,	Ebay,	Amazon,	Flipkart
E-commerce	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 buy	 products	
like	 electron ic	 goods,	 automobiles,	 books,	
household	 goods,	 clothes	 and	 tickets.	 The	
users can pay online for the product, in many 
ways	such	as	credit	card	or	cash	on	delivery.
NETWORKING WITH  FRIENDS
Facebook,	Orkut,	Myspace,	Ibibo,	Hi5  
Friends	 sites	 allow	 users	 to	 create	 profiles,	
belong	 to	 groups,	 list	 friends.	 A	 user	 can	 create	
content and keeps in touch with family and 
friends.
FORUMS
cnet,     quora,   techspot
Forums	 have	 different	 topics	 under	 which	 users	
can post queries or discuss on some specific 
topic.	 Technical	 forums	 are	 very	 popular	 where	
users	can	get	their	doubts	clarified	by	experts.
Register/Create	 profile: 	 Each	 user	 fills	 in	 information	 in	 a	 given	 form	 with	 data	 on	 age,	
education,	 location,	 likes,	 dislikes	 and	 hobbies.	 The	 user	 can	 add	 friends,	 categorize	 them	
into	groups,	decide	how	his/her	profile	is	viewed	and	by	whom	it	is	viewed.
Security settings: 	 The	 user	 can	 configure	 settings	 where	 she	 decides	 which	 content	 on	
her	 page	 is	 public	 or	 private.	 The	 user	 can	 block	 content	 from	 being	 viewed	 by	 a	 list	 of	
users,	can	report	SPAM	and	flag	content.	
Networking features: Activities	that	the	user	can	perform:
Chat	with	other	users. •	
Instant	messaging	with	other	online	users. •	
Upload	photos,	videos	so	that	they	can	be	viewed	by	others. •	
Play	games.	 •	
Enter	comments	on	content	generated	by	other	users. •	
Send	email. •	
Search and support: The user can search for content based on keywords, interests, 
schools.	The	user	also	has	support	in	the	form	of	FAQs	and	forums.
Info
Social	Networking	Sites	(SNS) 	Basic	Features 
Out	of	the	many	different	kinds	of	SNS,	File/Photo/Video	sharing	 sites	are	very	popular.	 •	
Some	important	aspects	of	these	sites	as	shown	in	the	figure	are:			
These	 sites	 need	 a	 registration,	 but	 they	 can	 also	 be	 accessed	 using	 the	 already	 existing	 •	
login	 passwor ds	 on	 other	 sites	 like	 Google,	 yahoo.	 Example:	 YouTube	 allows	 the	 user	 to	
access	its	site	with	Google	account	name	and	password.	
Some	 of	 the	 services	 provided	 by	 the	 site	 are	 free	 and	 some	 are	 paid.	 Example:	 	 •	
Minimal	 storage	 space	 is	 given	 for	 a	 free	 account	 but	 unlimited	 storage	 is	 provided	 for	 
a	paid	user.	
All	 users	 can	 Create,	 edit,	 upload,	 search	 and	 organize	 their	 files	 (documents,	 audio,	 •	
video,	photos)	on	these	sites.
Some	 sites	 (example:	 Photo	 Bucket)	 have	 special	 software	 tools	 to	 edit	 photos,	 add	 •	
effects	to	videos,	create	innovative	photo	albums,	and	import	photos	from	other	SNS.	
Privacy	 settings	 on	 the	 users	 account	 enable	 the	 user	 to	 share	 the	 content	 accordingly	 •	
(public,	private,	can	be	viewed	only	by	friends	etc.)		
Most	of	these	sites	can	be	accessed	even	from	mobile	devices.		 •	
Info
File/Photo/Video	sharing	SNS	
Crowdsourcing:	 Outsourcing	 of	 tasks	 on	 the	 SNS	 which	 can	 be	 performed	 by	 individuals	 •	
across	 the	 globe	 example :	 http://www.99designs.com is a website where clients can 
post	 requirem ents	 for	 a	 design	 assignment	 (logo,	 website,	 business	 cards	 etc)	 and	
individuals	 can	 submit	 their	 designs.	 The	 client	 gets	 to	 choose	 the	 best	 design	 and	 pays	 
the	individual	accordingly.		
Mashups:	 Combining	 visualization	 and	 data	 to	 create	 new	 services.	 Example:	 A	 mashup	 of	 •	
Google	 maps	 and	 twitter	 allows	 the	 user	 to	 see	 the	 areas	 on	 the	 google	 map	 from	 where	
the	 	 popular	 twitter	 content	 is	 being	 posted.	 Newsgro ups,	 forums	 and	 social	 bookmarking	
sites are different ways in which individuals with common interests can interact with  
each	other.	
Foursquare,	 WAYN	 (Where	 are	 you	 now	 )	 are	 examples	 of	 SNS	 where	 the	 user	 posts	 his/ •	
her	current		location	details	and	in	this	way	users	know	the	whereabouts	of	their	friends.	 	 	
Info
Other	features	of	 Social	Networking	Sites	( SNS)
Moz:	Can	y ou	think	of	any	other	purposes	where	SNS	are	used?	
T ejas:	 P eople	 from	 all	 w alks	 of	 life	 including	 teachers,	 businessmen,	 doctors	 and	 gov ernment	 officials	
use these tools for various purposes.     
Jy oti:	 Our	 school	 teachers	 use	 SNS	 to	 keep	 in	 touch	 with	 current	 and	 graduated	 students	 and	 also	 for	
clearing	 our	 doubts.	 Companies	 use	 SNS	 to	 create	 W ebP ages	 for	 their	 products,	 gather	 feedback	 from	
consumers.	 Doctors	 use	 SNS	 to	 keep	 their	 patients	 informed	 and	 gov ernment	 officials	 are	 using	 SNS	
to reach out and listen to the citizens.
Moz:	 Another	 critical	 area	 in	 which	 SNS	 are	 immensely	 helpful	 is	 disaster	 management.	 Liv e	 data	
collection and dissemination through these sites is preventing loss of lives, property and also helping 
in fund collection during natural disasters. Example: Ushahadi (www.ushahadi.com) is an open source 
project	which	broadcasts	crisis	information	through	SNS	like	twitter ,	Facebook	etc.	
User Forums
News Groups
Mashups
Web Page or Application that Uses and Combines 
Data, Presentation o r Functionality From t wo o r 
More S ources t o Create N ew S ervices. Example: 
Google Maps Disaster Relief, Event in an area.
User Ranked Sites - News, Books, Movies, Videos, Audio Tracks
Collection of Bookmarks - Most Popular Bookmarks by the Users / For the Users - delicious
Other Services / Features
F AQ
Support
Networking Features
Search
Name/email address
Social Networking Websites
School/City/Zip code
Keyword/Interests
Email
Forum
Security
Privacy Settings
Block User
Report SAPM/Abuse
Safety Tips
Registration, Only URL for Doc Provided at Some Sites for Sharing
Google Docs - Upload Docs, Edit, Share, Docs / Presentations / Spreadsheets / Drawings
Files - Create / Update, Share, Privacy, Organize Folders, Download Anywhere / Any Time, Mobile Access
Photos - Create / Edit / Organize Albums Using Picasa / Flickr etc.
Upload Using Web, Email, Mobile or Desktop App.
Linked with Accounts Like Google, Y ahoo
Free is Usually Limited / Paid is unlimited
Storage Space
File / Photo / Video Sharing Sites
Security
Registration Required
Photo Album S oftware Available 
for Desktops (Picasa-Google, Flickr 
has Software on Windows (Yahoo)