Social Networking

A social network is a social structure, made of nodes (usually individuals) united by a common purpose, project, or need and the ties (links) between them.  Extensive research has been conducted on the nature of those ties and the way they operate in a network.  There are so called "strong ties" (links between individuals who are very familiar with each other)  and "weak ties" (lose connections to people on the fringes of the network).  Looser networks with many weak ties are more likely to introduce new ideas and opportunities to their members than tighter networks made up of strong (and often redundant) ties.  Mark Granovetter, an American sociologist known for his work on social network theory and the spread of information through networks, is best known for a very influential paper he wrote titled "The Strength of Weak Ties".  This thinking, applied to online social networks, encourages us to look beyond our groups to other friends and acquaintences, and connections to find new ideas and solutions.  Here are a few of the most common online social networking services to facilitate that process:

Facebook - frequently used by students since the platform allows anyone 13 and older to set up an account.

MySpace - another commonly used student network

Plurk - "plurk" is a portmanteau word between "play" and "work" - a microblogging and social networking site, a rival to Twitter.

Twitter - a microblogging and social networking site - users can "follow" specific people and get regular updates, or "tweets", about what they are doing.

Ning - Allows you to construct your own network group around a specific interest or topic.  The word "Ning" means "peace" in Chinese.