Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship by Danah Boyd & Nicole Ellison
In the article the authors discuss Social Network Sites (SNSs) and how the are attracting researchers. The authors describe features, discuss history, and talk about how SNSs have changed. The authors name multiple social sites like Facebook, Myspace, etc, and they state that different websites have different purposes ans uses. The services that are provided my these different websites are fairly consistent, but their different cultures and audiences vary. Sites also vary in how they incorporate blogging, photo/video sharing, and mobile connectivity. The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brought together some related articles to showcase interdisciplinary scholarships from these SNSs. The authors then go on and define Social Network Sites. They define it as "web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system." The authors explain that MySpace was one of the first SNSs that attracted a lot of media attention in the U.S. and in other countries. Other SNSs like Friendster, Okrut, Mixi, LunarStorm, Grono, Hi5, and Cyworld were very popular in other countries around the world. Facebook was designed to support College networks only, but later expanded to high school and professional networks, and then to Everyone. There is no reliable data that tells how many people all over the world use SNSs, even though marketing research indicates that they are growing. One of the only concerns is Privacy, especially with young users. Overall, SNSs all very widespread and help people connect all over the world. Below are some links to different SNSs if you would like to join.
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.friendster.com/
http://www.orkut.com/PreSignup
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