Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have included these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are a number of Social networks with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices, I have written for. But the more I wrote the more I realized there is much to mention.
Today each and every one of us is more or less a part of different social networking sites. Did we ever imagine that this social networking model will be part of social communities to such as extent that it would consequence the way most of the companies and individuals function today?
Let’s take a look at how Social networks emerged on web.
From the year 1997 to 2001, a number of community tools began supporting various combinations of profiles and publicly articulated Friends. AsianAvenue, BlackPlanet, and MiGente allowed users to create personal, professional, and dating profiles—users could identify Friends on their personal profiles without seeking approval for those connections Likewise, shortly after its launch in 1999, LiveJournal listed one-directional connections on user pages. LiveJournal's creator suspects that he fashioned these Friends after instant messaging buddy lists on LiveJournal, people mark others as Friends to follow their journals and manage privacy settings. The Korean virtual worlds site Cyworld was started in 1999 and added SNS features in 2001, independent of these other sites.
In particular, the people behind Ryze, Tribe.net, LinkedIn, and Friendster were tightly tangled personally and professionally. They believed that they could support each other without competing. In the end, Ryze never acquired mass popularity, Tribe.net grew to attract a passionate niche user base, LinkedIn became a powerful business service, and Friendster became the most significant, if only as "one of the biggest disappointments in Internet history".
Later Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook stood out as three key SNSs that shaped the business, cultural, and research landscape.
How did Social Networking sites hit the mainstream?
Year 2003 saw the launch of a number of social networking sites. Most of them were more profile centric, trying to replicate the early success of Friendster. While socially-organized SNSs seek broad audiences, professional sites such as LinkedIn, Visible Path, and Xing (formerly openBC) focus on business people. Young and passion-centric sites SNSs like Dogster helped strangers connect based on shared interests. Care2 helps activists meet, Couchsurfing connects travelers to people with couches, and MyChurch joins Christian churches and their members. Furthermore, as the social media and user-generated content phenomena grew, websites focused on media sharing began implementing SNS features and becoming SNSs themselves. Examples include Flickr (photo sharing), Last.FM (music listening habits), and YouTube (video sharing).
With the surplus of venture-backed startups launching in Silicon Valley, few people paid attention to SNSs that gained popularity elsewhere, even those built by major corporations. For example, Google's Orkut failed to build a sustainable U.S. user base, but a "Brazilian invasion" made Orkut the national SNS of Brazil. Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces also launched to lukewarm U.S. reception but became extremely popular elsewhere.
While MySpace was not launched with bands in mind, they were welcomed. Indie-rock bands from the Los Angeles region began creating profiles, and local promoters used MySpace to advertise VIP passes for popular clubs. Intrigued, MySpace contacted local musicians to see how they could support them. Bands were not the sole source of MySpace growth, but the symbiotic relationship between bands and fans helped MySpace expand beyond former Friendster users.
Social Network’s impact on New Media
Social networking sites are one of the main reasons why New Media is becoming so involved in our everyday lives. This is because within these sites, media outlets are able to direct Internet users to their specific websites, as well as being able to advertise in a more dynamic and interactive manner. Social networking sites are also the main reasons behind the new phenomenon of internet celebrities. It is easy to say that without social networking sites, New Media wouldn’t be as involved in our everyday lives as it is today. New Media is an ever evolving method, and with the introduction of social networking sites into our daily online lives, media is now beginning to transform once more. It seems that with every new online innovation, the way the media reaches out to its public changes, and this is true with social networking sites.
Think of this way, what if we create a Daily soap with viewer voting. What if they are produced solely by the capabilities of the contestants themselves, without the expertise and talent of the show’s producers, directors, writers, etc. As talented and entertaining as the contestants are, the resulting production quality, the level of emotional engagement, viewership/ratings and monetization potential of the full package would likely be far inferior to what we all see on the air today. Well, social networks should be seen in a similar way, people want to express themselves and the platforms that allow them to do so with the most creativity and production value, are the ones that people will flock to.
I believe that the New Media will soon see a true advancement though social networking sites In the years to come. After writing this blog on emergence of Social networks and New media, Im sure I have had an opportunity to create a special-interest on this concept.
I believe that new media is correct in identifying the social networking trend as the next important opportunity they can grab. And though not all the sites are blockbuster hits, they still could serve a very important purpose within online social community and make some money while they are at it.
Some Related Articles:
Social Network Sites: History, Definition and Sholarships.
Social Network Site -A Definition.
History of Social Networks.
Social Networks and Social Media.
The Social Media Meetup.
Advertising in the New Media.