Online Social Networks

Online social networking is a way for people who have common interests to communicate. Social network services were created so people who share interests and activities can communicate using software. Social networks are primarily web based and allow users to interact through chat, instant messaging, video, blogging and discussion groups to name a few. Social networking services like My Space allows the user to create a profile of themselves. They can upload a picture of themselves and can create friendships with other users. They can create a blog on theor account and are able to communicate with other users.
Benefits of online social networks are the ability to communicate with a wide variety of people who can share the same interests. You can post a blog about a specific topic and get useful idea's and suggestions from people along with recommendations. You can communicate with people from around the world very fast and can build friendships.
Some concerns with social online networks is that it has caught the attention of children. Many children have caught on to sites like My Space and have become vunerable to predators. If you look into my space there are many young kids with accounts and they do not even know that they could be in danger. Many young girls post pictures of themselves in very provacative ways and they are being hunted by predators. These predators pose as harmless individuals who set up a meeting with young kids and you know what could happen.
Young kids have definately become very involved with online networking. I think schools should implement online networks because it has shown that students have become very interested with online networking. If schools implement this it would be a great way to show the students how to become involved with online networking safely. Also two of the most fundamental tools, reading and writing are a valuable part of online networking and it would want students to learn to read and write so they could become part of a online social network.


References: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/social_networking