Facebook is the foremost example of a social media service that allows individuals to network directly with others that share similar tastes and interests. It is a site that allows users to create a profile that tells a little bit about themselves and their interests. They are then able to connect over the internet with other users that share similar interests, hobbies, jobs, etc. Still, many wonder, “What is social networking on Facebook?”
Facebook differs from many types of online communities in that it focuses on the individual rather than on the community as a whole. One can locate forums on just about any topic in the world, but their focus is on the community that shares interest in the topic covered. Individuals may post comments on posts made by other authors that will be seen by all users. Facebook allows one to select whether comments will be open to the general public or just to a small group of friends. This is a more individual centered approach than that taken by community forums.
Users may create their own unique networks of friends and/or relatives that may view their profiles and share links or personal data with them. In addition, users may communicate directly through email and/or online chat sessions via the site. The true definition of social networking on Facebook is interacting with this group or groups of friends online through the services offered by the site.
Many businesses have created their own profiles on this site that allow them to reach a larger audience than they might otherwise. The reason for this is that they attract individuals whose stated interests coincide with their content. These individuals have the ability to “Like” such pages, meaning that they place social bookmarks to the pages that are then shared with members of their own personal networks, making the sites more visible than they might be if relying solely on search engine results to get them into the public eye.
A wide range of personal blogs that might not ever achieve widespread readership are brought to the front in the same manner. Individuals find these blogs and become interested in their content.
These people bookmark the blogs and share the links with friends they think might share their interest. This has several benefits for the bloggers, including creating a potential way to make money from writing their own blogs.
Social networking on Facebook takes many different forms. The primary form lies in the creation of individual networks of friends with which one can communicate. Each individual in the network has his/her own network, meaning that information can be shared and expanded exponentially. Friends may communicate with one another easily as well as posting content they wish to share with other members of their network such as social bookmarks and messages about what is currently happening in their lives. Their friends have the ability to comment on their postings publicly or privately.
Being a member of a social network helps individuals gather more news on topics they find relevant than they might be able to do using search engines alone. This means that members of such sites are often more well informed about topics of interest than those who do not participate in such groups.
