Response to “Social Networks: Definition, History, and Scholarship”

Boyd defines social network sites as a service that allows any user to create a profile to share with other individuals by connecting and viewing information. I also had not had a distinction between "network" and "networking" in reference to these sites, the difference here being that networking implies forming these connections with strangers while most people only network - forming online connections with users they know. Through the social network, users with similar interests can share their ideas and connect with certain individuals.

Since I have a Facebook account, I was familiar with Boyd's introduction of the various features of a SNS: the friends list, the fan pages, video/photo sharing and the emphasis on the public display of comments, connections and interactions.

I found it interesting that I have never heard of the first SNS to incorporate many different aspects of the social network, SixDegrees.com. For me, at least, it is interesting how other more simpler sites have outlasted or have remained more popular than this one.

I thought that the time line showing the release dates of all the SNSs was a great way to show the progression as well as the increase in interest since a greater amount were being launched between 2003 and 2006. It is interesting, also, to notice how fast some of these have grown as well as how long it has taken them to become popular. Facebook, for instance, took off immediately, while it took Twitter a couple years to become widely known and utilized.

I think that the issue that Boyd addresses in regards to Friendster is an issue in any SNS context. Where can you draw the line between people you know and people you "kind-of, sort-of, don't-really-know-at-all"? And when does this start to become a danger when you're making these connections online?