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THE SOCIAL NETWORK AS SELF EXPRESSION TOOL |
But the question arises: What is a social network, anyway? That brings up a further question: Why does the author of this book keep asking questions? Which leads to a final question: Are we stuck with this guy? Yes. Yes, you are. Social networks are online community sites that link people together. Some amount of personal information is usually shared in an effort to present a profile that other members can get to know. This profile can be nudged along by questionnaires, or by making it easy to create lists of favorite things, or just by providing space to type and upload stuff. Various community features are offered, such as photo sharing, instant messaging, and invitation-only circles of friends.
If you squint, you can see pictures of my dog, the start of one blog entry, my shared feeds, and a quote that I “blasted” to my friends.Blogging at these sites fits in with the overall tone of instant chumminess.Nearly always, blog content in social networking services is personal, like adiary. You see a lot of chit-chat blogging in these clubs. But the truth is that you can use any blog space for any purpose whatsoever. It is my informal observation that serious topical blogging usually occurs in the pure-blog services that don’t offer all the communal, meet-and-greet features. Pure-blog services frequently offer a more sober, uncluttered, professional presentation of the blog.Joining a social network is profoundly easy. Usually, you just fill in a Web form to establish a username and password combination. This registration form might gather some personal information for your profile or give you a chance to invite online friends to join you in membership.