Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Okay, who uses the Internet for social networking?
Just curious...who uses the Internet for social networking? I don't mean online dating--although there's nothing wrong with that and I understand that it's very popular. I'm referring to the many ways of looking up old friends and making new ones. Of course there's always the Google approach to try to locate someone. Or perhaps you've used Yahoo's People Search to track down a high school friend. For the more daring, how about Friendster, MySpace, Orkut, or LinkedIn? Apparently a website called Facebook is garnering a lot of attention on many college campuses...but as you might suspect CSU-Pueblo is a bit behind the curve on that one. My question is...do you use these social networking tools, and if so, how important are they to help you stay in touch with people you know? Perhaps more importantly, do they help you to locate and establish relationships with people of shared interests?
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Update: Thefacebook intends to expand to 1,400 U.S. four-year colleges next month...perhaps CSU-Pueblo will be one of them!
I am a student in Jennifer Mullen's class and was very intrigued to hear about this blog posting so I had to comment back. After recently graduating from Fountain-Fort Carson High School this passed May I was a little indifferent as to keeping in touch with my fellow alumni and I wasn't too big on the whole "blog" social networking scene until I tried it on for size. I made an account under MySpace and was so amazed at how many people I already knew who were also members. Even though some of my closest friends are spread out all over the United States we can still keep in touch through the networking systems and it works better than any methods I've tried before such as by telephone or postal. I was also surprised to make friends with people who had some of the same interests as myself. I even met someone who has the same Media and Culture course as I do. It's a quick and painless way to meet new people and learn about others points of view increasing open-mindedness. Another useful element of the social networking scene is that it keeps me closer with my brother who is still in high school. I believe the whole idea opens doors to people who would be otherwise shy to talk to someone new. Let's face it, coming up to someone you might find attractive or might just wanna introduce yourself to is one very hard thing to do for most of us. Online social networking divides those feelings with two computer screens GENIUS! It makes way easier to be, shall we say, rejected. If you don't really want to talk to someone you just don't answer their messages they'll get the point. Of course, as everything does have a negative effect social networking in terms of building intimate relationships can only go so far! That shy guy or shy girl would have to come face to face with their person of interest eventually. Another down fall is that people can post almost anything whether it might be offensive. On the particular site I am familiar with, MySpace, nudity in photos is not allowed yet some show as much as possible without classifying it as nudity. Also explicit language is not edited at all. Although the age to form your own account is supposed to be no younger than 18 I have a lot of younger friends who just put a different year when they sign up. This is a little scary to think about because someone you meet might not be who they say they are and we all know where that can lead to. Overall, I believe social networking can benefit one as long as it is used for the right reasons. As long as its there, I will continue to keep in touch with my friends and family across state and nationwide!
I recently graduated from high school and I can't ever remember using any type of social networks for communication. I rarely used my email. Since I have been in college I have used social networking to my advantage. This summer my little sister, who is my best friend, lame I know but she went away for six weeks to a pre-collegiate program. This bothered me immensely because we have never really been apart. I think that the only reason I survived those six weeks was from using Yahoo instant messaging. I also play many online games on Yahoo, which lets a person chat with their opponents. A few times a week I play online pool, and the same people seem to be online at the same time. There is almost this unique type of friendship that I have forged with some of the other users because I chat with them every week. I am a pop culture junkie so I am always up to date with the newest tv shows and my old favorites, so I think that it is a great idea that many networks and independent fan clubs have blogs on their websites. These blogs give hardcore fans a chance to talk to other extreme fans about their favorite tv shows. I have heard that the Fox network show The O.C has its own individual blog on its official site. I also believe that a person is able to post their own threads. This is really amazing because a fan can also post a banner that sort of tells a story about a favorite character or even a favorite relationship on a tv show. I think the picture says a lot about a fans personal opinion, just as much as words do. I think that I will continue to use all social networking resources on the internet. It is really amazing how powerful a message can be on the internet. Yes, it might be a sort of impersonal way of communicating, but it is easy to use, and at times accessible. The type of ideas and opinions that come from such a vast amount of people from every culture is unbelievable, and unique.
I always have to laugh a bit at the ones who rail against technology as a means to socialize because it will lead to *gasp*... people never meeting other people in person.
I have to admit I've used quite a few of the services Sam mentioned, but I'm also what one might call "jacked in" to the Internet culture. I'm a big fan of Flickr (photo sharing site, also has discussion groups and the concept of "friends" who can comment on each others' posted photos). I've run into several people on Flickr or through blogs that I consider to be at least acquaintences.
This isn't new... I have a good friend I met online back in 1996 or so. We moved from talking primarily on a text-based BBS to using various IM networks to communicate. I recently flew out to Vermont to photograph his wedding for him... but prior to that, we'd never actually met in person.
But, do I spend less time out there meeting people than I would without this stuff? No. I still go out with my wife and friends 2-5 times per week.
The point I'm trying to make is Internet socialization is not going to replace person-to-person contact for the vast majority of people. In fact, I think the Internet has allowed a whole new breed of the extreme introverts an outlet into the world of socialization. These are the people the detractors lament... those people who will "sit at home and not meet people". What the detractors fail to understand is these people would do that ANYWAY... they just wouldn't have ANY outlet to speak to other people.
Communicating and socializing on the Internet is no different than it is in the real world and one's not going to replace the other. Like I said, I'm pretty heavily involved in online social activities and I have a home and a wife (who I didn't meet online), friends (offline and on), and live firmly in the "real world".
I had never heard about any of these networking sites until last May. One of my friends was moving to Arizona and wanted to keep in contact with everyone via Myspace. Needless to say, I signed up and quickly found many of my friends from high school, friends I hadn't seen in years, and people that I knew through national leadership programs that live all across the United States. It was a great way to reconnect with former classmates and old friends. Once CSU-Pueblo was included on Facebook, it created a convenient way to network with fellow students at CSUP. Even though you're at the same school with someone, it is easy to lose contact if you don't have classes together. Myspace & Facebook have made it much easier to say in touch than even more so than regular e-mail. Sometimes people change e-mail addresses, you didn't have it to begin with, lose it, or you simply forget to take the time to email everyone individually. With the help of Myspace and Facebook, it is a good reminder to write to someone when you see their pic as you're scrolling through your friends list. Or you can just post a bulletin for all of your friends. Overall, it's a great way to mintain contact with friends/aquaintences near and far.
I use myspace and instant messaging to stay connected with friends. I graduated high school 2 years ago and have a hard time keeping touch with people because we all went to different parts of the world. Some are even out of the country and we have a hard time communicating. Myspace like websites are very beneficial in that sense. Instant messaging also helps me to keep in touch with my friends. It doesn't cost anything and its a simple and easy way to just say hi to someone. However, with all of this new media, creats problems. I recently had a bad experience with myspace. Someone had figured out my password for my myspace account, changed my password, and was messaging my friends mean comments. It was kinda scary for me because through my myspace account that person was able to get into my email account and my school files, bank statements, and personal letters. Luckily I was able to figure out the new password and closed everything. Even though it was a crazy incident, I started another account because the accessibility to contact friends. It also helped me to find other friends that I haven't seen in years, who are in the military. I do see the downfall of these services, especially with my own experience. However, I feel the dangers of these social networkings are in the motives of the person using it. If you are there to meet new people, the chances are you'll meet weird people. But if your there just to stay in contact with friends, theres not much harm.
I use myspace and instant messaging to stay connected with friends. I graduated high school 2 years ago and have a hard time keeping touch with people because we all went to different parts of the world. Some are even out of the country and we have a hard time communicating. Myspace like websites are very beneficial in that sense. Instant messaging also helps me to keep in touch with my friends. It doesn't cost anything and its a simple and easy way to just say hi to someone. However, with all of this new media, creats problems. I recently had a bad experience with myspace. Someone had figured out my password for my myspace account, changed my password, and was messaging my friends mean comments. It was kinda scary for me because through my myspace account that person was able to get into my email account and my school files, bank statements, and personal letters. Luckily I was able to figure out the new password and closed everything. Even though it was a crazy incident, I started another account because the accessibility to contact friends. It also helped me to find other friends that I haven't seen in years, who are in the military. I do see the downfall of these services, especially with my own experience. However, I feel the dangers of these social networkings are in the motives of the person using it. If you are there to meet new people, the chances are you'll meet weird people. But if your there just to stay in contact with friends, theres not much harm.
The internet is a great form of communication. I do have Myspace and Facebook, and like many other students I check them almost daily. Facebook and Myspace are very addicting simply because of the communication possibilities. These sites are a great way to create a personal profile and make it as unique and fun as you want. These sites are also a great way to keep in touch with individuals you might not see as often as you'd like. Like anything, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Like any internet site, ther will always be perverts and weirdos trying to talk to you or "add" you as their friend. As long as you're careful, these sites can be very fun and beneficial for communication purposes.
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