Social Networking

Social networking from a business standpoint is a marketing guru. It allows them to reach a very large population, or client without spending tons of money on production. Many businesses have facebook pages to give its clients or customers information on which they are, their location, the types of services they offer and even allow others to give feedback on the services they were provided.

Twitter is also a helpful tool. Many companies have twitter accounts to inform customers and clients of specials and other promotions. “Other companies are taking their designs and putting them on the Web for people to explore. They are using these global collaboration tools for product design and software development (Social Networking at IBM: Maclean's Feb 4, 2008 "What's Next? Your Future in Social Networking" vol 121, p. 42).”

These technologies are benefiting the public whether we choose to believe it or not. Although we all know there is a privacy issue and concern that comes into play; all of us that choose to “overlook” these concerns think that the good out weight the bad. Not to necessarily say we give up that right when we choose to participate in these forms of social networking but we should be aware of the issues that could follow. This in my opinion would be considered the “Dark side” of these new technologies. In come cases and for some of us, we are smart and decide to join these networking groups for our benefits only. We use creative names, and don’t include too much personal information while still being able to get access to the benefits of being apart of the group. “Unlike Facebook, where friends mutually agree to let one another into their online lives, twitter lets people share updates and links with anyone who cares to read them.

“That has turned Twitter into a tool for people to peer into the collective mind and see what people are talking about in real time. It is also a tool for businesses to reach customers and monitor what their customers are saying about them ("Facebook Is Going for Some Twitter Sensibility" by Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, Sept 13, 2009). ”

I can see all social media as being advancements for any business that is interested in finding new customers. Businesses are all about making a profit, and reaching as many customers as possible to increase and stabilize their revenues; this would include social media. Outside of facebook, and twitter, companies are using instagram, google, bing etc. these are all examples of how technologies are benefiting business to reach consumers and from the looks of it, its going to continue for quite some time.

Wiki Vs. Blogs

Blogs as we know it are created by one user to board-cast information about a specific topics (usually one of interest they they have) so in this case they can sometimes be one sided on opinions and information given. Most blogs that I am familiar with usually are about current events or topics that are currently taking place. For example I know a few friends that blog on music, fashion, school or of course the current presidential elections. They can be informative if the reader is looking for opinions or a centralized area where public knowledge is gathered for one subject.

In the New York Times article "Brooklyn Blogs help lead to a Drug Raid" by Michael Wilson, it tells us our a group of neighbors rallied together to help the police with investigating and locating illegal drug uses in their neighborhood. This is a good example of how a blog is usually about a specific topic and gives information about a particular idea or opinion.

Wikis are usually a place to find great information about almost everything. They are usually created by an educated individual. Although this is not always the case, it usually stands true. In addition, Wikis usually give references to information that is given or supplied by an individual. The biggest advantage of a Wiki is more than one user can add or supply information. This can have both a negative and positive affect for its content. It can either give additional information to supplement the original creator or it can in come cases contradict  information previously stated.

Wikipedia is now a big source of information for many people. It combines many wikis and places it in a centralized area for easier access for users. The article "Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales on making the most of company wikis" by Gardiner Morse- the first opening statement "Wikis harness the wisdom of crowds, serving as virtual commons where participants can wrestle over ideas and information until something approaching consensus"; can concur with my above statement, but this does not discredit their use and how helpful they can be.