People join online communities for all sorts of reasons - perhaps they share a preference for similar things or a similar lifestyle.įurthermore, just about anything can bring a group of people together but it's what makes each person stay that is polarizing. From a social and anthropological standpoint, these are the most interesting to study because they consist of people who probably have never met yet are held together by a common interest or goal. The biggest difference between social networks and online communities is that communities form out of groups of people from all different backgrounds and histories. It should now be easy to understand why LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace are considered Social Networks.
Once you wrap your mind around this, you can start putting social media platforms into their respective categories. Your preestablished connections have been built one by one, directly by you and an online social network is where those connections can have a place to live collectively. So when it comes down to it, what makes a social network a social network is the fact that you have already made each of the relationships. Social networks are inherently unique to each and every person who has one for this very reason. We all have groups of friends, relatives, coworkers and acquaintances that we speak to and see on a regular basis, right? This is the key to Social Networks - they revolve around a group of people you already know or have already met. Social networks, in the simplest of terms, are much like your offline social networks. Both have their perks and common uses, but what really are they and who should be using them? Here's the breakdown. Underneath the large, all-encompassing term of social media, there are two types or sub-categories - Social Networks being the first and Online Communities the second. what is what and where does it all end? With everyone from executives and professionals to college graduates and soccer moms throwing the word around, I thought it was about damn time someone do some explaining.įirst, let's get one thing straight. I think it's fair (although somewhat annoying and unfortunate) to say "social media" as a buzzword is here to stay.
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