social.networking.sites

OUR CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL REFLECTION (CONT'D)

2008-07-22T20:06:00.002+08:00

Yuvan's

This ITLG project is very useful because social networking sites are the in thing now and are gaining popularity around the. Nearly everyone in Singapore is a member of some form of social networking
And although it’s a social norm nowadays I didn’t realize that all is not good with social networking sites. From this project I learnt a lot of pitfalls and problems in being a social networking site member may it be Friendster, Facebook or Myspace. Our personal information might be exposed by the social networking site and a lot of internet thieves are lurking around so if your personal information gets into their hands then you are in trouble. I also learnt not to reveal too much information about myself in social networking because the information might just be used against me in future. So basically this project has been an enriching experience for me to learn about social networking sites and their pitfalls.

Mohaan's

The ITLG project was very useful and worthwhile because of the alarming popularity rate of social networking sites. Nearly everyone in the world is a can be associated with any one form of social networking.
Despite the fact that social networking seems to be much of a commodity nowadays, I did not realize that there were certain issues pertaining to social networking sites and its users. Through this project, I have learnt the various pitfalls and problems fixed to them. Privacy issues were the main topic widely covered in this aspect of social networking. I encountered several online articles of legal proceedings between social networking sites and its users in view of the users’ privacy being violated by that particular site. I learnt that revealing too much of information on your profile with a social networking site is a very dangerous thing to do and would never do such a thing myself as I know to what extent of a fraud or identity theft it could lead to.
Overall, this project was an eye-opener to me on social networking sites and its pitfalls.

OUR CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL REFLECTION

2008-07-21T14:50:00.001+08:00

Tien Seng’s and Ivan’s
What we can conclude from the project is that the pitfalls that may not be very apparent on the social networking sites are totally dangerous. People these days use social networking sites more frequently can be due to the hectic workload that bothers everyone in the society – thus such sites provide an avenue for them to stay connected.
We do not discourage people from joining the social networking sites. There are many advantages actually; the sites are really cool and interesting, and it is more convenient because one can just stay at home to get connected to many friends, despite the distance apart.
Everyone has his/her part to play when it comes to online security; after all, the choice to upload any information is on the individual.
Hence, be aware of the hazards and happy surfing~ (:

Justin’s
I enjoyed doing the ITLG project on Social Networking as I learnt more about the benefits and dangers of social networking. Social networking allows us to have more friends as we get to know more about them online through services such as Facebook. However, there are dangers such as privacy issues since personal information can be stolen and we can become victims of identity thief. I learnt how to work with my teammates to do research on social networking because of the blog. The project was definitely beneficial to my learning and I will be more careful about my personal information on the internet.

WHAT COULD YOU DO WHEN USING SNS?

2008-07-21T11:13:00.005+08:00

We shall propose several courses of action to counter the illegal/unethical use of the social networking sites. We shall categorize these into social and individual.

SOCIAL
- Schools can organize talks to gain awareness
- SNS can introduce the "child-lock", "report abuse" facilities
- Parents can spend more time with children, to avoid the children from getting too reliant on the Internet
- More law can be enforced towards online security, to prevent potential hazards arising from the use of SNS

INDIVIDUAL
- Abide by the terms and conditions set by the various SNS
- Be aware of exposing your personal information; that might get "scooped" by unlawful people
- Card details' should NEVER be made known to others online

2008-07-21T01:19:00.002+08:00

Enjoy this entertaining vodcast (:

JUST HOW SAFE IS A SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE?

2008-07-20T23:19:00.001+08:00

A fourteen-year-old girl has just sued MySpace. Allegedly, nineteen-year-old Texan Pete Solis lied in his profile about being a high school senior on a football team to gain a minor's trust. The girl alleges that after she had contact with Solis on the site, he asked for her cellphone number, she gave it to him, they met up in person, and thereafter, he sexually assaulted her.

She alleges that the two companies were aware that sexual predators were getting in touch with minors on the site, and did nothing to stop it - yet falsely claimed that the site was maintaining adequate security measures to protect children and teens.

Find out what happens eventually on FindLaw:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ramasastry/20060626.html

TIMELINE OF SNS

2008-07-20T19:18:00.004+08:00

1978 - 1993
-Bulletin board services and EIES ( Electronic Information Exchange Service)
-Server-Based

1995
-Classmate.com
-Web-based
-purpose for users to ties with former schoolmate

1997
-SixDegree.com
-focus on indirect ties, much more interactive with the public

1999-2001
-Epinions.com
-trust-based and friendship-based
-More control over the content and connectivity with the users
-Enable externally application to be used

2005
-Various SNS had adapted different languages
-Became a method of business strategy

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_sites

PITFALLS OF S.N.S.

2008-07-20T16:35:00.004+08:00

The use of social networking is rising dramatically, and its scope has expanded far beyond the personal realm. Although there are clear benefits to increasing communications there are also pitfalls to it.

1. Disclosure of personal information. Companies regularly search MySpace, Classmates.com, LinkedIn and other social networking sites to glean information about potential hires and competitors, but postings should always be taken with a grain of salt.

2. Potential legal liability. Students at Canterbury's University of Kent created a Facebook group named "For Those Who Hate the Little Fat Library Man," to harass a librarian they disliked. In the U.S., if employees were to use corporate IT resources for similar purposes, the company could be held responsible in any ensuing litigation.

3. Exposure to malware. Social networks are designed to be open, with few restrictions on content or links. In most cases, security was not a primary design criterion. Thus, these networks are potential vehicles for introducing viruses, worms and spyware.

4. Risk of leaking corporate secrets. Companies often sanction social networking for the purpose of exchanging professional information. But take great care to protect corporate secrets. Definitions of secret may vary or be misunderstood, and critical information may inadvertently be revealed. Provide clear guidelines across the company, as well as to your suppliers and outsourcers.

Even when networking is used for business purposes, corporations may want to limit the number of networks employees use. Monitoring many networks can become incredibly time-consuming. Moreover, interfaces among current networks don't support robust information-sharing. Unfortunately, unless all interested parties use the same network, many benefits are lost. Consider designating specific networks for companywide communications.

Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=311395

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE LETS EMPLOYEES SHARE SALARIES, BOSS REVIEWS

2008-07-20T16:09:00.004+08:00

The best way to find out about a workplace is by talking to its employees but in the pre internet days it was harder to do this but now all these information are just a click away, welcome to the world of Glassdoor.com.

This new social networking site allows potential workers to find out about the company,employee opinions on salaries and also find out about the bosses and culture in one place.Though review sites aren't necessarily new, sites specifically aimed at sharing workplace information are and they're indicative of the changing way that employees interact with each other, their companies and their employers.

But what are the ramifications? Do sites like GlassDoor empower employees to make better decisions on where to work? Do they force companies to be more open? Or do they open the way for suspicion, abuse, legal trouble and/or termination?Tech experts say it's a natural outgrowth of the social networking revolution, and a positive step toward holding companies accountable for the workplaces they create because transparency is the way the world is moving now.

Big companies like HP and Micron emloyees also take part in this social networking site commenting about their salaries and alsoabout the work environment and currently HP has the most number of reviews and comments on Glassdoor.com.

Source:
http://www.thirdage.com/news/articles/ALT04/08/07/07/ALT04080707-02.html

DID YOU KNOW?!

2008-07-20T15:50:00.004+08:00

Do you know that nowadays employers are looking at the Facebook, MySpace, and blogs of prospective employees, even internship applicants, in order to make hiring decisions?

Now, an important question arises here: is this Legal or Ethical?

There are no definite answers for this question now because not many cases have been publicised but we do know a few things though.

Can an employer legally decide not to hire you based on a review of the contents your Facebook or MySpace page? The truth is, YES THEY CAN, as long as employers do not violate federal or state discrimination laws in using social networking sites in making hiring decisions. For example, an employer cannot legally screen out applicants based on race or ethnicity.

Is it an invasion of privacy for an employer to gain access to your profile or photos? What is posted on the Internet has a lower “expectation of privacy” than, say, a private home telephone conversation. Once it is posted on Facebook or MySpace or your blog, the information is available to the public. Therefore, viewing it does not constitute an invasion of privacy.

Facebook is designed to limit the availability of your profile to your friends and only those in your other networks via the privacy settings. If you use the privacy features and believe that some employers got into your information unauthorized, then you might have a case.

However, use of Facebook by potential employers is not addressed the Terms of Use for Facebook. The Terms of Use does say that its use is restricted to personal and non-commercial uses. ”Non-commercial” use means posting information for personal gain, like ads, which is prohibited. However, it does not mean an employer cannot access your information for commercial purposes, like research to make a hiring decision.

What about using social networking sites after you are hired? It is important to remember that when you go to work, you often have to sign an agreement that governs the use of company computer equipment that waives your right to privacy. Such agreements usually state that use will be monitored so on the job using company equipment, simply do not post things that are potentially embarrassing or damaging to your career.

Source:
http://lespotter001.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/legal-and-ethical-issues-with-employers-checking-social-networking-sites/

DANGER LURKS IN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?!?!

2008-07-20T15:34:00.006+08:00

SNS provides an infrastructure where individuals are allowed to interact with others. However, no one can deny that these sites have also allowed illegal or wrongful form of interaction to take place. Privacy and safety concerns are some issues that allows certain SNSs to boom in popularity if the SNS handles them well.

On the 24th of September 2007, the State of New York's Office of Attorney General (OAG) issued an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, to inform him of potential glitches that may threaten the security and privacy concerns of its social networking service, one of such concerns is its slow response time to complaints made by the users.

Described in this open letter, the OAG had several of its investigators disguising as minors who created accounts with Facebook. The purpose of the investigation was to point out the fact that there were (and possibly, are) sexual predators around, and that Facebook seemed to be facilitating the service, in favour of them, as the site was slow in reacting (or not even reacting) to the dummy complaints made by the investigators. Although Facebook claims on its "Safety" page that inappropriate and illegal contents will be quickly removed from the site to assure parents of the users that the site is safe for their children to use and Facebook also encourages users to report various unwanted materials (postings, messages, photos and more) and that Facebook will "act accordingly" in response, the investigation proved otherwise.

"We take the concerns of the Office of the New York Attorney General very seriously," Facebook representative Brandee Barker told the press in a statement. "As our service continues to grow, so does our responsibility to our users to empower them with the tools necessary to communicate efficiently and safely...We are committed to working closely with all the state attorneys general to maintain a trusted environment for all Facebook users and to demonstrate the efficacy of these efforts."

(Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9788413-36.html)

How safe can it be on the Internet, social networking sites in particular?

Nobody can exactly answer this question precisely, but all should note that the stakeholders involved are constantly improving their facilities to ensure that at any one time, their security measures are first-class.

TECHNOLOGY USED IN SNS

2008-07-19T20:17:00.003+08:00

Many of us might not be aware that the sites we frequent (like Friendster, Facebook or even LiveJournal) are examples of SNS. SNS had evolved from a Server-based service to a Web-based service right now.

Technology involved

Being Web-based
Communication tools (e.g. e-mails, posting)
Exchange Application, such as: photo sharing, music streaming, video streaming
Profiling tools of the individual
Networking connectivity

STAKEHOLDERS - ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

2008-07-19T20:01:00.002+08:00

Are you using SNS?

Right here we will introduce to you who the stakeholders are.

Divided into 3 categories, they are:

1. Users

- Any individual like you and me
- Organizations/groups/cliques

2. Websites

- The various social networking sites

3. Advertisers/Investors

- The advertisers putting up various advertisements posted in any SNS or the web applications to promote their products/services
- Investors supporting the SNS in term of funding

GLOBAL PHENOMENON

2008-07-19T19:31:00.002+08:00

Social Networking Sites are now becoming a proliferating trend, where an increasing number Internet users around the world grow to be dependent on.

Individuals choose on the particular or certain SNS for their own usage.

Examples include:

- U.S. users are using the Xanga, Vox and even LiveJournal

- Singapore users are using the Friendster and Facebook

- China users are using the QQ

It had surfaced that most users chose the various SNS based on the features, but most importantly, it is the different languages offered at the SNS and also the trends surrounding the users.

DEFINE S.N.S.

2008-07-19T18:27:00.000+08:00

(1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system
(2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and
(3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.

Source:
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html#definition

AN OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

2008-07-19T18:21:00.000+08:00

Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach.

Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Some sites cater to diverse audiences, while others attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.

Sources:
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html#abstract
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html#introduction

ZANGO SCAM IN FACEBOOK

2008-06-24T00:32:00.002+08:00

On January 2008 a “secret crush” widget scam was discovered on the popular networking website Facebook. It uses the “secret crush” application on Facebook to deceive users into installing Zango which is an ad-delivery application. Potential victims are informed that one of their Facebook friends has invited them to find out more information by using the secret crush widget- “One of your friends might have a crush on you”. Once the victim selects to “Find Out Who”, he/she is taken to Facebook’s standard application addition page where he/she needs to specifically allow the application to, among other things, “know who I am and access my information” and “publish stories in my News Feed and Mini-Feed”. After the victim has added the application , he is notified that he needs to invite at least five friends who will eventually become preys to this scam. Subsequently,the victim is taken to the download page for “Crush Calculator” and if they complete the installation, they will have acquired Zango.

Source:
http://www.powerset.com/explore/semhtml/Zango

HELLO

2008-06-23T12:38:00.001+08:00

THIS IS OUR FIRST POST !!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!