Social Networking

Social Networking

From what I can discern, social networking is all about getting people to communicate and share information on a given topic.  Sometimes these topics are very broad but in general they are specific and focused.  Steve Hagadon believes that it is important to have focus  when deciding on a topic for a social network.  With the internet having such an overwhelming supply of  information.  I agree it is critical for the site to have a focus so that readers will be willing to follow the site.  

 The focus of the topic may be as narrow as members of a social committee or a classroom.  Or it may be broad enough to cover  the subject of American government .  If the topic is excessively large such as American history, it will be difficult for followers to stay up on the multitude of information that would flow through the site.  There would be more interest it the topic were more focused on key elements or subtopics within American history such as, battles of the Civil War.

With this in mind, it is almost impossible to predict which sites will be successful and have a large following and which will be lost in cyberspace.  The best any of us can do is to give it some thought and then  just  jump in and begin to swim.  I know enough to know that it will be necessary to constantly modify, recreate and if necessary start from scratch anything that I produce right now if I intend to stay up to date on web applications.   The web is constantly changing and it is impossible to predict the interests of the consumers of information.  Erratic or impulsive behavior of consumers is actually the norm and it is anyone’s best guess what will happen with the web in the future.   

Everything is moving very quickly and the applications of the web are only just beginning.  In reading the textbook, I was amazed to see the multitude of applications for the social networking component .  I will need to be diligent about spending time on the web if I plan to stay current on how technology can be used in the classroom so that my students can be a part of this revolution.