Social Networking Tools for Research Scholars: an overview

A social network represents a set of social entities that interact through relationships like friendship, co-working, or information exchange. Social Network Analysis studies the patterns of relationships among social entities and can be used to understand and improve group processes. The arrival of new communication tools and networking platforms, especially the Web 2.0 Social Networking Services, opened new opportunities to explore the power of social networks inside and outside organizations. This chapter surveys the basic concepts of social networks methods, approaches, tools, and services. In particular, this chapter analyzes state-of-the-art social networks, explaining how useful Social Network Analysis can be in different contexts and how social networks can be represented, extracted, and analyzed in information systems.

In recent days, most of the academic institutions across the world understand the usefulness of social networks for teaching and learning. In general, information is being transferred across the world for multiple purposes in different aspects through social media networks. In academic environment to enhance the teaching and learning processes social media networks are used to greater extent. Researchers and academicians are making use of social media tools, specifically Facebook, Blogs, Google groups, SkyDrive and Twitter for teaching and research. Further, the academic performance of students has been tested statistically by teachers using Social Networking Sites (SNS). The study has been carried out to understand the role of SNS in teaching environment which reveals that students are accessing various social media tools for information sharing and personal interaction. Finally, it has been observed from the analysis that there is increasing demand for the role of SNS in future education perspective. In this chapter the role of SNS in teaching environment is carried out elaborated and presented.

A social network represents a set of social entities that interact through relationships like friendship, co-working, or information exchange. Social Network Analysis studies the patterns of relationships among social entities and can be used to understand and improve group processes. The arrival of new communication tools and networking platforms, especially the Web 2.0 Social Networking Services, opened new opportunities to explore the power of social networks inside and outside organizations. This chapter surveys the basic concepts of social networks methods, approaches, tools, and services. In particular, this chapter analyzes state-of-the-art social networks, explaining how useful Social Network Analysis can be in different contexts and how social networks can be represented, extracted, and analyzed in information systems.

Social media has become the prime need of the day for the people to stay in touch with each other. The impact of social networking sites can be seen in each and every aspect of human activities. Library and Information Services are also affected by the usefulness of Social media tools and now Library and Information Professionals are also using social networking sites to promote various services of their respective libraries in the users' community. The users also find it easy to get in touch with Library and Information Services by using Social Networking tools by simply sitting at a place. This study deals with the usage and importance of selected tools and techniques of social media which are now widely used by Library and Information Center for the promotion of their services and invite users for interaction in knowledge searching process. The study reveals the usefulness of social media tools for Library and Information Professionals and highlights the utility of social networking sites on day to day proceedings of the present day Libraries and Information centers of all types. In today's world interaction among people is very important for establishing contacts between each other as well as to discuss or share views on different aspects of life. For this type of interaction, social media is playing an important role in joining one individual of a community to the other member of any community. Interaction among people has reached up to the level, that they are now sharing each and every aspect of their social life using social networking sites. This is the time when people want to stay in touch with the others even without physical presence. Social media in social networking form is very much popular which gives direct access to its patrons with a simple login formality. As the impact of Social media is felt in each and every sphere of human activities, Library and Information Science field is not an exception of it. Libraries impart their services to the users of all categories and communication or interaction between the users and Library professionals enhances the effective utilization of Library resources. In the area of Library and Information Science, Information providers are directly related to public/ users where interaction skills play important role. Information Science being service oriented field, many of the social media tools can be best applied for faster and effective service depending upon the need of clientele or patron. Keeping this in view, this profession has adopted all the phases of technological advances from time to time, right from computer based services to internet based social networking.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of the consultant’s usage on social-network and the subsequent decisions made To this end, the following four issues will be the focus of this research: the motivation and current state of the consultant’s usage on social networking sites; the consultant’s personal decision-making considerations on social networking sites; the challenges faced by the consultant on social networking sites; the consultant’s perspective on “the usage on social networking Accordingly, the research methods used will be purposive sampling and semi-structured in-depth interviews. First, six consultants would be invited to participate in the research on the usage for social networking sites. Next, the data collected through interviews would be organized, summarized and analyzed with grounded theory. Finally, the results of the study will be discussed comprehensively. Interviewee responses to the research questions: 1.The motivation and current state of the consultant’s usage on social networking The motivation for the respondents to apply for a social networking site is to interact with friends. The current state of the respondents’ usage on social networking can be summarized as follows: respondents who have long term experience in social networking will have more than one personal site; the direction of writing and the presentation of content, will be affected by the features of social networking sites, which also affects the relationship with the audience. Furthermore, the micro-blog type community site has become an integral part of the respondents’ lives. 2.Consultant’s personal decision-making considerations on the usage on social networking There are several considerations that factor into the consultants’ decisions when using the social networking sites: openness of the community site itself, ease of to spreading on the network, convenience for browsing, privacy of their own and others, personal confidentiality and protection of personal rights and interests. Furthermore, the potential ability of social networking to influence others is an important consideration for consultants due to their roles and responsibilities. 3.The challenges faced by the consultants on social networking (A)Respondents experienced negative emotions after prying into certain cases on social networking out of curiosity. (B)Respondents with the aforementioned experience tend to readjust their perspective and actions on social networking sites. 4.The consultant’s perspective on “the usage on social networking sites (A)Consultants should not be denied the right to use social networking due to their profession. However, consultants should use such with professional integrity. (B)The ability of consultants to understand the purpose of using social networking and the information to be conveyed would enable them to have a clear concept of appropriate message content. (C)Consultants would be able to avoid posting inappropriate messages on social networking if they have a good sense of self-awareness, and are able to reflect and assess the issue on hand. (D)Consultants need to pay attention to the content of messages on community websites as they have no control over the audiences’ interpretation of it. (E)Consultants should remain professional on social networking and this includes refraining from criticisms and inferences. Discoveries derived from analysis of the interview data: 1.Psychology consultants deem that social networking have become an interactive tool that is indispensable in both life and work 2.Psychology consultants’ value of individual privacy and are conscious of their input on social networking site. 3.Psychology consultants create an identity and role for themselves through the Internet and social networking 4.Psychology consultants are affected by their professional role and ethics responsibilities when using social networking sites. 5.Psychology consultants tend to be concerned over how individuals perceive the information they posted on social networking sites. 6.Psychology consultants believe that their messages on social networking may subconsciously affect the discussion on these sites. 7.Psychology consultants are influenced by their training in ethics and this makes them extra cautious when using social networking sites. 8.Psychology consultants tend to attempt to separate the “professional” and the “personal” on social networking sites. The following conclusion can be drawn from the above research and analysis of the results: 1.Recommendations for consultants (A)The importance of the effects of personal network-related messages on the consultant’s profession, work and case relationship (B)The intention usage, and function of social networking requires care and consideration. (C)In cases of ethical dilemma, consultants should seek advice and discussion with other professionals. 2.Recommendations for consultants’ training programs (A)Inclusion of Internet knowledge in training programs so consultants are familiar with its potential. (B)There should be a focus on the ethics training of consultants. 3.Recommendations for the future research (A)Public opinion on consultants’ usage of social networking sites. Consultants’ years of service can be included as a factor in the study.

Aim/Purpose: The study focuses on how 107 third and fourth year college students use social networking sites to communicate, to coordinate activities, and to collaborate with family members, classmates, and friends. Background This research study looks at the students’ social networking site usage patterns, their frequency of use, online social behavior as well as awareness of risks relating to privacy and unsolicited attention from strangers. Methodology: This study used a questionnaire to elicit business management students’ perception of social networking’s impact on learning, on relationships with peers, and on the development of critical social and business skills. Contribution: This research study seeks to explore students’ perception of the importance of social networking sites in their lives as students. This offers an insight to how the respondents use social networking sites, who they interact with on these sites, and how it impacts their family life and academic life. Findings: The study finds that overall, the impact of social networking among these respondents has been positive though it has yet to help all of the students to find a balance between their personal and academic lives. Recommendations for Practitioners: Studying the social networking usage behavior of students can help teachers assist and guide them, even beyond class hours, on academic, personal, and career matters. Impact on Society: While focused on a very small sample of third and fourth year students in the Philippines, the study hopes to offer parents, elders, faculty, and school administrators an insight into the impacts of social networking sites on the lives of students, and to present possible ways to help these young people cope with the pressures of living in a networked, totally connected, 24/7 world. Future Research: Instances and responses to cyberbullying; the possibility of self-harm or feelings of isolation stemming from unrestricted social networking site use; the role of self-discipline in limiting use of social networking sites during school days.

The aim of this mixed methods research study was to examine the construction of adolescents’ bi-cultural identities through an exploration of their social practices on the social networking site, Ning. More specifically, we ask: (1) how are new Canadian and first-generation adolescents’ bi-cultural identities shaped and performed as they use multimedia and social networking tools in their classroom; and (2) how can social networking tools help students cross cultural barriers and build strong communities of practice. In this paper, we share the findings of this research that examines how seventy-seven 11-12 year old students explored, negotiated and presented their bi-cultural identities while using a social networking site with their peers and teachers, and how this process contributed to the creation of a strong community of practice.

Social networking tools have become an integral part of our daily lives. Recently, a new type of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) namely Academic Social Networking sites (ASNSs) has attracted global users. There is perceived usefulness on the impact of ASNSs on patterns of academic research activities. However, it remains unclear why some researchers do not use ASNSs at all. The purpose of this paper is therefore to explore the ASNSs usage among Malaysian academic researchers and to investigate benefits, specific purpose, drivers and barriers of using ASNSs. A total of 210 completed cases were collected through paper-based and online-based questionnaire. In order to show the outcome of the research, descriptive interpretation of data is performed. The overall findings of this research indicate that there is low rate of ASNSs usage among researchers. In addition, the results show that colleagues, attitude toward technology and communication benefits are the drivers to use ASNSs and trust, privacy and security are the common barriers regarding to use ASNSs.

Nowadays the widespread use of information and communication technologies in every field, especially in education, brings forward the idea of use of them by teachers and students intensively. Although teachers and students are far from each other physically, they communicate thanks to information and communication technologies, learn new information about their lessons, repeat this information, and reinforce what they learn in class. When taking learning and teaching into consideration, learning and teaching do not happen without communication and interaction. The importance of social media tools in information and communication technologies has been increasing in terms of education. Social media tools are generally called as social networking sites. Facebook is the most used and known tool among them. Facebook is a social network that provides communication and information exchange. People who have Internet connection in every part of the world communicate and interact among themselves via this social tool. In other words, people compose virtual social lives for themselves. People in these virtual lives identify themselves, communicate and get along with people who have the same cultural level via the facilities that the Internet provides. This case tries to find out the use of Facebook by language instructors via a questionnaire which was given to 160 English, French, and German language instructors at the School of Foreign Languages, Basic Languages Department of Anadolu University. Findings emerged related to every aim of the study. Some conclusions were drawn from the findings gained in the study. The results of the study revealed that Facebook has been used widely by instructors. There were some differences in the use of Facebook among English, French and German instructors. It was found that English instructors made extensive use of Facebook. Moreover, some instructors were found to create class pages and have some activities like communication, sharing class events, giving homework and sharing videos. Based on the results, the study was concluded by some implications to use Facebook in foreign language learning.

The aim of this study is to reveal Open Education related social media usage in Turkey through social network analyses. To this end, the most widely used social media network in Turkey, Facebook, was chosen. All the pages and groups created on Facebook related to Open Education were found. A total of 207 groups and 521 pages were accessed and entered into the social network analysis. Within the scope of this study, the density and centrality features of the network were analyzed for groups whereas the density, centrality, and degrees features of the network were analyzed for pages. The study's results revealed that while pages and groups related to programs emphasizing current job opportunities and student support services were more actively used, commercial accounts attempted to exploit students' exam anxiety instead of generating actual content. The findings also revealed that well structured institutional pages appeal to students and have the potential to reach high levels of popular in short periods of time.

Стаття присвячена дослідженню проблем використання соціальних Інтернет-мереж для запобігання злочинності, як однієї із сучасних тенденцій розвитку кримінологічної науки. Встановлено доцільність використання всього спектру можливостей соціальних Інтернет-мереж для підвищення рівня запобігання злочинності, це зокрема стосується: ведення спеціалізованих блогів; створення аудіо- та відеофайлів запобіжного характеру; моніторингу кримінологічно значимої інформації та іншого.

In the context of growing interest in both Mobile-Internet convergence and Web 2.0 social technologies, this article investigates the business opportunities derived from offering Social Applications in the convergent scenario, particularly regarding Social Network and Content Sharing services. Given the business model structural deficiencies identified in literature for this type of convergent services, the investigation is oriented towards the role of the technology delivery channels (either Internet and/or Mobile) and revenue appropriation strategies. A mixed-methods research strategy was employed consisting of a cross-sectional survey of 124 Social Application services offered in Spanish language and seven case studies with representative Social Network and Content Sharing services. While the aim of the survey was to map and identify the overall main characteristics and business model dimensions of Social Applications, the case studies' objective was to understand the strategic reasoning behind business model design and evolution. The research offered a detailed view on the dynamics of Social Network and Content Sharing services, showing how the revenue strategies are tightly linked to the technological delivery channel. Finally, six critical success factors for business models of Content Sharing and Social Network services were identified.

Convergence is a term that has been gaining increasing attention across the globe. Conceptually situated between technological and socio-cultural domains – as has been intensely debated between the technological and social determinists since the birth of computer mediated communication (CMC) – mobile culture is no exception. It is powered by inter-operable and multi-functional mobile telecommunication technologies, which are also becoming increasingly high functional especially via fixed-mobile convergence, interconnecting fixed and wireless broadband networks. Wide diffusion and convergence of digital communication technologies – wired and wireless – in recent years have resulted in the emergence of two key paradigmatic convergences: between technology and sociality, and between productivity and play. I will first elucidate these convergences; I will then discuss cultural characteristics of specific East Asian cultures, focusing on South Korea, China, and Japan.

The use of online social networking tools like blackberry messenger, face book, 2go, Nimbuzz, yahoo messenger, etc, continues to increase rapidly among all age groups and segments of the society, presenting new opportunities for the exchange of sexual information as well as for potentially unsafe encounters. This study using the survey research design and hinged on questionnaires and personal interview as instruments, explored the influence of social networking sites as tools for sexual perversion among students of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Anchored on the technological determinism and uses and gratifications theories, the study found out that social networking tools actually contribute to UNN students sexual perversion and that there is an increasing adoption of the use of these tools, especially black berry messenger, 2go and facebook in that order. The study also discovered that majority of the students do not consider contents on these sites as being offensive. The study recommended that the use of SNSs should be regulated and regulators should device ways of detecting, exposing and punishing anybody found exchanging sexually explicit or implicit content or engaging in online sex. Keywords: Sexting, sexual perversion, social networking sites, Online- Offline contact, Nigeria.

Social media encompasses many forms such as social networking sites like blogs, vlogs, instant messaging and virtual communities. Among the social media, Facebook appeared as a major platform and emerged as a winner because of its large user base. The rapid rise of social media provides numerous possibilities for academic institutions to exploit this media to extend its learning and teaching endeavors. Nonetheless, this has no boundary; it is suitable for administrators, managers, learners and teachers in academic institutions too. The Social networking is a medium that lets the users to interact and work collaboratively with others, including the ability to browse, search, invite friends to connect and interact across the globe. Several opportunities have been emerged for academic libraries in augmenting their basic objectives like identifying right users communities, their need and proactive teaching learning services to its users. Social software in the web 2.0 world not only enhances the practical usability in the library but also helps the diminishing librarian’s role through value addition to profession itself. In this paper, select cases of social academic networks are described and different perspectives have been given on how academic libraries are participating in this massive social networking drive. Also, an attempt has been made to analyze social media presence of select Indian academic libraries.