An Overview of Social Media and Social Networking Sites

Social media is the umbrella term for the wide variety of tools and applications that give the Web its social capabilities—capabilities that allow a community to come together, communicate, and build upon each other’s opinions and ideas. Social media applications and tools are numerous and include:

• E-mail
• Instant Messaging
• Blogs and Vlogs (video blogs)
• Internet forums and message boards
• File sharing (music, pictures, videos, games, etc.)
• Wikis (online content created and edited by ongoing user collaboration)
• Social networking sites and applications

• Virtual worlds (computer-generated simulated environments in which users can engage each other through the use of avatars)
• RSS feeds (subscription to sites that alert Web users when new content has been uploaded)
• Product and service reviews
• Mashups (the combination

A social networking site is one that uses these social media tools for the primary purpose of promoting connectivity and interaction—to facilitate people communicating with other people. Social networking sites include generalist social networking sites, online dating sites, and social bookmarking sites, which allow users to remember and
organize Web sites and pages to return to later. These bookmarks are usually made public and available on social bookmarking sites for other Web users to review. Not all sites that include social media tools are considered social networking sites. An e-commerce site that only allows users to purchase products is simply an e-commerce site. An e-commerce site that allows users to purchase products and read and publish product reviews on the site is an e-commerce site with social media functionality. It might have social networking capabilities; however, its primary purpose is not social networking. For the purpose of categorizing types of sites, the categorization of a site is typically based upon its primary purpose. (Th e Famzam.com Web site that was profi led in Chapter 2, for example, allows users to make purchases on the site, but it is not categorized as an e-commerce site. Rather, it’s a social networking site with  e-commerce functionality.)

Social media tools rely on the collaborative and continuous interaction of people in order to have relevance. Th is ongoing interaction also means that social media Web sites are in a constant fl ux. A Web site often layers on additional social media applications as it expands and attracts new audiences. A social networking site, for example, might decide to provide video-sharing capabilities. Web sites that utilize social media applications are also beginning to integrate with each other, further expanding the  global conversation and offering more benefits for businesses.