Blog Social networking

Social Networking can be used for business to connect to the customer on a level that is more personal than radio,TV or print as exemplified in the article How Obama Tapped Into Social Networks’ Power. Unlike past candidates that predominantly used expensive voter lists, phone banks and direct mail to rally voters during their campaigns Obama used the Internet which is significantly less expensive.“But Senator Barack Obama understood that you could use the Web to lower the cost of building a political brand, create a sense of connection and engagement, and dispense with the command and control method of governing to allow people to self-organize to do the work.”  Social networking is good for society because it creates transparency between the consumer and businesses since social networking allows for two-way conversation.    “Special-interest groups and lobbyists will now contend with an environment of transparency and a president who owes them nothing. The news media will now contend with an administration that can take its case directly to its base without even booking time on the networks.”

The “dark side” to social networking is invasion of privacy.Even I’m guilty of posting embarrassing pictures of others on Twitter or Instagram. In the article  They're Back, and They're Bad: Campus-Gossip Web Sites college students are able to post content about their peers anonymously. Gossip is natural,but when it takes place on a public, unmoderated forum, it’s easy for things to get really explicit. If you’re on this site, future employers are able to see things that may hurt your chances of getting a job. “"This is the new JuicyCampus," says a note at Campus Gossip, which boasts campus-specific message boards for hundreds of colleges and encourages anonymous and racy barbs such as "These Fellas got herpes," with a list of names attached. Going even further than its predecessor, there's also a photo section where students can post embarrassing pictures and videos of others.” Sites like this contribute to  bullying or harassment which can make the person affected feel depressed or unsafe.

I believe social networking may evolve to include more real-time video streaming.