1. The 5 Characteristics of Social Networks Hi Sam!!! What’s up Lisa?

2. User Based Users submit and organize information Direction of content can be determined by any user – no one person dictates the current topic Freeform/unstructured

3. Interactive Not just a collection of chat rooms and forums Users can play games, take fun quizzes, share photos and ideas with friends A way to connect and have fun with friends

4. Community Driven Members hold common beliefs or interests Can make new friends with people who say they share your interests or beliefs USE CAUTION Can reconnect with old friends

5. Relationships Social networks are driven by the number of relationships between its members With no control on your settings, information will be dispersed to your friends, their friends, and so on…

6. Emotional Content In the past, web content was primarily information Social networks allow people to communicate needs within a community of friends and receive immediate responses

7. References The 5 core characteristics of social networks were described in a 2007 research study by researchers at Rice University, the University of Maryland, and Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. The characteristics are outlined at http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com /Characteristics_of_Social_Networkshttp://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com /Characteristics_of_Social_Networks