"Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research."
Opinion piece on the use of Facebook by faculty. Discusses concerns of privacy and granularity in use of FB by teachers. A bit naive in my opinion but does discuss the issues.
What types of news stories do consumers share and discuss the most? What issues do they have less interest in? What is the interplay of the various new media platforms? And how do their agendas compare with that of the mainstream press?
To answer these questions, the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has gathered a year of data on the top news stories discussed and linked to on blogs and social media pages and seven months' worth on Twitter. We also have analyzed a year of the most viewed news-related videos on YouTube. Several clear trends emerge.
Short essay from Caroline McCarthy about the "exhibitionism" of the generation of students just leaving and currently in college. Raises some good questions for discussion.
"First we'll discuss four ways that small groups separated from a full river of news can help you use the social web more effectively. Then, for context, we'll briefly contrast this with the value of the full stream of information. Using both together is more useful than merely limiting the full stream to a manageably small group of sources on a given topic or of a certain priority."
"Clay Shirky visits Google's Mountain View, CA, headquarters to discuss his book, "Here Comes Everybody." This event took place on March 11, 2008, as part of the Authors@Google series."
article by danah boyd on identity, social networks, and the mixed audience of social network interactions... this page also has an .mp3 audio of danah's discussion of the piece.
A Q&A discussion with Mark Zuckerberg and david Kirkpatrick on the history, technology, and cultural effects of Facebook. Nothing shocking but worth the time nonetheless.
The South Park guys skewer Facebook culture and pay tribute to the original Tron movie. Aside from being damn funny there's a lot of great discussion points in here.