Social Networking Safety

A recent article in the New York times talks about safety concerns relating to social networking. A new Harvard task force is exploring the risk on sites like Facebook and MySpace that teens are being targeted by sexual predators.

I'm really, really not an obsessive social networker. But even I get bizarre, random pokes and emails on Facebook from total creeps. I'm a skeptical 27-year-old who doesn't spend all that much time on Facebook - but would I be so discerning and cynical at 16? Would I have been at all receptive to online weirdos? To be honest, I don't think so. But that doesn't mean that social networking sites aren't dangerous on some level.

It will be interesting to see what the task force finds out; the online social networking world is new - and will require a new approach to safety. For me - well, in a way I feel lucky that I didn't have to even think about these things at 16...

Mobile Networking in the US

I just saw this article on emarketer about mobile social networking in the U.S. While mobile social networking has taken off in Asia (not surprising) and in the UK, it's still not a mainstream concept in the US. That said, research suggests that mobile social networking will continue to grow globally:

The article also suggests that teens are a prime target audience for mobile social networking; cell phones are their main means of communicating, and most of them will come of age when social networking is the norm.

Still, I'm skeptical. What I'm wondering is who really has the time to stay so connected? Maybe I'm just too old (at 27!), too corporate, too thinly stretched balancing work, school, and a social life, but I simply can't imagine the time commitment associated with staying in touch with people constantly.

An article I read for a grad school class talked about the cultural rationale for the rise of text messaging in Asia. It claimed that mobile connectivity first came about in Japan because teens rarely had "personal space." Tokyo is a cramped city; text messaging enabled teens to communicate - and have a certain level of autonomy. In the U.S., personal space isn't so much of an issue (well, outside of New York).

Maybe that's why we were so slow to adopt text messaging as a communications method. I'm interested to see if the same cultural concept will influence our uptake of mobile social networking technology. My bet is that mobile is here - and it's only going to get bigger on the social networking front. How quickly we adopt it in the U.S., on the other hand, is harder to call.

It's Really All About Mobile...

I just came across this press release on Social Networking Watch - an excellent online resource for the latest and greatest in social networking news.

Just last week, Technorella was a bit overwhelmed with Gypsii's ability to take Facebook mobile, and was shocked to learn about ZuGiDoMe's laser technology. These new technologies seemed to be the "new wave" of social networking, unlikely to go main-stream anytime soon.

But the announcement that Xanga is going mobile in Hong Kong - in partnership with HK's largest mobile provider - makes me think that mobile social networking is already here - and rapidly becoming main-stream.

I guess Technorella shouldn't be surprised - but the more I think about it, the rise of mobile social networking is going to change the face of social interactions exponentially. The boundaries between online relationships and "real" relationships are going to continue to blur.

LinkedIn Logic

We've been looking to hire a few people on my team at work - and it's gotten me to start thinking about LinkedIn, and how it contributes to the job hunting scene.

Our head of HR has brought us a few candidates she's come across on LinkedIn. Most of them are stellar, and could be great additions to our group. The problem? Most of the good ones aren't actually actively searching for a new job. And when it comes down to it, they typically turn down an offer from our team. Why? Because they're truly not in the market to make a move.

As a result, I feel like I've been wasting time interviewing people who don't particularly want to work at my company. On the one hand, it seems like LinkedIn is a great way to find candidates. But how truly relevant is the site when it's not actually leading to legitimate hires? I'm curious to see how things go with LinkedIn, and its role in the job search process.

Social Networking in the Corporate Arena

I've been thinking about the role of social networking in the corporate arena. Technorella works at a PR agency with an incredibly strong interactive department - and the idea of social networking frequently comes up at new business pitches.

Potential new clients are always looking for innovative, new media recommendations. And our interactive team is more than capable of adding a social networking compenent to our strategic recommendations. After all, clients are looking for insight into the digital arena.

But here is my question: is social networking meaningful for corporate entitities? I'm just not sure people - when they're online - are all that interested in corporate messages. Communicating online is largely about staying in touch with friends - and taking a break from work.

Just some food for thought following a new business brainstorm.

What?!

So, I just came across this press release from a company called ZuGiDoMe (I subscribe to Google news alerts on social networking; I'm not an insane person).

Here is the deal: the company (which is seeking investors, and whose patent is pending, FYI) is taking social networking mobile. Ideally, it will become relevant for business as well as personal use.

Basically, it uses laser technology to "connect" people. So, you're walking in midtown with your ZuGiDoMe laser device, and it "connects" to someone else's laser device - who is deemed compatible with you (via information about the two of you stored on ZuGiDuMe's site). You go back to your computer, log into your ZuGiDoMe account, check out the person's profile, and connect with the person online if you choose to do so.

The point, I guess, is to bring "real world" encounters and social networking together. Maybe this will be the new trend in social networking - or maybe it will go bust. Either way, I have to admit the demos on the site made me laugh out loud at my computer. The idea of lasers connecting people is just a bit much for Technorella. What ever happened to good old fashioned chemistry?

An Ode to Online Stalking

Typically, Technorella strives to refrain from bringing her personal life into the blog. But social networking is personal, and I can't resist commenting on a recent Facebook experience. I'm relatively new to the whole scene, and this experience - while typical - made me recognize for the first time why people are so interested in social networking.

So, I recently received an Evite for a party this coming Friday night. It's for a really good friend of mine - so imagine my suprise when looking through the guest list I came across a familiar, and uncommon, last name. Let's call it Kamikaze.

When I was living in Washington, DC, I briefly (and very casually) dated someone with the same last name. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to uncover that the Kamikaze on the Evite is actually the sister of the Kamikaze from DC. She's been friends with my friend for years - only we've never met.

Now, I'm not really sure what this discovery actually means; I'm not going to introduce myself to She-Kamikaze next weekend and bring up her brother. After all, it would be an admonition of some serious online stalking. But, still, there's something about this experience that grabbed my attention. It makes me wonder how many degrees of separation really separate us all.