Disadvantages Of Social Networking Sites

Lack of AnonymityYou are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know. Most people would say be careful, but no one can be certain at any given time. As long as people can know who you exactly are, then some can find ways to do you in.Scams and HarassmentThere is a potential for failure of security in both personal and business context. While many sites apply certain measures to keep any of these cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolute minimum, you still may never know.Time ConsumingIf this is not your kind of thing, that it would just be a waste of time for you. The key to social networking is that it is supposed to be fun, whether you are just doing it for kicks or clicking around for business purposes. That should be reasonable enough for anyone, but there are those people who don't see the point. For them, it can be a disadvantage.Now thereis something to really think about. Nothing is without a blemish, but those of this type of networking shouldn't really be that much of a concern regarding your safety. As long as you go along without making big mistakes, then it is all good. You can take advantage of the Internet phenomenon that continues up to this day.Once you understand the advantages and disadvantages of social networking, then you can cruise through without fail.http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html

Nothing has changed the Web more than the rise of social networking sites. Before social networking, the World Wide Web was full of interesting information, but there was little opportunity to contribute or participate.

Today, social networking sites are fulfilling the potential of the Web: connecting people across the globe. But why do they matter so much?

"With social networks, we're able to visualize the connections between individuals, says Fred Stutzman, Ph.D. student and...

Subject : Computers

Month-Year : Apr 2010

Author/s : Samir KapadiaChartered Accountant

Topic : Social Networking: Boon or Bane

Article Details :

For the uninitiated, initially, social networks were networks or meeting places set up by people who wanted to ‘keep in touch’ or team up after starting their career. Facebook as we know it today, was akin to a school/college yearbook — a photo album, the only difference being that it was in the form of an electronic billboard, where one could look up old colleagues and exchange information. With added impetus from technological advancement, developments in networking technology and mobile phones, over time this electronic billboard evolved to social networks as we know them today. Presently, social networks, among other things, are :

Forums for sharing materials;

Virtual market places — to meet like-minded people, share videos, pictures, thoughts, etc.

Social networks are unique in the sense that, while they serve ones personal needs, they are equally useful in meeting one’s business or professional needs. The following examples would illustrate this :

Social networks allow you to keep in touch with family members staying in a different city (Yes, I am aware that we have the old & faithful postcard, telegram, and yes the telephone rentals have dropped drastically so we can always call our friends or send an sms or chat with them on the net, but imagine reaching out to all your friends and relatives at one go with added interactivity);

Social networks give you an impression of being in a space of your own. They allow you to mingle with like-minded communities (discussing ideas or experiences on your latest trek, purchase of new camera, car, etc.);

Enhance social and political communications (Apparently social networking contributed significantly to President Obama’s campaign);

B- Schools using it to send out information to its students

(IIM Calcutta took its first step in Dec. 2008, from breaking news, blog links to CAT and campus-placement updates, the tweets on ‘IIMC’ reflect a broader use of Twitter than most celebrity users seem able to comprehend). Having understood this background, lets get on with the basics.

There are various types of online social media — from social networks of friends and professionals, to microblogging services, to video sharing sites. To name a few :

Online friends networks :

Facebook :

The world’s largest social network, with hundreds of million users, began when a small group of Harvard students, led by Mark Zuckerberg, decided to keep in touch with each other. It soon opened out to other US campuses and eventually in 2006, to everyone.

Orkut :

At one time Orkut India’s most popular social network, this Google-owned service was set up by former Google engineer Orkut Büyükkökten in his spare time. Once a hit with users, it is far behind in the global popularity stakes. Orkut has faced some issues because of its previously open nature. After legal problems in 2007, Orkut substantially cleaned up the network, but by then, the damage was done — ‘high-end’ users had begun switching over to Facebook. (Incidentally have you tried google buzz ?)

MySpace :

Quite popular with musicians and actors, who use the site to host music and movie clips, this site was picked up by Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp a few years ago and its immense

popularity made Google give it a lucrative advertising deal.

Video sharing :

YouTube :

YouTube has started a video revolution — it’s as simple as that. The service — which allows anyone to upload video clips on to the net — from your baby’s first steps to a music video that you recently shot — commands a big chunk of Internet traffic today. According to estimates, every minute of the day, over 10 minutes of content is being uploaded on to the service. (In fact, you can watch IPL3 matches on this network).

Other video sharing services :

Hulu is a video service promoted by US TV network NBC and has high-quality online broadcasts of their shows. Apparently, users from India cannot access Hulu. Other sites include Vimeo and DailyMotion.

Online professional networks :

LinkedIn :

According to last year’s statistics (current number would be higher), there are 41 million users on LinkedIn, of which two million are from India (the secondlargest user base after the US). Virtually every large company and executive has a LinkedIn account and there are examples galore of how India Inc. is using LinkedIn to find talent and do more. Extremely popular among India Inc. and growing by the day. This site is possibly unique among social networks, in the sense that it claims to be profitable (i.e., Linkedin is showing profits) through advertising and ‘premium’ membership.

Blogging :

Most blogging sites are also ‘social media’ by definition

— they allow anyone and everyone to create a blog. Also, if the blogger allows it, anyone with net access can post a comment on the blog, which can be moderated. Blogging is the oldest form of ‘read-write’ online social media, but has now reached a stable phase. The most popular free blogging services online where anyone can set up a blog are :

Blogger/Blogspot

WordPress

LiveJournal

Microblogging :

Twitter :

This is a blazingly fast-growing service : one estimate put Twitter’s growth at a staggering 1,382% a month with an estimated 100 million users. (A Harvard study estimated that 10% of these users, by and large, created 90% of the content.) Twitter essentially allows users to send out their thoughts in 140 characters or less. Only a third of Twitter users are active, though, and India has an active ‘Twitterati’ of an estimated 10,000 people. Several Indian companies are now embracing the service. Immensely popular and highly useful during breaking news events such as 26/11. Some of the users who have left their indelible mark using this tool — Sashi Tharoor and of course Apro SRK.

While some dismiss them as a waste of time, Internet sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have exploded in popularity, giving easy access to a potentially huge amount of new business.

Business and social media :

The ultimate transformation that is taking place today is within the business landscape, worldwide — and increasingly so in India — where companies are beginning to leverage informal social networks to engage customers, soothe ruffled feathers, strengthen their brands and even hire people. For companies in India, the reasoning is simple : While Indian PC and Internet penetration rates are relatively lower than the West, India has one of the largest Internet population in the world — some 60 million regular users (not including mobile access). Moreover, these users are the most sought-after customers with high disposable incomes, and companies with clear online media plans are waking up to the fact that they can reap the benefits of engaging with this audience. Those that don’t, risk losing the customers that they already have or slipping behind their more savvy competitors.

Here is a real life instance of how social media can influence change :

Take a look at the interactive digital marketing site that Tata Motors built when the Nano was launched. This site had games built into it, where people could customise colours and pick their favourite ones —thereby (ahem) sneakily helping the car company figure out which ones to use on the Nano. (A clever idea, but far removed from a social media forum.) However, when Tata Motors did launch the Nano, there was no mistaking its intention to use a full-fledged social media strategy. The company set up groups on Facebook and Orkut hoping to target the numerous official ‘Nano’-centric groups that had parked themselves on the site. To its complete surprise, it found that one unofficial group on Orkut dwarfed the official ones — and it would have been a fatal mistake to ignore members not under the official Nano fold. A spokeperson for the company said “We engage with people on these sites, too. We react to criticism of our car and try to explain our position. Also, we often find that before we can react to the criticism, there are other members who come up to defend the car.” As a matter of fact even presently, the official groups on these two sites, at around 17,000 members, are much smaller than the largest un-official group on Orkut with around 52,000 members.

Here’s another example :

Maruti Suzuki India is, strangely enough, a pioneer in online social marketing. Realising that there are several online communities for the highly popular Swift, it has created an online platform to bring together the 2,500 disparate online Swift users’ clubs in India. Earlier this year, the company actively enlisted bloggers and talked to the community during pre-launch activities for its latest Ritz.

There are others — Herseys, Dominos, Apollo Hospitals, Nokia — to name a few.

Avoiding traps :

Its important to understand that social media isn’t for everyone and should not be used for everything. For instance, the Chief Marketing Officer of a large corporate group shared his experience saying online social media is not an ideal platform for business to business (B2B) interactions. “It is a great way of getting messages about your company across, but I would neither buy nor I would sell anything using social media,” she says. Also, having a presence in online social media or running ads there doesn’t mean that the company will emerge an overnight success. In fact, far from it. “It is a misconception among many that this is a procedural thing, which it’s clearly not. It is a highly creative space that requires that marketers identify the space, the nature of stakeholders involved, what makes people tick within that space and, importantly, to listen to people—and not try and sell things to them.” According to experts, the biggest mistake that anyone can make is to use the medium to push their products.

Another problem is that of measuring success. Even though there are advanced analytical tools available on the Internet, classifying a ‘successful campaign’ in social media is extremely difficult and can also be manipulated using something called ‘click fraud’. There are few benchmarks to measure success online unlike television adverts. A company can

claim any number of sign-ups for a digital campaign, but never release how many were translated into sales. Also, beware of social media experts. The landscape is littered with them, many of whom have no legitimate professional experience in the field. Much like the Internet company era, social media is the new in-thing and these hucksters are simply surfing the next big wave, hoping to get rich.

The second part of this article will be printed in the next issue of the BCAJ. Watch this space for the pitfalls and the dark side of social marketing.

One of the most commonly asked questions today is  “are you on Facebook?” or “did you check out the latest pics on my profile?” It is amazing how social networks have completely changed people’s habits, becoming a must-visit Web destination for all. In fact, if you find a friend not using any of the popular social networking services, it seems strange. Thoughts like “is he/she living in today’s world” and “how can he/she afford to miss such a great thing when the entire world is buzzing around it” start coming to your mind the moment you realize your friend’s absence on the site.

Such is the power of social networking today. And it only seems to grow stronger and stronger in the future. Just recently, Facebook achieved another milestone by completing five successful years over the Web. Started in 2004, Facebook had only a handful of users in its network initially, mostly comprising of Harvard students. However, with time it grew rapidly to become the leading social network throughout the world.  So, what led to its success? One of the biggest reasons is word-of-mouth or rather word-of-mouse publicity.

People today can’t imagine living without social networking. It has become a daily routine no matter where you are. Also, it is interesting to know how mobile phones are shaping the use of social networks today. Those who do not get enough time to access their desktops often use a mobile device to stay connected with their friends. What’s even more interesting is that adults are using social networks more than the younger demographic today, something which has never happened before the last year or so.

But there are also people who do not support this growing trend mainly because of its negative impact on the society. The argument is that social networking is slowly taking over face-to-face communication, as people prefer expressing themselves online. Communication has become rapid, but at the cost of personal interaction.

If you observe carefully, the extent of outdoor physical activity has also declined in case of school going children. As social networking becomes a topic of discussion for youngsters, most of them want to be alive and kicking on the network and share their likes and dislikes with people. This has given software developers another reason to come up with innovative applications in tune with the contemporary lifestyle, which is indeed worth appreciating. However, problem arises when youngsters overuse these applications and compromise their social life by constantly updating their profile to let people know how ‘cool’ they are. This is also one of the main reasons why personal interaction has been affected to a great extent.

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The whole discussion here is not to demean social networking. It is doing what it has to do – connect people with their loved ones. But whether to overuse it and affect our social life or not is in our hands. Let technology not master you. Talk to people personally or over phone, get engaged in face-to-face communication and use social networking within limits to balance your life. Social networks are definitely a boon to the society, but too much of it can affect our social progress.

Challenge for Social Media Marketers: Adjusting to Community Conversation   Dynamics

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on June 29, 2011

How often do you come across Brands that speak the community’s language and tone? The basic mantra of social media marketing is to understand who your members are, what tone do they speak in, where they are from, and what is their want. Another important component to identify is what environment these members are conversing in. For example, a set of members at a seminar would react and communicate differently compared to Facebook.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media | Tagged: communication, community, conversation, Facebook, social media, social media marketing | Leave a Comment »

Social Media Opportunities for the Direct-to-Home   Industry

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on May 21, 2010

Not so long ago, social media was a hot-spot for companies belonging to the hospitality, travel & tourism and the financial services industry. But now that the time spent by

average users on the social media sites has increased significantly, we have several companies from other industries stepping on the gas and rolling out their official platforms on popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media | Tagged: direct-to-home, dth, social media, Videocon d2h | 1 Comment »

India’s Leading Mutual Fund Company “UTI” Embraces Social   Media

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on January 15, 2010

Unit Trust of India, popularly known as UTI, recently marked their presence on social media to engage with their consumers. The leading mutual fund company – with over 1 crore investor portfolios – has taken the digital route to promote the “Language of Investment” by addressing user queries and helping them achieve a stable financial life.

The mutual fund giant has set up official accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to spread its message “Kisney Sikhai India ko Investment ki Bhasha” indicating that UTI MF has taught India the Language of Investment. It conducts activities that lead people to think about investments, wealth management, smart ways to getting rich, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, Social Media Promotions | Tagged: marketing and promotion, social media, social media marketing, UTIMF UTI Mutual Fund | 3 Comments »

Pepsi Dumps Super Bowl for Social   Media

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on December 26, 2009

Those who are skeptical about social media’s popularity and ability might put their thinking caps on after reading this post. World’s renowned cola brand Pepsi has astonished the advertising industry by its latest move to ignore Super Bowl this year and instead focus on social media. For those unaware, Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, and is considered as the most-watched American television broadcast.

Pepsi, in an effort to leverage social media, has opted to award grants of thousands of dollars in its “Pepsi Refresh Project”, which would be rolling out in January, 2010. As social media is all about people and communities, that’s exactly what Pepsi would be focusing on. It would allow people to visit the “Refresh Project” via several social media platforms and suggest ideas on how

the brand could refresh their community. The next process involves voting, which would be carried out during February. Finally, the amount of money ($20 million) saved by not advertising through Super Bowl would be diverted to the project in form of prizes. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, Social Media Promotions | Tagged: marketing and promotion, Pepsi Refresh Project, social media, super bowl | 1 Comment »

Bharti AXA General Insurance sets on a Stress-free Journey on Social   Media

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on November 23, 2009

Brands that are helpful always find a special place in the consumers’ heart. As more and more companies follow the “social media” way to reach out to their customers, there are companies that are taking an extra step to make sure they create a positive impact not only on the business front, but also on the society. Bharti AXA is the latest company to join this list and use social media in a healthy way to promote its messages.

Bharti AXA General Insurance has a dedicated micro-site that focuses on providing solutions to people who are in stress. Besides, it aims at encouraging people to lead a “holistic” life by involving Mickey Mehta, India’s Holistic Health and wellness Guru, to share his health tips and secrets. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, Social Media Promotions | Tagged: Bharti AXA, marketing and promotion, social media, social media marketing | Leave a Comment »

Unilever Ambitious About Asian Market, Adopts Social   Media

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on October 31, 2009

Looking at the rate at which social media is growing amongst small businesses across the world, corporate giants are making sure not to be left behind in experimenting the latest marketing medium. We’ve already seen companies like Ford, General

Motors, Coca Cola, Southwest Airlines, etc. embrace social media and using it effectively to create a strong online presence. Now, its time for FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies to set the gear high and ride its benefits! According to Advertising Age, FMCG mogul Unilever is all set to whirl the social media wand in the Asian market.

Apparently, Asia is the biggest market for the FMCG companies to market their products, with demand escalating from fast-developing nations like China and India. Being aware of the growing competition, Unilever has decided to promote three of its popular brands, Pond’s, Lux and Comfort through social media. The aim is to target specific regions and engage users via certain social media platforms like blogs, video-sharing sites, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, Social Media Promotions | Tagged: digital media, FMCG, marketing and promotion, social media, social media marketing, Unilever | Leave a Comment »

Social Media Expands Horizon for Travel and Hotel   Companies

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on September 26, 2009

There’s an explosion of social media sites that are ready to assist the travel and hospitality industry reach out to both, their existing as well as potential customers. As users increasingly use forums, review sites and social networking sites to share their experience, seek answers to their queries and assist others in need, the popularity of these social media platforms is certainly on the rise.

While Facebook and Twitter are still the favourites for most of the travel and hotel companies, other niche sites like WAYN, LonelyPlanet, Virtual Tourist, etc. are making their presence felt as well. They are soon becoming an online destination for users to share their travel pictures, likes and dislikes, views and knowledge about a particular place, etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media | Tagged: hospitality, hotel, social media, social media marketing, travel | 3 Comments »

Twitter can be Dangerous to your Brand …   Sometimes

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on July 23, 2009

Twitter has become a very important site for businesses today. As companies realize the power of Twitter in helping them connect with their present and potential customers, the micro-blogging service has created a strategic business position across the globe. There are already thousands of brands leveraging it as part of their social media activity, along with several others keen to use it for the first time.

However, like every coin has two sides, so does Twitter. Though it is beneficial in nature, it can also prove to be dangerous if not monitored and used effectively. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, Twitter News | Tagged: brand image, business, micro-blogging, online reputation, Twitter | 1 Comment »

MySpace and Vodafone Team Up To Create Music   Sensation

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on June 20, 2009

Collaboration is the need of the hour to grow and sustain, and MySpace is doing exactly that. The social networking site has partnered with telecom major Vodafone to launch The Music Studio – an eight month campaign targeted towards music aficionados. The strategic partnership is a result of Vodafone’s ambition to strengthen its connection with the music industry and MySpace’s aim to enhance the experience of its users.

Accessible in the UK, Germany and Spain, The Music Studio will allow users to remix the latest tracks, get insights from music experts, and obtain tips and tricks to increase their band’s profile. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media, MySpace News | Tagged: MySpace, partnerships, The Music Studio, Vodafone, Vodafone Music Reporter | Leave a Comment »

Using Social Media as an Extension of Traditional   Advertising

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on June 13, 2009

The success of a brand depends a lot on how well people familiarize with it. An average consumer comes across hundreds of advertisements each day through television, radio, hoardings, newspapers and magazines, internet, text messages, etc. However, the ones that appeal his needs, interests, imagination, thinking, behavior, and/or lifestyle tend to win over

others when it comes to brand recall. At the end of the day, an individual remembers only few advertisements out of the major chunk that he comes across on that particular day.

There are several businesses that consider social media as an expense rather than an investment. Conventional firms often stick to the traditional advertising vehicles and are reluctant to use social media tools, which is not a desirable move today. No doubt traditional mediums are important, but the growing significance of social media just cannot be ignored. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Business and Social Networking/Social Media | Tagged: brand, brand awareness, brand image, social media, social media marketing, social networking | Leave a Comment »

Social Networking Up 83% in a Year, Facebook Leads the   Race

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on June 3, 2009

Nielsen Online released latest figures of the social networking industry, stating that the time spent on these sites jumped 83% from previous year in the U.S. While this may seem to be exciting news, the report also warns that the behavior of social networking users is erratic and can turn the tables for any popular social networking site.

Not surprisingly, Facebook led the race with about 700% increase in total time spent on the site by users. The mammoth year-on-year increase from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009 made it the top performing social networking site in the category. Long term competitor MySpace slipped back 31%, while Twitter recorded a growth of over 3700%, as it can be seen from the table below. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Facebook News, MySpace News, Social Networking/Social Media Trends | Tagged: Facebook, MySpace, Nielsen Online, social networking, social networks, streaming video, Twitter | Leave a Comment »

Online Video Rules Other Social Media Platforms in the   US

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on May 29, 2009

Traditional broadcasting in the US has some serious competition from online video, as per a recent data released by the Global Web Index. With more than 70% of US online users watching video clips on the Web, it is now the fastest growing media platform in history, ahead of other popular social media activities like blogging and social networking. The data, which is compiled by Lightspeed Research for social media research consultancy Trendstream, has been released from the Global Web Index ahead of the full report, which includes 16 countries in total.

The findings of the research are very interesting and provide useful insights as to how social media, and especially online video, is transforming the lives of US Web users. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Social Networking/Social Media Trends | Tagged: e-mail, Global Web Index, Lightspeed Research, online video, social media, social networking, Trendstream, US market, video sharing, YouTube | Leave a Comment »

Users Prefer Social Networks over   E-mail

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on March 9, 2009

Until now, checking e-mails was one of the most regular activities on the Web. But the recent study conducted by Nielsen Online has revealed some startling results in favour of social networking and blogs. According to the research firm, ‘member communities’ are accessed by 67 percent of the online audience, becoming the fourth most popular Web category, behind search, portals and PC software, and ahead of personal e-mail.

John Burbank, CEO at Nielsen Online believes that social networking has become a fundamental part of the global online experience. The results, which are based on December 2008 data, suggest that social networking has become a more convenient way of keeping in touch than email. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Social Networking/Social Media Trends | Tagged: blogging, e-mail, e-mail marketing, member communities, mobile social networking, Nielsen Online, social network marketing, social networking, social networks | Leave a Comment »

India – Hot Market for Social   Networking

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on February 18, 2009

It is really interesting to see how social networks have changed users’ perception and habits towards online communication. It all started with small communities, which slowly and steadily expanded over a period of years and ballooned into a full-fledged global interaction space for people to get connected to each other.

Just like American and European markets have shown a healthy response towards this growing trend, Asian markets have come out as a surprise package, generating one of the greatest demands for social networking industry. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Social Networking/Social Media Trends | Tagged: comScore, Friendster, Orkut, social networking, social networking India, social networks | 1 Comment »

Unbelievable! Social Networks Record 93% Growth Since   2006

Posted by Vaibhav Kalamdani on January 14, 2009

When social networks first started their journey, who would have thought they will become a buzzword in every corner of the world today? In fact, many believed it to be a temporary phase

which would die out soon once they become common and standard. But the destiny of social networking has a different story to tell. Social networks have not only popularized increasingly over the years, but also recorded a growth of an astounding 93% since 2006, according to data released by research firm Netpop.

The winner who grabbed a major share of the pie is Facebook, showing a jaw dropping growth of 500% in the same period, thanks to its open-invitation to all users from a previously school-focused network. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Social Networking/Social Media Trends | Tagged: Facebook, MySpace, Netpop Research, social networking, social networks | Leave a Comment »

 ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORK BUZZ

As we witness a huge turnaround in the way businesses are working today, one major stimulant fostering this change is social media and social networking. Companies are realizing the tremendous potential that is still concealed and needs to be tapped urgently to meet their marketing goals and objectives.

Social media refers to digital mediums like internet and mobile that engages people in sharing ideas and information with each other. It includes activities that combine communication and technology to form images, words, audios and videos that promote social interaction and build communities through various applications such as blogs, social networks, social bookmarking, photo and video sharing sites, etc. Few popular examples of social media are YouTube, Digg, Wikipedia, Flickr, Second Life, etc.

Social networking, on the other hand, is one of the major social media activities that concentrates primarily on identifying contacts and establishing links with them, a community building process that connects friends and family over the internet. Some of the most prominent examples of social network sites are Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, Bebo, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Socialnetworkbuzz is a step towards understanding the importance of social media and social networking. The idea is to cover the latest and hottest buzz taking place in the social network sector and look at how individuals and businesses are getting affected by different measures and strategies adopted by this pulsating industry.

Social networking sites are acting as a major distraction for students as they are spending too much time on them, instead of utilising their time on books, newspapers and other educational resources.

The social networking sites generally contain shallow and trivial information in comparison to other sources of learning. Parents in particular and schools in general are worried over the future prospects of their children as they spend much of their valuable time on social networking sites.

Both, schoolteachers and parents are also facing problems with this increasing popularity of social networking sites among students. In some of the schools, the authorities have strictly warned students not to be a part of them otherwise they would face the music.

On the other hand, there are schools, where the authorities are least bothered whether the students are members of these sites and the teachers and students are friends to each other on those sites.

While playing games, listening to music or reading books, a student devotes just that much time while he is doing the activity, but on social networking sites, the student even when not browsing only thinks about the next update or comment he or she might post which is more harmful.

Many students give reasons that by social networking they enhance their knowledge but in reality social networking sites only impart trivial knowledge, but in the name of that knowledge students waste time on so called gossips instead of doing something productive or educative.

The concern is that vulnerable teenagers, with limited experience of the world, are entering an unknown place without adult guidance. With such a small portion of the population having a presence online, any adolescent is exposed to contacts with strangers whose intent was immediate suspect.

Another aspect is that parents are also addicted to social networking sites and they also regularly go online to check updates on websites. This act encourages students too. Survey reports suggest

that students’ percentages have deteriorated after they opened a social networking site account. Students are spending too much time on it, more than what they used to spend on video games and playing and there is not much parents can do because children see parents doing the same every mornings.

While many parents could be doing more important tasks, they prefer surfing and browsing on social networking sites. Parents cannot teach their wards by giving example if they themselves do not follow one.

In a research carried out on the school and college students to study affects of social networking, it was found that young people, who use video games and social media more frequently, tend to have more stomachaches and suffer from sleeping problems along with anxiety and depression.

Also, teens and young adults that log onto Facebook constantly tend to be more narcissistic. The era of social media and broadcasting yourself to others frequently feeds right into the agenda of a narcissist.

According to the research, the more frequently young people used social networking sites; the more likely they were going to develop an anti-social personality disorder. It is also said they were likely to suffer from paranoia, anxiety and alcohol abuse.

The survey also analysed the studying habits of middle school, high school and college students. It was found that most students were only able to stay focused on their studies for about three minutes before engaging in some kind of communication like texting or mobile phone apps. The students who logged into their social networking sites profile during studying ended up doing worse on their exams than those who did not.

It suggested that the parents should have constant, open conversations with their kids about how they are using technology, and not make judgments so they feel comfortable discussing how they behave with other kids online. This could make children more aware that what they say online can hurt others and help them to avoid cyber-bullying.

Positive factors

On a positive note, social media allows kids to practice life behind a safety curtain, allowing them to share personal information with their friends and not have to deal with their reactions right away. This could be a plus point for shy kids and could help to get them out of their shells.

Many teachers are taking advantage of these sites, and are creating accounts for themselves so that they might hold their students accountable for actions, and also update them on assignments, tests, etc. In fact, one particular open-source networking site, Elgg, allows students and teachers alike to create profiles, blogs, and is entirely intended to enhance the educational experience by giving students a place to go outside of class to contact teachers, keep current on assignments, projects, and quizzes, and to ensure, to the best of their abilities, that they do not shirk responsibility; if anything, the adaptability of networking sites is doing more good for education than anything.

Sarojini Naidu College lecturer Seema Raizada said it is wrong to say that students are harmed by being active on social networking sites. In present time, world is becoming a global village and social networking sites are the platforms which provide a student to learn, to understand, to communicate. Now a day it is seen that students have knowledge and active participation in social, political issues which in earlier times was difficult for a student to achieve.

“Yes, even it is true that in this run of virtual socialising parents and siblings are lacking behind and a wide gap between parents and children have created,” she informed.

A teacher of a reputed school on anonymity said once while teaching she caught a boy chatting on a social networking site. She was shocked to see that he was unfazed by his mistake and was continuously giving reason that he was just checking ‘update’. Social networking is harming students much more than anything else. For example, if a student talks to his friend on phone he will talk for maximum 10 minutes, but same conversation will take more than an hour on a social networking website which is more time consuming.

Jitendra Singh Parmar said that being active on social networking sites does not mean that the relation with parents is minimised. “A huge time of ours is consumed in career related activities so we are left with very less time for socialising whereas on social networking sites we can stay active any time, either while travelling, standing on a queue or in the gaps between lectures,” he said.

A school student, Priya said, “I used to be very active on social networking sites. More than 500 friends and several activities, consumed my most of the time. But after my half yearly examinations result lowered by 20 per cent I felt it was just due to my over social networking. After deactivating my profiles on several websites, now my results have improved.”