Thing 9 - Facebook and Social Networks

What are Social Networks?

Social networks allow you to expand your social contacts by connecting with others.  But I don't want to join Classmates.com you are probably saying to yourself.  (If you need a reminder think bad hair graduation pictures plastered on just about every Web site.)   For those of you who yearn for high school days and are willing to swallow your pride, it is the place to find that friend who vowed to be your friend forever.  You could be one of the 50 million members of Classmate.com.  Judging by this number, there must be a lot of people longing for a connection to the past.  Is it just nostalgia that fuels these social connections or is there more?  The answer is.... more!

Watch this short video on Social Networks by CommonCraft Videos.

Was there Life before MySpace and Facebook?

Yes. The first social network was The WELL, or the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Well, organized in the 1985.  It was a dial-up bulletin board or internet forum and boasted 4,000 members.  Wikipedia describes the range of discussions from silly to serious.  (Really, has much changed?)  But not all was silly.  Craigslist received its start here and many of the first books written about the internet experience were based on its members' encounters.  In 1999, Epinions.com  was the first network to allow others to see who was connected with whom.  Friendster, MySpace and LinkedIn (a network for professionals to meet) followed several years later with MySpace rapidly gaining the most popularity. Facebook, launched by then Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, was initially designed for use exclusively on the Harvard campus.  It later expanded to include other colleges and universities.  What followed can best be explained with these most recent statistics.  Facebook currently has over 350 million active users and 700,000 active business pages.  Today, Facebook far surpasses any network in membership.  See this MashUp for more fun facts about Facebook.

Google Buzz 

Where there are internet users, Google invents.  On Tuesday, February 9, Google launched its own social network called Google Buzz.  Google is targeting their Gmail customers first.  Buzz's five core features are:

1.  No set up required because it is accessed through your Gmail
2.  You can decide what updates you want to read
3.  Easy use of different media like photos, videos, YouTube, and Twitter
4.  It will be available as an app from the Android Market
5.  You can decide to make a post public or private

With so many people using Facebook, it will be difficult to predict the success of Google Buzz

The Basics

All social networks require an email address, a user pic icon which you control, a brief profile, and some sort of security level that you must set.  Most networks allow you to control who can see specific information on your page.  You can also chose who you want to friend or "defriend"- OUCH!

Since Facebook is the largest social network, here are a couple of terms that you might find useful to help you navigate if you chose to create a Facebook page.

Wall - A space where your friends can post a message
Poke - Users sending "virtual" pokes to attract attention or just say hello
Status - "What's on your mind"  lets friends know what you are doing or thinking.  Friends can comment, like or share
NewsFeed - Highlights information that includes profile changes, upcoming events, and birthdays, among other updates

There has been much criticism surrounding Facebook, including who was actually responsible for its beginning.  The biggest issues are security, data mining, and inability to delete you account.

Professional Social Networks

Social networks are not always about connecting with that long, lost friend. They can be used on a professional level as well. Perhaps the best known one is LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/, which was launched in 2003. It currently has over 55 million users. Unique features allow someone to look for a job, post a resume, research companies, view the profiles of hiring managers and recommend a contact or contact's work.


Sermo (http://www.sermo.com/)
This networking site is for credentialed physicans and osteopaths only.  Members are vetted before they are allowed to join.  It is free and currently has about 112,000 members.  Users can contribute using a user name or pseudonym.  It had a relationship with the AMA which was dissolved in July 2009.  It posts no advertisements.  It also has a Facebook page.

Ozmosis (http://www.ozmosis.com/)
Like Sermo, this site is open to credentialed physicians only who must also be vetted.  One of the biggest differences is that members must use their real names.  It too does not include advertising but members can "opt-in" to go to sponsored areas.

One of the biggest criticisms of both sites is that medical students and residents cannot join Sermo or Ozmosis.  If you want the company of this group, try TiroMed (http://www.tiromed.com/).  Specialties have also built their own networks.  Check with your professional association for more information.

Nursing also has a growing number of professional network sites.  These sites accept advertising.

NurseConnect (http://www.nurseconnect.com/)
Owned by AMN Healthcare

Nurse LinkUp (http://www.nurselinkup.com/)
A busy interface with many options.

Consult your professional organization for other network possibilities.

Hospitals and Social Media


Over 316 hospitals nationwide have a Facebook page. Thirteen hospitals here in Minnesota use this tool.   
Why exposure using Facebook?  Regions Hospital has a Facebook page.  (If you want to see it, you must have a Facebook account.)  Five reasons are listed below.

1.  Create community awareness - 
Regions chronicled the construction of the new south edition.
2.  Branding - 
Even Petey P Cup has a Facebook page!
3.  Build consumer trust
Patient can contribute their hospital experiences on Facebook.
4.  Recruitment
Regions posts when there are openings.
5.  Foundation activities
There are announcements about fundraising activities such as the Wine Auction.

Social Networks in the Physical World

An interesting phenomenom to come out of the virtual social network movement is Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/).  This is a site where you can find others in your community with similar interests and join them for a face-to-face meeting.  You can also start your own meetings.  There are approximately 180,000 meetings per month.  How is meetup used? During the last presidential campaign, meetup was used to organize voters around their favorite candidate.  Or if you enjoy hiking, there might be a local hiking club.  Likewise for book lovers and knitting newbies. 



Assignment

Ning

The assignment for this module is to create a Ning account, www.ning.com. Ning is an online platform that allows you to create your own social network.  An Explore8Things network has been created.   You should have already received an invitation as only those who have registered for the class will be invited. If you have not received an email,  please email medicallibrary@healthpartners.com or post a message to the mother blog.  After you have created an account, please review the Mark Zuckerberg video and/or read the articles posted.  Feel free to start or contribute to the discussions and then write about it on your blog.

Address the following questions on your blog.

1.  Do you participate, apart from the Ning activity, in any social networks now?  In not, will you after this class?

2.  How long did you spend on this Thing?

3.  Why did you chose this Thing?