Recap on Lecture Notes: the Definition of Social Networking
"- The process of building online communities, often accomplished both through 'groups' and 'friends lists' that allow greater interaction on websites.
- Is a process of building relationship over the web."
When I was reading the definition above, I categorized email and instant messenger as social networking very naturally, since I think there are groups and lists for email and IM, and we could build relationship there. It really surprised me when I realized that many people are against this view. But there are classmates agree with me as well. Guan Hao also think email is a kind of social networking and writes a blog on it.
What is Social Networking Exactly?
The definition on our notes is a little bit sketchy and ambiguous. To clarify it, I follow the link on lecture notes and find more detail about social networking. According to Daniel Nation's article, social networking is:"Based on a certain structure that allow people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests. This structure includes having profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets..."If we follow this specification on the architecture of social networking, perhaps we still have disagreements on whether email is social networking or not. How about IM? As there are too many different IMs, let's narrow it down and focus on Tencent QQ, which is an IM of most widely used in mainland China.
Is QQ a Kind of Social Networking?
Well, let's check the following facts first:
1. Users have their profiles and friends.
2. In the early version, there are chatting rooms built in OICQ, they are grouped into different categories, such as teenagers' room, which enables people could meet people with similar interests. In fact, many beautiful stories about online love affairs began here at that time.
2. In the early version, there are chatting rooms built in OICQ, they are grouped into different categories, such as teenagers' room, which enables people could meet people with similar interests. In fact, many beautiful stories about online love affairs began here at that time.
3. Group chatting was QQ's another important function for social networking. Different from chatting room (whose categories and names are given by the Tencent administrators), groups builders and administrators are users. Each group's members may share some attribution or have same interest, say, CUHK MSc IE students 2012 group, and I met some new friends there.
4. Bound tightly with QQ, Qzone is introduced in 2005. Users could write blogs there, and any latest updates on Qzone will be displayed on their profiles of QQ. Friends' update also could be pushed to users.
5. Recently, QQ 2012 add another function called "Circle" (Does it sound familiar?).
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QQ Circle: Does it look like another "fake clone"
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As the features match all the requirements of social networking, I suppose there is no reason to deny QQ is a social networking platform.
References:
http://webtrends.about.com/od/socialnetworking/a/social-network.htm
http://baike.baidu.com/view/1535.htm
(All pictures are from Internet.)
I can't agree with you anymore. QQ is absolutely a kind of social network.It provide different kind of platform for peoples to share their ideas and knowledge.Just like the QQ group,it combine many people who have the same interest or beliefs together and focuses on building social relationship among people.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I have revised the article (no change on the conclusion though), you may read it again if you are interested:) Thanks.
DeleteInteresting that you adopt new knowledge to daily life examples. =) However although I agree with your final conclusion, based on your point 4, it seems even though qq and qzone are bonded somehow, qzone being a social medium itself doesn't necessarily equalize qq to be a social medium as well, since they are still two separate platforms, only under the same company.
ReplyDeleteThinking about Tencent's principles, it's not hard to find how it's integrating various stuff together and trying to create an omnipotent figure. Social media play a major role, examples are qzone, qq, Tencent weibo etc. Thanks for providing a unique insight Wayne. :)))))))
Yeah...I admit you are right. It is a little farfetched to link Qzone with QQ. Thanks for your comment ^.^
DeleteYeah, you are right. QQ must be a kind of social network.Social network focus on the process of the building the relationship. Of course QQ has done it. QQ helps us to keep in touch with friends, communicate with new friends. QQ also helps us to find friends. It can recommend friends for us according to our information, such as our school, or just friends' friends. As you said, the in the qzone, we can upload pictures,express our ideas, feeling and so on, then our friends can know our recently information through following or other method. Obviously, QQ has become an important tool in our life.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on the point that QQ is a platform of social network, it already is, and is getting better and better day after day. I used it from a very young age, and built my own friends' network through it. Obviously, it has been an important part of life of this generation.
ReplyDelete