Posts Tagged ‘social networking’

5 social networking sites not named Facebook that you might like

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When it comes to social networking online, Facebook is the current media darling, having replaced MySpace as the top networking site. In this week’s Friday Five, I’d like to share some social networks that are a little more niche in nature, and thus smaller in size and reputation, but still potentially useful.

1. LinkedIn

If pillow fights and mafia wars have turned you off of Facebook, but you want a way to keep in touch with professional colleagues past and present, give LinkedIn a try. LinkedIn’s focus is on professional users, helping you let colleagues know when you’re looking for work or when you’re hoping for a reference. Employers can also list jobs on the site; then users can see how they may be connected to job openings through their professional networks.

2. GoodReads

Are you a book nut? Check out GoodReads (or Amazon-owned Shelfari), a social networking site for reading enthusiasts. Keep up with what your friends are reading, write reviews, and even join online book clubs. We’ve covered GoodReads here extensively, though I’ll admit I’ve gotten lax on keeping up my reading list on the site. If you’re a more avid reader than I am, though, I recommend checking it out.

3. 43 Things

Do you have a goal? Chances are you’re not the only one out there who wants to accomplish something in particular, be it to stop smoking, climb a mountain, get an advanced degree, or whatever. Social networking site 43 Things puts you in touch with individuals in the same boat as you, giving you a support network for advice and encouragement.

4. Dopplr

Planning a trip? Dopplr is a social network for travelers. Tell Dopplr where you’re going and when, then get recommendations on places to eat, sleep, and visit on your trip. Dopplr also has a nifty, location-aware iPhone application for keeping these recommendations close at hand when you’re out exploring.

5. Ning

If there’s a common interest, chances are there’s a group on Ning talking about it. Ning makes it easy to create your own social networks. It’s popular with educators, and has even been used to create The Big 4 Community for instructional coaches and SIM Action Research for PDers exploring the uses of action research in classrooms.

Photo: My social Network on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and MyblogLog by Luc Legay

By Aaron | September 25th, 2009 | Comments

SIM 2009 Presentation recap: Links and additional information for getting started with social media

Thanks to everyone who attended our sessions on social media at the 2009 SIM® conference in Lawrence yesterday! Below is a list of the various sites we recommended over the course of those four hours. If I’ve forgotten anything, just leave a comment at the end of this page and I’ll add what’s missing (be a “critic!”). Feel free also to provide any other suggestions about getting started with social technology as well. Thanks again!

General

  • Groundswell–including the “social technographics” profile tool

Twitter

I dug around a bit to find these links this morning–I hope they help explain or reinforce some of the concepts we discussed about Twitter.

Blogs

Start your own blog:

  • Posterous–easy, e-mail-driven way to get started blogging
  • WordPress.com–hosted blogging for more experienced bloggers
  • Blogger–another blog host

Find other blogs:

Facebook

RSS Readers

Podcasts

Note: A podcast can be audio or video (sometimes referred to as a vlog or v-log)

Ning

YouTube

Copyright and Fair Use

By Aaron | July 17th, 2009 | Comments

Social network for SIM action research now online

SafariScreenSnapz002.jpgIf you’re interested in networking online with people performing action research with SIM® check out the new SIM Action Research site on Ning. Sue Woodruff has created this network to help everyone share “the good things being done” through SIM and CLC work.

New to Ning? It’s a site for creating your own, niche-specific social networks. You can share discussions and files, chat with others, or host a blog. To learn more, read 7 Things You Should Know About Ning from EDUCAUSE.

By Aaron | June 26th, 2009 | Comments

The 2009 SIM Conference website is online and social

FirefoxScreenSnapz001.jpgThis summer’s SIM Conference in Lawrence is bringing lots of changes. You can check out the conference website to get details, but I wanted to take a moment to share what’s new with the website itself.

David Gnojek, CRL’s Art Director and occasional contributor to Hello, has added a social element to the site–discussion on news, session descriptions, and other elements. Want to send a message to the presenter to make sure a particular question gets answered? Leave it on the site, or engage in conversations with other attendees before–and after–the conference.

I saw this sort of system in action for this year’s South by Southwest Interactive festival–it made me feel more involved with the conference community, months before I stepped foot in Austin. If you’re coming to Lawrence this summer–or even if you’re not–please take a few minutes to peruse the site and leave your thoughts wherever relevant. No login is required, though your message will be reviewed just to make sure it’s not spam.

By Aaron | May 19th, 2009 | Comments

Three ways to replace what you’re doing now–with Twitter

Soren Gordhamer of Mashable has posted thoughts on How Twitter is dethroning the “old guard” of common Internet tools–namely, social networking sites like MySpace, web search (Google), and e-mail. Whether or not you agree that Twitter will become a de facto communication system, you might pull the following takeaways from Soren’s argument:

  1. Twitter is the first “everywhere social network”–you can use it on your computer or your mobile and stay up to date wherever and whenever you’d like.
  2. Twitter searches yield realtime results–not what Google’s search engine found yesterday. Twitter searches can also quickly and easily solicit opinions from the masses–like Soren’s example of querying about web hosting, I’ve used Twitter to get recommendations for mechanics, home repair, and places to eat when out of town.
  3. Twitter gives you an outlet to share information you wouldn’t otherwise share via e-mail. Setting up an e-mail distribution list of all your friends, just to tell them “I’m going to San Antonio next week!” might be a little off-putting, but sharing this little personal news bite on Twitter is almost expected.

My takeaway: This is all a reminder that a post on Twitter really is more than just a 140-characters-or-less “what are you doing?” message, and that the service is well on its way of sitting side-by-side social networks, search engines, and e-mail (if not “dethroning” them).

What do you think? If you’re using Twitter, have you tried any of these functions? Or if not, what do you find off-putting about it? You can share your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Aaron | May 2nd, 2009 | Comments

10 useful social media sites (not necessarily just for) for college students

Mashable has compiled a list of 10 must-try social media sites for college students that goes beyond the usual (Facebook, YouTube, etc.). The list includes web-based tools to help with studying, finding internships, getting stuff done, and taking notes. Some of the suggestions, like Evernote and Remember the Milk, are definitely applicable outside of college, too.

By Aaron | April 17th, 2009 | Comments

Social networking now more popular than e-mail

This just in: Neilsen Online reports that people spend more time on social networking sites and blogs than personal e-mail. Specifically, last year 66.8% of global Internet users accessed “member communities,” vs. 65.1% for e-mail. As noted in Mashable, time spent in these member communities is up 63% from last year. Facebook is the fastest growing of these communities, with 566% growth in time of usage, and a new 12.4 million new users between 35-49.

ReadWriteWeb’s takeaway is particularly interesting:

Our take away from these findings? People prefer the clean, controlled, multi-media and publicly social experience of social networking communication over the relatively open, individualistic and spammy medium of email. The fact that there is effectively no data portability allowing communication archives to be ported from one social network to another as there is with email doesn’t appear to be bothering people in the short term. We wonder if it will in the long term.

Personally, I wonder how long it will be before social networking sites have taken on some of e-mail’s less-desirable traits, such as spam, silo-style storage, and did I mention spam? At any rate, if these numbers stay pat we could be looking at the next major shift in how we communicate with one another. What a great time to be working in online development!

(ReadWriteWeb and Mashable)

By Aaron | March 9th, 2009 | Comments

5 tips for managing multiple social networking profiles

A common complaint I hear from people hesitant to sign up for the latest social network is that maintaining yet another profile on yet another network is too time-consuming. Fair enough. But Ben Parr of Mashable offers a counter-argument to this position, and provides tips to make managing multiple online profiles easier. I’ve used Ping.fm, a service Ben mentions to update status messages in multiple places, in the past and it works well. If the notion of keeping your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and blog all up-to-date is overwhelming, check out Ben’s list.

By Aaron | March 9th, 2009 | Comments

Social media in 60 seconds

Still scratching your head when we talk about “social media?” Here’s a cute little video by Michael Brito of Intel that breaks things down–as Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasion puts it, “it’s about being human.” Show your customers you love them, and they’ll love you back.

(YouTube, via Micro Persuasion)

By Aaron | March 1st, 2009 | Comments

Share presentations directly from PowerPoint with SlideShare Ribbon

We’re big fans of SlideShare, a handy social site for sharing presentations online. Posting your presentations has always been relatively easy, and now if you use PowerPoint 2007 (Windows only) it’s even easier. SlideShare has released the SlideShare Ribbon add-on to PowerPoint. Check out this introductory slide stack for more information:

Meet the SlideShare ribbon for PowerPoint
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: powerpoint microsoft)

I’m a Keynote guy myself, but if you try this out let us know what you think.

By Aaron | December 16th, 2008 | Comments
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