Slides for TCD CS3107 Group Assignment by Barbara Pudlowska Pires, Conor Walshe, Daire Lynch, and Joseph Holland

1. Social Spaces
Barbara Pudlowska Pires, Joseph Holland
Conor Walshe, Daire Lynch
CS3107 Group Wiki

2. What is a Social Space ?
•
Mailing list– a list of the names and addresses of people to
whom material such as advertising matter, information, or a
magazine may be mailed
•
Chartroom - an area on the Internet or other computer network
where users can communicate, typically limiting
communication to a particular topic
•
Newsgroups - A forum or service for the discussion of a
particular topic
•
Social Networks - a network of social interactions and
personal relationships.

3. The Growth of Social Spaces
•
Electronic communication is increasingly becoming the way
people communicate on a daily basis
•
With the introduction of mobile devices the role of social
media in everyday communication has expanded greatly.
“200 million Facebook users access the social media service through
mobile devices alone.”
- Felix Richter 2013 -

4. The Growth of Social Spaces
Social spaces such as Facebook have recorded massive growth in the last
number of years with as many as 80% of regular internet users reporting
ownership of a Facebook account.
If current trends are accurate the only factor reducing the growth of social
spaces is down to over-saturation.

5. The Growth of Social Spaces

6. Competition within Social Spaces
Currently Facebook holds the majority share of registered users at 80% of
internet users claiming to have an account. However sites like Google+ and
Twitter are expanding with current numbers at between 35-45% of users
holding an account.
However there is an entirely different Social Space found in countries like
China where Social Spaces are highly regulated, in these markets the
leading sites are Qzone, Weibo, and Tencent.
Europe
USA
China

7. Competition within Social Spaces
One of the major challenges for those leading the field in social media is
the question of how to make their investment a viable business.
How do you monetise a free service
without angering your target market ?
Facebook’s approach was to sell
Adspace.

8. Competition within Social Spaces
Another way the leaders try to distinguish themselves is to offer new
features on a regular basis.
Frequent updates add longevity to a market which can easily become
stagnant.

9. Top 10 Spaces
Facebook
Google +
Youtube
Twitter
Sina Weibo
Tencent Weibo
Qzone (China Only)
Tencent (Chine Only)
LinkedIn
RenRen (China Only)

10. Impact of Mobile Devices on Social Spaces
With the introduction of mobile devices the shape of the Social Spaces has
been greatly altered. The introduction of mobile Apps has lead to multiple
services being mobile exclusive, these include social networks such as
Facebook and Twitter.

11. Impact of Mobile Devices on Social Spaces
What has the introduction of Mobile devices meant to Social Spaces?
With their limited functionality mobile devices require a different approach
when it comes to Social Spaces. A mobile centred Social Space must be :
•
User centric
•
Highly interactive
•
Highly intuitive
•
Easily Navigable

12. Impact of Mobile Devices on Social Spaces
What is the cost of not keeping up?
For those Social Spaces that fall behind in terms of providing mobile
versions, updated interfaces or fresh content the cost can be quite high.
Two prime examples are Myspace and Bebo

13. The Future of Social Spaces
For the leading Social Spaces the only way to ensure a future is to optimise
their Social presence.
A large part of this is determining what kind of market to aim for. Social or
Professional.

14. The Future of Social Spaces
A breakdown of what users expect from the two different spheres of Social Spaces

15. The Future of Social Spaces
The Most successful sites recognise their target market and optimise their
services appropriately.