Social networking services allow users to connect with others and share content online. They have become very popular, with 73% of online adults using at least one social networking site. While useful for socializing and business purposes, social networking sites also present some risks if personal information is misused or employees waste time online. Researchers have found that students can benefit educationally from social networking by improving technology skills, creativity, communication, and openness to diverse views.

2.  A social networking service is a platform to build
social networks or social relations among people who,
for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds
or real-life connections. A social network service
consists of a representation of each user (often a
profile), his social links, and a variety of additional
services. Most social network services are web-based
and provide means for users to interact over the
Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging.
Online community services are sometimes considered
as a social network service, though in a broader
sense, social network service usually means an
individual-centered service whereas online
community services are group-centered. Social
networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures,
posts, activities, events, and interests with people in
their network.

3.  Some 73% of online adults now use a social
networking site of some kind.1 Facebook is the
dominant social networking platform in the number
of users, but a striking number of users are now
diversifying onto other platforms. Some 42% of
online adults now use multiple social networking
sites. In addition, Instagram users are nearly as
likely as Facebook users to check in to the site on
a daily basis. These are among the key findings
on social networking site usage and adoption from
a new survey from the Pew Research Center’s
Internet Project.

5.  Social networking sites are one of the fastest
and least expensive ways to find your
audience and help your business grow. Create
a professional social media presence on
various social networking sites, then harness
the power of connecting to new and repeat
customers. A good social networking presence
can help you conduct inexpensive market
research, create public relations campaigns
and gain a better understanding of your
marketplace. Here's how to use social
networking sites to help your business grow:

6.  Social network services are increasingly
being used in legal and criminal
investigations. Information posted on sites
such as MySpace, Orkut and Facebook
has been used by police and university
officials to prosecute users of said sites. In
some situations, content posted on
MySpace has been used in court to
determine an appropriate sentence based
on a defendant's attitude

7.  Social networking is a branch of internet business where you can market any kinds of
products and services. There have been lots of websites that were created the past few
years. In fact, there are numerous social networking URL launched every year. The
general advantage of these URL allows you to freely market your business anytime and
anywhere. Knowing the main types of social networkings sites will help you choose on
which particular sites to go to.
 Among the popular types of social sites are user generated sites. User generated sites
are websites where everyone can freely register an account. Some of the popular sites
for mass users are Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. This kind of social networking URL
gives you the freedom to interact with other people anywhere around the globe. It is
also a type of site where you can market for your business since many users are
logging in every minute. Joining to any famous user generated URL can provide you a
means for business marketing.
 Video and photography sites are other popular type of social sites. These web let you
upload unlimited photos and any length of videos. Actually, this kind of web can be
categorized as user generated site too because anyone can register and have his own
account. It means you can still make interaction and send messages but only through
pictures and video clips. In internet business, you can also use photography and videos
to advertise your products. Sharing videos and photos regarding your business is a
good option for marketing.
 The last type of social site where you can do online marketing is blog sites. Blog URL
provide you the best ways to share information about your products you are marketing
or other details related to your business. Word Press and Blogger are two of the most
famous blog sites where you can do both social networking and internet business.
Creating blog URL for your business is another key to get higher sales income.

8.  Facebook
 MySpace
 Twitter
 Bebo
 Friendster
 Hi5
 Orkut
 Skype

10.  Social networking platforms may allow
organizations to improve communication
and productivity by disseminating
information among different groups of
employees in a more efficient manner.
While it is not meant to be all-inclusive,
the list below outlines some of the
possible advantages and disadvantages
of social media use by workplaces.

11.  Facilitates open communication, leading to
enhanced information discovery and delivery.
 Allows employees to discuss ideas, post news, ask
questions and share links.
 Provides an opportunity to widen business contacts.
 Targets a wide audience, making it a useful and
effective recruitment tool.
 Improves business reputation and client base with
minimal use of advertising.
 Expands market research, implements marketing
campaigns, delivers communications and directs
interested people to specific web sites.

12.  Opens up the possibility for hackers to commit
fraud and launch spam and virus attacks.
 Increases the risk of people falling prey to
online scams that seem genuine, resulting in
data or identity theft.
 Potentially results in negative comments from
employees about the company or potential
legal consequences if employees use these
sites to view objectionable, illicit or offensive
material.
 Potentially results in lost productivity,
especially if employees are busy updating
profiles, etc.

13.  Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered the
educational benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and
Facebook. The same study found that low-income students are in many
ways just as technologically proficient as middle- and upper-income
students, going against what results from previous studies have
suggested.
 The study found that, of the students observed, 94 percent used the
Internet, 82 percent go online at home, and 77 percent had a profile on
a social networking site. When asked what they learn from using social
networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson,
followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views, and
communication skills.
 Data were collected over six months from students, ages 16 to 18, in
13 urban high schools in the Midwest. Beyond the surveyed students, a
follow-up, randomly selected subset was chosen. Students in this group
were asked questions about their Internet activity as they navigated
MySpace, an online forum that provides users with e-mail, web
communities, and audio and video capabilities.