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Different types of social media tools

1.1 What is social media Social media is the use of a variety of media for the purpose of social networking.

The term “media” is the tools we use and can include any technologies used for communication and interaction in conjunction with the web. Internet enabled mobile phones, netbooks and laptops can be used as well as traditional computers. Social networking is the term used to describe two or more people interacting for a specific purpose. Commonly this is the use of online websites and applications to make connections with other people. There are many reasons why people to want to connect, such as for a common interest such as hobbies, sporting activities and simply to extend personal relationships. Businesses may use online tools for trading - buying and selling - or for getting their services out to the public. Many social communities are formed for the sharing of knowledge, their beliefs and new items. 1.2 Types of tools and applications There are many different tools and applications that are used for social networking. Each has a particular focus but all are predominantly information sharing tools. Many tools started out as single applications but are increasingly being merged into larger, all-inclusive applications. Social media tools can be used by individuals for personal communication or for business use in marketing or public relations. Sites will give the contributor options for making their information public for anyone to view or private for individual access only. There are variations within this to allow restricted access specific individuals and groups of people. Some of the main types of tools and application in common use include the following – click on an image for more information on the example site: Blogs (web logs) are part of a website set aside specifically for regular author comments and entries. This is often daily or weekly. They can also include images or video and links to other sites. Visitors are encouraged to interact and leave their own comments, feedback and links. Blogs are a way for authors to reflect on life or daily business and can become like an online diary or soapbox. Examples include: Figure 1.2 Examples of Blog sites Microblogs are typically smaller and more regular then traditional blogs. They are limited to short sentences to a maximum of 140 characters. You can also add images, video links and URL’s. As well as being displayed in a web interface, postings can be forwarded to SMS or email. Examples include: Figure 1.3 Example of Microblog sites ICAWEB201A Use social media tools for collaboration and engagement Topic 1 reading – Different types of social media tools

Music sharing sites specifically allow musicians to share their own works with the public. Musicians who have not been signed with a record company have an outlet to publish and sell their own original works to millions of people daily. Some of these sites feature creative remixes and mash-ups. Examples include: Figure 1.4 Examples of Music sharing sites Photo/image sharing sites allows users to post photography, video and personal artworks. It allows people to exhibit their own work and comment on the works of others. Works are categorised and tagged to enable efficient searching and linking. Examples include: Figure 1.5 Examples of Image sharing sites Social bookmarking sites allow users to store references to other sites by creating and organizing bookmarks, similar to storing favourite sites in your web browser software but accessible from any web enabled computer. Descriptions can be added to these bookmarks, including comments and voting. This is called social tagging where links are made between shared content. These sites can include highlighting tools and sticky notes. Sites can be made public or private. Examples include: Figure 1.6 Examples of Social bookmarking sites Social networks are web sites that focus on building relationships between people with shared interests and/or activities. There are many tools offered by these sites to locate and link to families and friends, share photos, promote events and keep in touch with regular updates and postings.

Social news sites allow users to submit news items and stories on a particular subject from elsewhere on the web. Stories are ranked based on the number of submissions and then listed on the news site. Site users can then post comments and feedback on the stories, popularity then moves the news item higher on the list. Examples include: Figure 1.8 Examples of Social news sites Video sharing sites specifically allow for the uploading, viewing and sharing of video content. User-generated content can include movie clips, TV clips, music videos, video blogging and short amateur videos. Content is publically available to viewers and can also be embedded into web pages outside of the hosting site. Examples include: Figure 1.9 Examples of Video sharing sites Virtual worlds, or virtual hangouts, are online 3D communities where people can “virtually” walk around and interact with each other. Users create an online person called an avatar which is a 3D character that represents their own personality. Avatars can meet, socialise, buy and sell with virtual services and property. Many businesses and training organisations create virtual spaces to connect with potential customers. Examples include: Figure 1.10 Examples of Virtual worlds Wikis are websites that can be created and modified by anyone using simple text editing tools through the web browser software. These are great to allow multiple people to collaborate and work on the same project from anywhere at any time. Different access rights can be granted to users to create, edit and delete information. The site can be made public or private.

This recourses are used from tafe NSW reading materials