User talk:Dgoydan21/Article1 sandbox

Hi, here are my recommended edits for the'Virtual community and social network difference' section of your article for our peer review assignment. Please let me know if you have any questions! By the way, the article seems to be coming along nicely. I'll add some other comments/thoughts on the article as a whole later, but just wanted to focus on this section primarily since it seems to be the portion you are most focused-on/only-editing for this article (since I know you are working on more than 1 article). (I will post the original paragraphs first with my recommended edits below).

Additionally, in general, I think the "Journalists" section and "Topics of discussion" section could be expanded on a bit and improved. For example, neither of those sections has any citations yet. In comparison, the intro "History" section does do a great job of citing/backing up all claims. Dcha94exi2 (talk) 21:42, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Original: There is often confusion between a virtual community and social network. They are similar in some aspects because they both can be used for personal and professional interests. Think of a social network as an opportunity to connect with people you already know or know of. These are sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. For professional use, think of platforms like LinkedIn and Yammer. These are intended to give coworkers a chance to communicate in a more relaxed setting. Often times social media guidelines are in place for professional usage so that everyone is aligned on what is suitable online behavior [13]. Using a social network is an extension of your offline social community. It's helpful when these connections move to different parts of the world giving users a chance to still be apart of their friends lives. Each user has their own social network and can be thought of as a spider web structure[14].

Virtual communities are different because users aren't connected through a mutual friend or similar backgrounds. These groups are formed by people who have never met but are drawn to each other because of a common interest or ideology [14]. Virtual communities are known for connecting people who normally wouldn't consider themselves to be in the same group[15]. It's interesting to consider how these groups continue to stay relevant and maintained in the online world. They remain pertinent because users feel a need to contribute to the community and in return feel empowered when receiving new information from other members. Virtual communities have an elaborate nest structure because they overlap in many ways. Yelp, Youtube, Wikipedia, etc., are all considered virtual communities. Companies like Kaiser Permanente launched virtual communities for its members. The community gave members power to take control over their health care decisions and improve their overall experience [15]. Members of a virtual community are able to offer opinions and contribute where they feel needed. Remember the difference between virtual communities and social network is the emergence of the relationship.

My recommended changes/edit: Note - [C] = recommended citation for previous sentence. Virtual communities and social networks are two different categories of online platforms and are often mistaken to be one in the same. Social networks and virtual communities are similar in that both can be utilized for professional and personal interests. Thus the leading difference between virtual communities and social network lies within the emergence of connections/relationships made on the respective platforms. Social networks were originally intended to connect people online who were already connected in the real world. [C]. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter (among others) are primarily designed to allow users to share personal information with one another. Again, this exchange of information, through posting and direct communications, is generally between people or groups of people that are already connected in some way in the real world. For example, users on these sites typically only ‘add friends’ that they already know directly in real life, or have some other connection such as having a mutual connection/friend (for reference: ‘adding a friend’ effectively means to give someone access to your profile and information. When someone accepts a friend request, they too are granting access to their page in turn). [C]. Other social networks like Linkedin and Yammer are similar in the regard that they connect people that are already presumably connected in the real world, or are soon to be connected. However, rather than existing as a medium to share personal information between each other, such platforms are examples of social networks intended to allows users to exchange professional information. [C]. Examples of these professional exchanges of information include co-worker communications, employment recruiting, and other more general professional networking practices.[C] Often times social media guidelines are in place for professional usage so that everyone is aligned on what is suitable online behavior [1]. Using a social network is an extension of your offline social community. It's helpful when these connections move to different parts of the world giving users a chance to still be apart of their friends lives. One of the reasons behind their design and existence is to allow people who are connected to remain connected despite geographical restrictions or separation. Each user has their own social network and can be thought of as a spider web structure[2]. Virtual communities are different from the various types of social networks because users on such platforms aren’t typically previously connected through a real life connection; such as having mutual friends, or arising from two people having similar geographical backgrounds. Virtual communities are formed by people who have never met but are drawn to each other because of a common interest or ideology [2]. Virtual communities are known for connecting people who normally wouldn't consider themselves to be in the same group[3]. They remain pertinent because users feel a need to contribute to the community and in return feel empowered when receiving new information from other members. Virtual communities have an elaborate nest structure because they overlap in many ways. Yelp, Youtube, Wikipedia, etc., are all considered virtual communities. Companies like Kaiser Permanente launched virtual communities for its members. The community gave members power to take control over their health care decisions and improve their overall experience [3]. Members of a virtual community are able to offer opinions and contribute where they feel needed.