Challenges of Online Social Networking

What is Social Networking?

Social networking is the term used to describe the websites that offer people the chance to ‘meet’ virtually, sharing information, news and views via the Internet. Facebook and LinkedIn are among the most well known social networking websites. Other social networking sites that are becoming increasingly popular are websites such as Twitter, which allow short amounts of information to be shared frequently.

Social networking provides many significant benefits and allows people from all over the world and from all walks of life to ‘meet’ in a way that would have been inconceivable only a few years ago.

What are the Challenges of Online Social Networking?

Despite the many benefits of online social networking, there are also some significant challenges that need to be faced. It is very easy to get drawn into the genre without thinking about the potential down-side. Here are some of the key challenges of online social networking that need to be addressed.

Safety

Sadly, whether it is MySpace, Facebook or one of the many other available social networking websites, there can be concerns over safety. The whole principle of social networking is that provides a way of meeting people and sharing information online. Unfortunately there are people who use this in malevolent and insidious ways and these people can turn online networking sites or chat rooms into unsafe places to be – particularly for young or vulnerable people. Safety is a significant worry that many people have and most social networking sites now have safety policies and offer advice about how to use their sites in a safe and comfortable way.

Time

One thing that is often overlooked when people first start signing up to social networking sites is the major time commitment that can be required. To network effectively, a lot of time must be put into creating networks, sharing information and finding other people to communicate with. The more social networking sites that one person signs up to, the more time is involved. Many social networking sites offer time saving tools and there are many tricks that people use to make their online networking time more productive. One of these is looking at automatically updating the social networking site from a blog and this ensures that there is regular new content on the social networking site.

Finding Like Minded People

The main reason why many people sign up to social networking sites is to meet people online. Whether they are seeking to meet people in a similar profession, with passion for the same band or interest in the same hobby, the key focus is on finding like minded people. A key challenge is finding the right social networking site. A website that focuses on young people and music is unlikely to be the right place to find social networking for investors and likewise a new parent social networking site is not going to be suitable for people looking to meet singles. Knowing which social networks to belong to and how to market social networks so others know how to find you is a key to making a success of social networking.

Technical

Technical issues are one of the challenges of online social networking. A certain amount of technical knowledge that is required to join a social networking site. Simple procedures that people who use computers frequently will find second nature, such as uploading photographs, may seem confusing and alien to someone new to this way of working with a computer. While only very basic skills are required, for people who need to learn these skills, this can be a significant challenge and worry. Many social networking sites offer detailed help and FAQ (frequently asked questions) pages that can help.

While there is no doubt that social networking provides some highly significant benefits, there are challenges that people do need to consider. Addressing these challenges will help users get the most from their social networking experience.