With Second Life being out of touch with news media, I looked for an article which may fit with the Social Life social community. The article I read came from Forbes entitled "How Social Communities Are Changing Online Interaction." It discussed the differences between social communities, and social networks.
In social networks, they are filled with security or privacy issues. Instead of having to deal with these issues, online social communities do the opposite. They are set to enable strangers to connect, share, and even collaborate without needing to put personal information out there for others to put personal information out there for others to see.
Social communities don't ask you to share personal information about yourself, unless of course the community is of an interest to you. For instance, I have a deep love for ceramics, and making pottery. With my interests I may look for a social community that shares the same love for pottery that I have, and within this community I may decide to share more personal information about myself, but that choice is up to me not the community.
Having less information needed in the social communities opens up lines of communication more easily. Strangers are encouraged to interact with others, and have no reason to fear that bullying, abuse, or being stalked like one may need to be concerned with on a social network.
Social networks on the other hand require a lot more information. Facebook for an example (only because I am familiar with it), when creating an account asks you for your email, birthdate, high school you attended, age, marital status, and even more information than I listed. Unlike a social community it is much easier to find a certain person on a social network, along with that personal information the gave when creating their account.
Social communities have unlimited features available. Businesses can use social communities (like Second Life) to created virtual items and sell those items for real money, or use the community to advertise for their business.
This article grabbed my attention, and interested me with it's examination between both social communities and social networks. Before our final project, and this assignment I had never really questioned the difference between the two. Honestly I thought they were the almost the same on privacy policies.
The article suggests, "maybe finding your inner entrepreneur." The idea of creating a social community for interests which I have also brought interest to me. As mentioned earlier in the blog my interests are in ceramics, and the idea of creating a social community for people with the same interests as me inspired me greatly. Creating a community for local potter's to gather and share techniques, ideas for different ways to fire the pieces of art, etc., is very inspiring at least to me.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2010/03/21/how-social-communities-are-changing-online-interaction/
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