Mature Resources - Social Media & the Internet

Riding the social media wave: a user's guide to Web-based communication

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Who is using social media? What is it exactly? When and where do people tweet, post and blog? Why do people engage in social media?

Social media is everywhere. It encompasses blogs, social networks (such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace), professional networking avenues such as LinkedIn, and creative sites like Flickr, a photography-sharing website. People such as the teenager next door, grandma and celebrities are using social media outlets. Remember when Conan O'Brien made news by first breaking his recent public silence on Twitter? Did you know that there are more than 300 million active Facebook users who post nearly 1 billion photos monthly to their accounts? Additionally, it would take 7,000 years for all the photos on Flickr to be developed at a one-hour photo!

Are You On A Social Networking Site?

By Hilary JM Topper, MPA

Social networking is not just for kids anymore. The fastest growing population on Facebook is between 40 and 60 years old. Another growing segment are those over the age of 60. This group may have signed up originally to chat with their grandchildren, but it’s becoming a lot more than that.