FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Bachelor of Information Science (Hons)

Information Systems Management

EVALUATION OF INFORMATION SERVICES

(IMC651)

ASSIGNMENT:
ARTICLE REVIEWS
Sociability and Social Interaction On Social Networking Websites
by
Andrew Keenan and Ali Shiri

Prepared By:
NOOR MOHD EFFENDI BIN MOHD RASHID
Group : NIMBF10X

Prepared for:
NORSHILA SHAIFUDDIN

May 2015

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT
This paper is focused to research paper which explore sociality by discusses multiple
type of social interaction and how this social interaction encourages their users to
communicate and interact. The main objective of discussions is about types of social
networking application (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter) including their issues
and characteristic features through observations and user experiences.

Keywords: Article review, social networking, definition, Facebook, MySpace, network,

sociability, Twitter, Linkedln, interaction

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1.0

INTRODUCTION
In the new era of technology, the internet has led to the creation of new
communication media called social interaction in social networks. According to
Dictionary.com, a social network is the development of social and professional
relationships; sharing information and services among people with similar interests.
Basically, it relates to the use of the website or other technology to communicate with
others and share information, and other resources.
Social websites such as are Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and etc. but for
this review, we just focused on four important type of social websites which offer a
variety of features to facilitate interaction on the internet. Users can share their status
at wall, private message (PM), photos, songs, videos and many standards of
expressions.

The number of social websites has also grown exponentially, and offering each
different focuses, designs and features for their users. These social websites want we
join their community and get new experience with exploration their social web
specifically to analyzing how social websites encourage sociability between users.
This analysis will focus on a four major social networking websites (Facebook,
MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn) and explore their features that encourage sociability.

Therefore, this is article to review their articles regarding to main topic social
interaction websites and discuss what point of views the author want to deliver to the
audience based on their research paper "Sociability and Social Interaction on Social
Networking Websites by Andrew Keenan and Ali Shiri".

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2.0

AUTHORS BACKGROUND
All the authors have a different background such but from the same country. Andrew
Keenan, Professor at School of Library and Information Studies and Humanities
Computing Program, University of Alberta, Canada. Ali Shiri is a Professor at School
of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta, Canada. Their article about
type of social websites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter) including their
issues and characteristic features through observations and user experiences.

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PROBLEM STATEMENT
This study aimed to determine the ability to interact with others via the social
networking site with the characteristics of the existing design standards or
technologies to promote sociability. Before, users interact with letters and telegrams.
Social network analysis (SNA), examines how the structure of a network affects users
within the network. Many websites that encourage social interaction through profilebased user accounts include Facebook and MySpace.
Previously users interact very limited and subject to the use of the social networking
site built. This is because the interaction sites have features and functions that vary
depending on the needs of the users who use it. But now, the technology has with
other users. In addition, the blog created by the user reviews also allow developed to
allow interaction sites online dating profiles and encourage interaction readers to
respond to the topic with the author and other readers in the future.

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OBJECTIVES

The main objectives this article reviews the features of social networking and also to
explore and identify what the main idea that has been suggested by the authors
through their research studies which is include with their assumption, contribution,
solution and literature reviews. In addition, it also to find the similarities and difference
social networks through different methods and also to examine what is the strongest
and weakness of the articles regarding to main topic.

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5.0

LITERATURE REVIEW

The social web and social networking are often used as synonyms, but the two
concepts have decidedly separate meanings. The social web refers specifically to
websites and web technologies, while social networking is an existing body of theory
relating to human interaction. Analysis of the social web to examine people focused
websites and their strategies to encourage sociability. Currently, analyzing sociability
on the people focused social websites is a new trend.
A social network is a social structure comprised of types of interdependency between
nodes. The configuration of individual nodes into a larger web of interdependency
beginning in rudimentary stages with Emile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tonnies. While
traditional social science research focuses on the individual actors, SNA emphasizes
the relationships between actors within the network. Each community will have its
own culture, values and norms that develop based on the needs of its users.
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METHODOLOGY
Form this reviews, four main social websites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and
Twitter) were examined from a user study perspective. After thoroughly participating
on the websites, a series of observations were recorded from each experience. These
experiences were then compared to understand the different approaches of each
website. Evaluation of websites based on experiences and literature about this
website. This research is exploratory study, so the data gathering process consisted
of exploring the features of each website.

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7.0

FINDINGS
For this article is discussed about the features of the social networking to the world
community and stated that the presence of social networking sites has made life
comfortable and enjoyable. The authors focused on four examples of social
networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and MySpace by
explained with details about all the features and aspects that available on those social
networking sites. From this exploratory study, the authors has found Facebook and
MySpace, as the largest social websites, receive the most of good coverage. LinkedIn
and Twitter represent an application of social websites, focusing on professional
networks and micro-blogging (quick updates), respectively. These serve as points of
comparison between the social web giants Facebook and MySpace.

Sociability on Facebook is an extension of sociability in the public and user personal

information (or profile page) is accessible by people we have added as friends.
Facebook encourages sociability by creating a comfortable, private and familiar social
environment. Facebook restructured as the popular social web by strongly
encouraging users to use their proper name different with social web, MySpace. But,
Facebook has restricted profile access area and it is perhaps Facebooks most
distinguishing feature. Facebook also encourages sociability through its recent
redesign includes a tabbed window interface to separate categories of users
information, like photos, videos, events etc.
Facebook has also integrated an instant messenger chat client into the web redesign.
This makes Facebook an all-encompassing social web environment. Facebook
encourages users to focus their computer mediated social interactions in a singular
web environment. Facebook encourages sociability by representing real

world

social connections in a virtual space and an all-encompassing social web destination

through networks a safe, private web environment.
MySpace also encourages sociability with representing a users identity in a public
web environment. The emphasis in MySpace is providing a public virtual space for
user public identity accessible to anyone. Sociability on MySpace is same with the
Facebook is by real world and virtual connections. MySpace also allows users

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outside of their network to view users profile pages, although with limited access. All
information on the profile page, which normally includes whatever information user
enter when creating user profile is viewable and searchable. Searching power allows
web users to quickly locate someone on MySpace. By having publicly accessible
profiles, MySpace users are highly visible, and searchable through popular search
engines. Sometime has a misleading profile and this is public accessibility feature of
MySpace.

MySpace does allow users to submit any amount of content they feel deserves public
recognition. Privacy settings are offered around uploaded media (photos and video).
Users may also set their profile to private, restricting profile to view by friends with
granted profile access. MySpace users very vulnerable to unwanted groups having
access to their information, and this social web is not safe and no privacy in
accessible. One of MySpace attraction is users allowed to edit the HTML of their
profiles and choose their own domain names, MySpace users can create highly
personal web spaces, unique from other users. We can concludes, MySpace is the
public space of the internet. Poorly managed privacy settings or personal discretion
are hazardous on MySpace.

Differentiate with LinkedIn which encourages sociability through professional

networking. As a business oriented social networking site, LinkedIn focuses on
encouraging professional relationships. All services on the website function solely to
foster professional relationships. While this is decidedly useful for its users, LinkedIn
an increasing of highly focused social websites. Privacy in the network operates in a
unique way. This website uses gated access approach where users must get
permission from the user to view their profile page. LinkedIn also features a pay
version of the site. The pay version promises to facilitate business relationships and
new jobs more effectively. At LinkedIn, sociability is also facilitated through payment.

From this articles review, the author also has found Twitter encourages sociability
through simplicity. Twitter is a service for friends, family and co-workers to
communicate and stay connected quickly. This social website focus on exclusively on

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quick 140 characters or less updates. Twitter is decidedly simple, which makes
interacting with the interface tremendously easy and intuitive for users familiar with
social networking websites. Like LinkedIn, Twitter is a niche focused website, but
instead of focusing on a niche community and technology. Twitter has streamlined
their technological approach by focusing specifically on SMS-length updates,
essentially creating web-broadcast micro-blogging. Before becoming friends with
another Twitter user and subscribing their feed, user must get their permission. From
a privacy perspective, Twitter has variable privacy options. Users are able to protect
their Twitter updates by altering their privacy settings, but the default account displays
Twitter updates publicly. Twitter updates are capped at 140 characters is that SMS
messages are also capped at 140 characters. Twitter is quick, direct and multi-modal.
Twitter is the fastest growing social network in the world (Snyder, 2008).

8.0

RECOMMENDATIONS
From this review, exploratory study is an initial overview of sociability on social
websites. The authors, state the future research possibilities for sociability online are
numerous. One possible avenue for further studies in sociability is user studies. User
studies can document which social features are most frequently used or considered to
facilitate sociability based on user behavior. Finally, researchers will try developing a
theoretical social application and testing its effectiveness in encouraging sociability
amongst a test group of users. This data could be used to develop new social
applications.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The result of the study showed that most of user use social web for socializing their
activities than for academic purposes. In the emergent social web, interaction and
content has become an immersive experience. Facebooks recent addition of an inbrowser instant messenger client allows users to chat instantly with any friends
online. This is both an interactive feature and a content feature, encouraging users to
socialize through both the technology of the system and the content of the
conversation. Immersive social features like in-browser instant messaging are
transforming the social web into an all-encompassing web based social interaction.

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10.0

LIMITATION OF STUDY
No limitations study because a comparison of different models of sociability does not
yet exist. This study focuses specifically on what makes social websites social. This
social websites were examined from a user study perspective. After thoroughly
participating on the websites, a series of observations were recorded from each
experience. These experiences were then compared to understand the different
approaches of each website.

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CONCLUSION
These websites offer users a variety of options for interaction including media sharing,
blogging, public discussions, events and a host of other features. Facebook and My
Space have a large user base to facilitate this multitude of features, and also allow
users to develop their own applications within the meta-social environment. The major
difference between Facebook and My Space is privacy vs publicity. Their focus is on
the visibility of their user base. Smaller social websites encourage sociability by
offering specific types of sociability. While most users flock to either My Space or
Facebook when joining a social web community, Twitter has created the intriguing
space of micro-blogging by focusing on a specific technology. From an interactive
perspective, sociability on social websites is largely determined by the design of the
website. Perspective, Twitters design quickly articulates the purpose of the site quick
updates. From a content perspective, sociability on social websites is also largely
determined by user content. Facebooks attempts to create social desktop have
manifested as complex, information rich user profiles. Immersive social features like inbrowser instant messaging are transforming the social web into an all-encompassing
web based social interaction. This exploratory study is an initial overview of sociability
on social websites. As a Conclusion, the social networking can give a lot advantages
to the user if they used for positive reason and not vice versa. In the emergent
social web, interaction and content has become an immersive experience. This is
examples an interactive feature and a content feature, encouraging users to
socialize through both the technology of the system and the content of the
conversation.

Immersive social features like in-browser instant messaging are

transforming the social web into an all- encompassing web based social interaction.
It can be consider as basic natural life because its all depends on us on how we
handle something for own good or bad.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Keenan, A., & Ali Shiri (2009). Sociability and social interaction on social networking
websites. Library Review, Vol.58(6), 438-450.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00242530910969794

Social Networking. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved October 23, 2014, from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social networking

Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites. (2014, Oct). eBizMBa .Retrieved
October 123, 2014 from http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites

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APPENDICES

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