 Social network sites (SNSs) are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research.

 A use for “friendship based ways” › To help kids stay connected to the people who they know in their physical spaces › I.e. friends at school, people they meet at summer camp and teammates  Another use is to “explore interest and find information that goes beyond what they access to at school or in their local community” › To help kids connect to peers and adults outside of their physical spaces › I.e. people who they do not know but with whom they share a passion.  A use to learn about things that school can not and will not teach them.

 Facebook is a ready-made site  Namely facebook.com  Pose a unique set of problem and challenges for classroom  use for personal experience, communication, instruction and good policy  Started in Harvard 2004, in a dorm room

 In July 2009, it grew to 700,00 accounts per day  Total membership was close to 250 million (making it the fourth- largest country in the world if it was a physical place)  Mostly used today over 55 set, meaning parents and grandparents are using it

 Got to facebook.com  Fill out the form on the homepage  Click on the link in conformation  Start find friends to connect with  Make sure to fill out your profile  Edit your picture, so others can potential find you  You can choose to not accept friend request as they come in

 To search for people, just click on “friends” at the top of the page then select “find friends”  Use the “search for people” to start adding names of high school friends, colleagues, mates and relatives

 Used for: › Classes can exchange information › Write on each others walls › Answers question › Create a shared space of materials for the course › To get information on:  new books  links to interesting articles that deals with reading technology and social media  photos of events  links to interview with articles

 To create a group: › You need be logged into the course › Add the basic information about your group on the first page › The second page allows you to set the transparency › Make it a “closed” group, so all photos and decision are open to members only › Administrators would control who can add links, photos and videos

 Ning is the educational alternative to Facebook.  Ning allows you to create your own free social networking site around whatever topic you want, complete with personal profiles, photos, video links, groups, discussions, blogs, and more.

 You can’t share individual blog posts or other artifacts publicly; the site you create is either all private or all public.  The Ning interface can get a bit overwhelming as more and more content gets added.  Like Facebook, the Ning terms of service restricts the use of the sites to members that are over the age of 13, which means this is primarily a tool for seventh through twelfth graders.  If you do not set up a private Ning, you lose the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds coming out of the site.  Unless you go through the process of requesting they are removed from your education-related site, Google Ads will appear on the homepage.

 There is a long list of Ning sites dedicated to education found on the Social Networks in Education wiki (tinyurl.com/2qu8p8)  Classroom20.com is a Ning site that was started by educator/consultant Steve Hargadon. It has attracted over 25,000 members from around the globe. On this site you can do everything from posting to individual blogs, scheduling events, and viewing videos.  The “English Companion Ning” (tinyurl.com/8g7xu3) is where about 5,000 or so English teacher types share ideas and experiences about teaching with technology, poetry round tables, writing portfolios, and more.  The “Seedlings” Ning site (tinyurl.com/mamt3r) was created for listeners of the bimonthly “Seedlings Podcast” hosted by Maine educators Bob Sprankle, Cheryl Oakes, and Alice Barr. With a little over 300 members, you get a real sense of community, of folks genuinely interested in one other and the topics they are exploring.  St. Joe H20 (tinyurl.com/Idgwkb)- Sean Nash set up his Ning for his Marine Biology students in St. Josephs, Missouri to build conversations about the subject and to invite experts in from places that were actually near an ocean.  ArtSnacks (tinyurl.com/yvmcjih)- Kansas teacher Kevin Honeycutt decided to create a site that would allow teachers and kids to work together to create art.

 Setting up the Ning site is pretty easy.  Go to Ning.com and start the creation process by picking a name for your social network and choosing an address.  Next, enter your , set your password, put in your birthday, read the Terms of Service and click “Sign Up”  On the next page, you get to fill in some more detail.  Then there is the fun part which is building the look of your site.