The three sites I chose for this assignment were Facebook, Mog, and Twitter.

The focus of my discussion is simple. The word social in social networking is pretty general. The reason there are so many social networking sites are because people are "social" in many different ways. Therefore, there are as many social networking sites (SN sites) as there are ways to be social.

Mog is a unique SN site that focuses on just one way people socially interact. We've all been there: greatest way to break the ice with someone is to ask "What music do you listen to?" It gets you talking about a subject that everyone can relate to in some way. Mog not only focuses on just that social interaction, it facilitates it! You set up a Mog page and download the Mog updater. It tells your Mog your music library by reading the information that your music player gives off. It updates you page with your top rated album for that week, most played songs, and a list of what's in your music library. Using GraceNote, the database program that the iTunes Music store uses index songs, it even links the blurb in your profile to a snippet of the song. Someone can browse Mog pages for a certain type of music and meet people that like the same things. You can post "reviews" of any song posted on Mog, blog about music, or even comment on people's music choices. It doesn't have a clear cut friend system, but you can add to your page a list of "trusted Mogs", or a list of Mog pages that you trust to post quality music. This is the networking factor of Mog. All in all, it focuses on one tried and true part of everyone's personality and allows you to socialize with people that share your interests.

Facebook is something everyone is a little more familiar with. It takes the most obvious aspect of socializing, making friends, and simulates it in an online experience. It links you to your friends the same way you do in real life: by classifying each friend with information unique to your connection with that person. Maybe you met Bob in grade school. You worked with Jim. You traveled to Europe with Cindy. Those are differentiating factors when distinguishing different friends. Facebook also facilitates the activities that occur between friends, such as talking, sharing videos and pictures, or planning events. Everyone is fairly familiar with Facebook because making friends is the most popular way to socialize. This is why Facebook is so insanely popular.

Twitter has its own unique way of defining social interaction. It is basically a "What are you doing this second in 140 characters or less?" website. I find this SN site particularly interesting because it more accurately mimics real social interaction among close friends and new acquaintances alike. With your close friends, you know whats going on in there life; there post is just a current "This is what I'm doing right now." Don't you find it ironic that when asking someone you barely know "Whats up?" You always get a short but informative answer? Twitter posts of people you just met can be read basically like the answer to a "Whats up?". It includes a basic instant messaging service, and recently cell phone text message support, which is significantly less communication than the services provided by a SN site like Facebook. I prefer to see it as the trade-off of the feel of a real life social network in an online space for functionality.

The format of these SN sites directly correlates to how easy the sites are for you. For example, how many of your friends are friends with each other as well? If you find one of your friends on Facebook, the likelihood of finding more of your friends through his friends list is strong. This makes setting up your network fast and easy! The fact that Twitter restricts you to so many characters dictates the way it is used - constant, non- life changing posts that change every two minutes. The fact that Mog provides something that updates your page for you saves you time in maintaining it. You can spend that time (while listening to the music you love, and updating your page as you go) looking at other profiles. You may discover your new favorite band!

Being social is a complicated thing. not everyone can be social in the same manner... The surge of different social networking sites intimates, however, that there is some way that everyone can socialize if given the proper environment.