Social Networking with immediate family, Empty Nesters

Danah M. Boyd from the University of California?Berkley, and Nicole B Ellison, from Michigan State University, in an article titled ?"Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship?", define social network sites as ?"web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connections, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system?".

Networking circles

Many people within social network sites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter are talking to people who they already have formed real life connections. 

From planning a black Friday shopping trip the day after thanksgiving, to following up on how someone is doing after suffering from the Swine H1N1 Flu, social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter provide an easy way to communicate for the whole family.

Friends and Family

Family networks like Amiglia.com, Cafemom.com, and cingo.com give friends and families platforms to enable users to create their own social networks including uploading pictures, video?'s and links.

Networking with friends of friends

Each network is a little different. Facebook allows users to see friends of friends provided users have not specified otherwise.  For example, if Terry is a friend of mine, and she allows me to ?"friend?" her, and her mother is also a friend of hers, then I can ?"see?" her mother?'s profile, and her friends as well.  The potential to meet new people this way is great.

Common acronyms used in social networking

Communicating on social network platforms may be challenging but once the common abbreviations or acronyms are mastered, it is a cinch to catch on:

BF ? Boyfriend

BFF-  Best friend forever

BRB ? Be right back

FB- Facebook

FYI ? For your information

IMHO ? In my humble opinion,

IRL ? In real Life

JK ? Just kidding

LMK ? Let me know

LOL ? Laughing out loud

NP ? No problem

OMG ? Oh My God

ROFL ? Rolling on Floor

RT ? Retweet

TAFN ? that?'s all for now

TMI ? Too much information

TY ? Thank you

WTH ? What the Hell

YW ? You?'re welcome

Xbox Twittering

As reported in the Fast company website, Twitter and Facebook will soon be integrating with Xbox360  in a new online social networking gaming experience.

Staying in touch remotely

Family members can use cell phones, texting, and tweeting to provide instant communications to each other. Parents, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, can communicate rapidly via their IPhones, using social network?'s like Twitter and Facebook.  Some girls take pictures of themselves with their fathers, or brothers. This is a great deterrent against unwanted advances.

References:

indiana, edu

fastcompany.com