Social Networking and Virtual Worlds

What are some ways (corporate and otherwise) that these technologies can be used?

Social Network and Virtual World allow business new ways to reach customers. Since the usage of the social network has been growing, the people in the business field recognized that the social network is the important method to reach to the customer. Usually, most of the social network and virtual world sites are free or few cost to use. Therefore business people do not need to spend much budget to advertise their product, research the market trend and market reaction of the product. These sites become important method to do marketing activities. Also people use these sites for commerce.
Nowadays most of the business does their business globally. The virtual world could be used for collaborating, exchanging information and having a meeting from people the all over the world, branches.

What are the benefits of these technologies to society? Be specific.

The social network and Virtual world has many benefits to society. People can make a friend from all over the world. They can exchange the information over the web environment. For example, the person, who just enters the university, could make friends even before he/she attend to the class. The person could get and exchange the information of the college by their Facebook or Myspace. They are able to make a cyber community.

Is there a "dark side"?

The problem of the Social Network and Virtual World are Lack of Anonymity, Scams and Harassment, Time Consuming. When people want to join to these sites, they have to provide personal information which people do not want. It is hard to secure the personal and business context. These sites are tried to protect people and business from cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams and identity thief. However, nobody knows how the information has been used.


Make sure to include your opinion of the way these technologies might evolve in the future.

“Vertical Measures Now Offers Social Media Marketing”, PR Web, October 21, 2008, “http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/10/prweb1502244.htm”

Rachael King, “Virtual Conferences' Home Advantage”, Business week, May 5, 2008
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc2008054_560356.htm

US College Research, “Advantage of the Social Network, March 23rd, 2007 , http://www.uscollegesearch.org/blog/preparing-for-college-and-beyond-lens/advantages-of-social-networking/

“Advantage and disadvantage of Social Network, http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html