set up a personal profile page where they can post status updates in the form of text, images, audio and/or video files

There are a number of social networking sites designed specifically for children. For a guide to these, see Flockposts 40+ Social Networking Websites for Kids (2010) or Common Sense Medias Social Networking for Kids (2011).

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There is also an increasingly well-known professional (social) networking service called LinkedIn, which is used to build networks of professional contacts. See the map of Mark Pegrums LinkedIn network at the end of this screen.

Contact: Theres no such thing as a finished wiki. Like all wikis, this one is a work in progress and there will be changes from time to time in organisation, content and links. However, dont let that stop you from contacting me at any time with comments, suggestions or questions.

What About Me data visualisation of the content of Mark Pegrums Facebook Timeline (April 2012) Services such as Fakebook, My Fake Wall and The Wall Machine and the Google Docs template Historical Facebook Lesson help users to create ke Facebook profiles. Teachers might ask students to create ke profiles for fictional or historical characters as a way of encouraging them to think about digital identity management and digital safety.

► why Social neSocial Networking E-languagetworking services represent a fundamental shift away from the content-oriented web (where webpages were usually about topics) to the person-oriented web (where webpages are about people). They are thus the model for PLNs, PLEs and e-portfolios.

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► dangers There are some safety and privacy issues with social networking services (though arguably the dangers are greater in other internet channels like IM). Its important to put in place a well-considered educational strategy which offers young people guidance on the possible risks. Links to useful resources can be found on the digital safety page.

Some educators prefer not to use established social networking sites, but to create their own social networks through other services. The most popular of these is the dedicated educational service Edmodo, which is similar in appearance and has many similar functions to Facebook.

► how For a light-hearted and clear explanation of social networking, try Lee Lefevers video Social Networking in Plain English. For guidelines on how to use Facebook in education, see the website Facebook for Educators, the online guide Facebook for Educators, or The Edubloggers The Why and How of Using Facebook for Educators.

► examples Social networking services typically require users to sign up as members before they can enter, so its rare to find publicly accessible examples of educational social networking pages or sites. However, there are some Ning-based examples at Nik Peacheys site (see under above), and there are screen captures of Edmodo, Facebook, and Ning-based examples on the Student projects page of this wiki.

For an overview of the recent, dramatic growth of social media, especially social networking services, see the YouTube video Social Media Revolution (on the right below). Although presented from a business perspective, it gives viewers a sense of the scale and impact of social media.

Social networking services (also known as social networking sites) provide platforms where users can typically:

Credits: The image at the top left shows the logo from the homepage of the Edmodo service. The Facebook data visualisation was created with Intels What About Me? The LinkedIn data visualisation was created with LinkedIn Maps. I owe the Grou.ps link to Nate Reinertsen, and the KickApps and Crowdvine links to Ken Ronkowitzs Serendipity 35 blog.

► more For academic and journalistic references about social networking, see the E-learning references page. Youll also find current information in the E-learning tag cloud

Ning was also very popular with educators until the discontinuation of its free educational service in August 2010. For more information on Ning, see Educauses 7 Things You Should Know about Ning or, for a tutorial plus links to good examples of educational sites,new york asian escort model see Nik Peacheys Create Your Own Social Network in 7 Steps.

Individuals profile pages on social networking services like Facebook can be used as spaces to display examples of work; to present links to work on other sites; to gather personal connections; andSocial Networking to include links to social or educational networks. The interactive channels on these pages can be a way for students to collaborate with each other on group projects outside of class time. In some ways, then, profile pages can function as mini-PLEs.

► variations Variations on social networking services include microblogging services. Other variations include: Dailybooth (a photo-based social networking site) and Plaxo (which syncs your address book with those of your contacts). 43 Things, a social networking (or even social sharing) site with a difference, focuses on the sharing and comparing of life goals. There are a number of services, including FriendFeed, GizaPage, Hi, Im, ProfileFly and Spokeo, which allow you to pull together your various online profiles and/or those of your friends and acquaintances.

Other alternatives include Grou.ps and KickApps. Note that Grouply, which was formerly a popular alternative, ceased operation in early 2012.

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The best-known social networking service, Facebook, has recently shifted to a Timeline model, where users full histories are displayed as a kind of narrative of their lives. The most popular educational social networking service, Edmodo, shares many of Facebooks features, as well as its appearance, but does not work with the Timeline model.

► where Well-known social networking services include Bebo, Facebook, Friendster, Social Networking MySpace and Orkut, though Facebook has now clearly emerged as the field leader, with around 800 million users as of early 2012. A newer contender is Google+, released in 2011. Despite widely praised features - some of which appear to have prompted changes to Facebook - it has yet to make significant inroads into Facebooks market share.

For more information on mobile social networking, an area of increasing interest, see m-learning.

Pages or groups on social networking services like Facebook can be used to cilitate communication about group activities and projects; to gather and display drafts and final versions of project work; to maintain ongoing social, educational and/or professional contacts; and to build networks. In some ways, pages or groups can function like mini-VLEs. Its interesting to note that there are already numerous educational and professional groups which meet on .