Social networking

What is it?

Social networking is an emerging social phenomenon where people are able to contact and connect to groups using the internet without the need for physical contact

Why bother with it?

This new form of networking is fairly well established with over a billion participants. Young people in particular regularly network online using these sites and it is worthwhile understanding how these sites function and how they are used. Some Councillors use social networking sites to engage athough it is important to have an understanding of the appropriate protocols and etiquette (often referred to as "Netiquette") before you do and to really think through what you are trying to achieve first.

Where can I find out more about it?

Councillors could look through sites such as MySpace, FaceBook, and Bebo which are very common general purpose networking sites.