Social Networking Implications for Employment Relations

Workplaces and Social Networking The Implications for Employment Relations

“We 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 connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site… What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks… While SNSs have implemented a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system… The public display of connections is a crucial component of SNSs. Beyond profiles, friends… SNSs vary greatly in their features and user base… Some have photosharing or video-sharing capabilities; others have built-in blogging and instant messaging technology.”

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