Why I Use Facebook.(Maybe you should, too.)

Elizabeth A. EvansUNC-Chapel Hill

ITS Teaching and LearningDecember 2007

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ScopeScope

Your kids and Facebook/MySpace

Legal, moral, ethical issues of student use

“How to” create, use, configure

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ScopeScope

Features that might be useful…

Issues related to use…

… to and for us, to and for our faculty, to and for other campus staff

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You TalkYou Talk

How many of you use Facebook?

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And?And?

Any other social networks?

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You Talk Some MoreYou Talk Some More

Anybody not have a basic understanding of

what Facebook is?

This is gonna be hard…

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A Very Short Definition

A Very Short Definition

Facebook is a Web-based service that makes it possible for individuals in high schools, universities, corporations, non-profits, the military, and geographic communities (primarily English-speaking ) to interact with each other and to share information.

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And…And…

It’s free for individuals…

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A Very Short HistoryA Very Short History

In 2004, a student at Harvard thought it would be cool to develop a way for Harvard students to connect with each other. Now there are millions of Facebook users.

“So, what’s a social gal like you doing in a virtual place like this?”

del.icio.us

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How and When I Came to Facebook

How and When I Came to Facebook

Fall 2005(30 minutes)

Fall 2006(Several hours,some people, a couple of groups,some effort)

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How and When I Came to Facebook

How and When I Came to Facebook

September 2006

Women's center brown bag: Dangers of online social networks

Danah Boyd talk on social networking

(On the same day!)

I was obviously missing something.

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Your turnYour turn

When I logged back into Facebook, what was (almost) the first thing I did?

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Back to the Drawing Board

(2006)

Back to the Drawing Board

(2006)

Created a more complete profile

Searched for campus faculty and staff

Posted some photos (N=8)

Wrote my first note September 29

Posted (and removed) links

Created an event September 26

And more…

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TodayToday

Profiles (very briefly)

Events

Groups & Organizations

Notes

Applications

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ProfileProfile

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Why?Why?

Know your colleagues better

•(the good, the bad, and the ugly?)

Use your weak ties

Subtle communication

Others?

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EventsEvents

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Events I’ve Created Events I’ve Created

Games4Learning symposium Cyberinfrastructure: A Campus Perspective Discussion: The (Technology) Tipping Point From Learning Objects to Learning Impact: An Update

on the IMS... Instructional Uses for Facebook Immersive Learning Environments ITS Open Lunch A Virtual Environment for Education: Second Life ITS Coffee Klatch And others…

An example event

Event example, part 1

Event example, part 2

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An Funny Thing Happened…

An Funny Thing Happened…

More than 50% of the “Yes” RSVPs were not people I invited.

“Instructional Uses for Facebook”

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Another Funny Thing Happened…

Another Funny Thing Happened…

I invited 48 people. At the time of the event, 95 people were invited.

“The (Technology) Tipping Point”

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The Social Networking Piece

The Social Networking Piece

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Why?Why?

Publicize events

Find events

Add value to events: links, discussion

Others?

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Groups & OrganizationsGroups & Organizations

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Why?Why?

Feeling of community Networking (students and new

alumni, especially?) Place to post news/info/etc Place to ask and answer questions Can be open or with approval Event sponsorship Others?

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DisadvantagesDisadvantages

Lots of them

Little activity in many of them

Not easy (yet) to see what’s new

Others?

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NotesNotes

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Why?Why?

Share information with your connections

Connect with your weak ties

Others?

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ApplicationsApplications

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A Few ConclusionsA Few Conclusions

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ConclusionsConclusions

Social networking can be very powerful

Social networking can be a time sink

Social networking can enhance professional relationships

Social networking can be used for marketing

We don’t yet know all the ways we might use social networking professionally…

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Explore.Experiment.

Be Open.

Explore.Experiment.

Be Open.

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Final Call: Questions? Comments?

Final Call: Questions? Comments?