In the Haythorhwaite article, he describes a community as being a web of affect laden relationships. These communities demand commitment, a shared sense of culture, an a shared set of values or dogma. Within the community, relationships will often overlap, and when they do, the bonds between members are reinforced. Using the Social Network Analysis, the properties and characteristics of communities can be evaluated by examining three main aspects of social capital, which are common ground, networking, and reciprocity.
Facebook is a social computer-based network that connects from all over the world. Within the Facebook network, people become “friends” to view each other’s profiles and contact each other. Through mutual friends, events, groups, and real life contacts, people develop personal networks. What I want to focus on are groups within Facebook. In particular, a group I belong to, called Pumpkin PALOOZA.
This group is a virtual community that creates awareness and promotes a philanthropy event sponsored by my sorority and the fraternity we are partnering with. The features of this group include pictures that allow for visualization of the event, 115 group members, a wall to leave comments on, and information regarding the event.
According to Haythorwaite, there are social networks made of actors. Actors relate to each other through ties, both strong and weak. In Pumpkin PALOOZA, people with strong ties are the people coordinating the event, and good friends of those coordinating the event. Most people with strong ties have met face to face in both social settings and philanthropy planning meetings, and have communicated via email and instant messaging. People with weak ties would be considered those who have heard about the event and expressed interest, whether it be through a flier, word of mouth, or from a Facebook group invitation from a current member. Networking is a large factor in reaching actors with weak ties.
By looking at Pumpkin PALOOZA through SNA, it is clear that the community shares a common ground; everybody is interested in Pumpkin PALOOZA. Reciprocity occurs because we are all working to support this philanthropy event., whether it be by working to support the philanthropy group, whether it be by planning the event, posting pictures in the group photo album, or simply joining the community.
CMC affects this group because it helps promote the event. There is definitely an online/offline synergy that takes place with the group; when everybody planning the event communicates online to exchange ideas and communicate face to face to discuss details and logistics, synergy takes place. This allows people to be more effective in planning the event and maintaining appropriate information on the group page. Rich channels of communication (face to face) are more effective for planning out more details of Pumpkin PALOOZA, while lean channels of communication (CMC) are perfect for promoting the event and tweeking details. CMC is so effective because of our work face to face.
If anybody is interested in Pumpkin PALOOZA, it should be a fun event. Feel free to join the group !
3 comments:
1. I like the pumpkin picture.
2. I would agree with your statement that CMC works better to exchange ideas and tweak details and face to face communication works better to discuss details and logistics. The community I discuss in my post operates in that fashion. I find that lean media is also more helpful to make announcements to inform EVERYONE and brainstorm, and FtF is more time consuming and immersive, so it serves to be the better time for discussion and voting on those brainstorming points. I agree with your classification of strong and weak ties. It really shows how Facebook extends the connection of strong and weak ties. Without it, Pumpkin Palooza would end up being an event composed solely of strong ties.
I have seen a bunch of people on Ho Plaza tabling and promoting this event. Your post was a lot like mine. I wrote about a Facebook group I made and how it combines strong and weak ties. I also noted the synergies that beloging to a Facebook group allows one to make. It would be interesting to see if by joining your group, some weak ties became strong ties, which is what happened in my group.
Rachel, this is a great example you analyzed. You mentioned the actors in the Pumpin Palooza network who have strong or weak ties. What I think is interesting is that the "strength of weak ties" concept can be applied to your event. The success of your event will depend on the number of people who attend or participate. Surely, a lot of those people will consist of members from your sorority and partnering fraternity. I think when you evaluate a event though, you try and see how many people outside that organizing network show up. Then you can really say that the word has gotten around and that you've sparked the interest of "outsiders." Your philanthropic causes will surely benefit more from those "weak ties" that come out to support the event.
Great post...Good luck!
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