ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS (white paper) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS (white paper) - Essay Example The dial-up technology was predominantly used in the 70s and 80s, until other more advanced technologies sprouted to replace the pioneer technology in social networking. The social media is mainly used to relate to an internet site that facilitates people to interact in sharing ideas and information. Such has to include sharing of photos, music, videos among other contents that enhance interaction between groups of people (Kimball and Rheingold 3). The first online communication inform of an email was sent in 1971, by the 1970s, technology had significantly improved to facilitate more networking and in 1979, the first newsletter that allowed users to communicate virtually was launched. In the 1980s, future developments gave rise to an increased use of home computers with social media growing by day to become more complex. This gave rise to the more robust Internet Relay charts, IRCs, which were first used in 1988 extending way into the 90s. However, the first site that resembled the current networking sites was used for the first time in 1997 under the name Six Degrees (Goble). For the first time, users were able to upload their profiles and request for friendships from other users. The first blogging site that created the frenzy that exists today was launched in 1999; the blog site gave way to the current social networking. The creation of the blog gave rise to renowned sites such as MySpace and LinkedIn, which gained much popularity in the 2000s, with Flickr and photo bucket facilitating users to share photos online. It was not until 2005 that YouTube revolutionized the social media and crated a much better and new way that facilitated social networking. By the end of 2006, Facebook and Twitter were unveiled across the globe opening a new chapter in social networking, as it exists today. In addition, some sites dedicated to particular niches such as Spotify, Tumblr and Pinterest sprouted around this time (complete history attached at the appendix). The growth of social media sites has taken the globe with a storm with the corporate world taking advantage of the huge traffic in social sites to market their services and interact with potential customers. Business has since shifted from boardrooms to new virtual rooms with advertising through ‘Word Of Mouth’, turning to advertising through ‘Word Of Mouse.’ Consequently, the use of these social networking sites has varied impacts on organizations and enterprises from different fronts. This article delves deep into the social networking sites and the ways in which they have affected organizations today. Relationship building One way in which social networks have greatly influenced business activities is in relationship building. Relationship building involves the ability of an organization to meet a wide range of internal and external customers, establishing strong bonds with such customers in encouraging them to do business with the organization. A study on the use of social networks by nonprofit organizations observed that social networking has played a critical role in simplifying interfaces and facilitating a simpler exchange method of dispersing information (Branston & Bush 2). Moreover, a study by Waters (63) noted that most organizations use social networks for