Social Media and Social Networks

"Social media and social networks have changed the way we communicate and work in organisations". Do you agree with this statement?

Abstract

Social Media and Social Networking are communication tools that describe collaboration and participation found on the web. These communication tools are in form of web sites or social software's such as YouTube, Yammer and Facebook which are commonly used in business organisations to ease off work process and to enhance internal and external communication. These changes are all influenced by web 2.0 which gives opportunity to interact with the web which as lead to major growth of the online community. Marketing strategies as also greatly changed due to companies opting to use Social Media and Social Networks instead of traditional media such newspapers.

In this report various statistics were greatly explored with the purpose of clarifying aspects of Social Media and Social Networks. Books of Theories of organisational change were also used as it explained in a less complex manner how to introduce changes in the workplace and what risks the business may encounter. Although it seems as if there's been a change in the way we work the report shows that social media and social network only made work process less complex due to cutting down and speeding up certain tasks.

Contents

Abstract 1

Introduction 3

Web 1.0 v Web 2.0 4

Social Media & Social Network 5

Integration in the Workplace 6

Positives & Negatives 7

Change Management 8

Conclusion 9

Introduction

This assignment will cover various aspects of both social media and social network; I will also be demonstrating my view in regards to whether or not I agree with the assignment question at hand. Social media can be considered as an umbrella which shelters a number of online media which aims in sharing or advertising information to a large community. On the other hand social network is a social structure made out of people who are joined by a common interest.

Social media and social network have not only had an immense impact on communication but have also influenced how some organisations are managed. Social network is seen as another form of 'word of mouth' that allows users to communicate with a larger community. Businesses now opt to use social networks as it provides an opportunity to engage conversation and create a relationship with the target market on a bigger scale. Social media websites such Facebook give users the freedom to form a relationship with other users and brands and share information such as photos, news or even videos. Social networking websites have experienced a rapid unprecedented growth and are the most talked about web pages on the internet. This has become a very popular communication tool in businesses as it makes communication in the workplace and marketing easier due to the opportunity of directly interacting with customers.

This essay will highlight the differences between social media and social networking and mainly concentrate on how social media and networks have changed the way organisations communicate and operate within the work place. I will also briefly talk about the differences and impact of the previous web referred to as web 1.0 in comparison to the current web of this era known as web 2.0 which allows users to interact on the web.

The first part of this essay will briefly discuss the previous web referred as web 1.0 and the current web of this era known as web 2.0 as it's clearer to understand the impact of social media and social network by knowing what changes were necessary for this impact occur. Secondly the essay will explore the different effects social networking and social media as in an organisation and its employees. It will also include various theories, examples and data with the purpose to support the discussion.

Web 1.0 v Web 2.0

Social media and social network have rapidly grown over the past few years and this is all due to the change of web. In the past we used web 1.0 which was very limited and did not allow as much collaboration as the current web. Web 1.0 included static sites which usually contained information that could be useful however; it was unlikely that the reader would return to these sites after visiting them once. The previous web would not allow interactivity meaning visitors would only be able to visit a web page and couldn't make any type of contribution to the site. With the introduction of web 2.0 sites such as wiki were introduced were it allows visitors to participate in making changes.

The current web plays an immense role in the existence of the social media and social network. Web 2.0 can be seen as a platform that allows the interactivity and participation on the web. This web has made the internet no longer a place where you just get information due to transiting to a social web making the web alive and allowing a two-way interaction . The current web has transformed social media and social network to weapons of mass collaboration as it's now used in corporation to carry out tasks and to reduce complexity in an organisation.

Web 2.0 changed communication and the way work is carried out in business organisations. Social media and social networking used to be common in only the consumer's life, but it is now introduced into the corporate world and has changed communication and how organisations operate .Business organisations now use communication tools such as social networking sites, blogs, syndication, folksonomy and wikis, rich media such as geo-localisation, webcasts and Webinars, Mashups, virtual world events, interactive ads, applets and widgets. These have all influenced the way business organisations undertake external and internal communication; due to the new range of technology innovation such as interactivity on the web that allows organisations to rapidly inform consumers of relevant information.

Web 2.0 has influenced companies to engage and connect with the online community through the use of social