Social Networks are Dangerous for the Future of Youth

Private information posted on Facebook, Bebo and other such social networks can spoil the future of millions of young people, warns the British Office of Information Commissioner (ICO) which is responsible for ensuring compliance with privacy.


"Many young people send materials online without concern that they were leaving their electronic footprints," said ICO Deputy Commissioner David Smith. "Retribution for that in the future may be too high if the administration of universities or employers using numerous social networks will be find an unsightly information of the person."

According to the Guardian Unlimited, according to the poll conducted ICO, 60% of young people aged 14 to 21 years do not realize that information posted them on the Web itself will remain for many years to come "attached" to their identity. However, 70% did not want their books read in the future potential employer.

Facebook Helps British Tax Police Officers in the Search of Tax-Dodgers

British Tax and Preventive Service (HMRC) has been actively using social networks, in the first place Facebook, to search for a fugitive tax-dodgers.

Customs officer said that the visit by Tax Police officers Facebook has already led to several arrests and replenish the coffers, reports The Inquirer. "Basically, this is a great stupidity on some people," said the officer. It goes without saying that a tax-dodgers of mind is not enough to tell the Web about themselves and their whereabouts, but there friends and relatives do that. The officer being aware of the possibilities of the Internet wished to remain anonymous.

What Popular Now

If you ask any advanced webmaster - what is now the most popular on the Internet, many will answer that it is the social network and Web 2.0. Nope... Look at the picture:



The Blue Line is not роrn, perhaps as many thought, it is the word "pokemon", red is "social network", orange is "web 2.0".

That is a super site about social networks potential audience will be many times less than that of the site with pictures from cartoon.

And this is when running a campaign in the press. A web site is about Web 2.0 it turns out nobody at all necessary.

Well there is such a useful tool as Google Trends where this can be viewed before spend time on nonsense.

Another example: the commonly experienced masters novice to the question of where to start talking "start with аdult, because there are many traffic."

Look picture:



After reading the picture as advocating adult for beginners will be a bit more difficult. :)

Conclusions:

1) what really popular often does not coincide with that so fashionable, especially if it is fashionable in professional environment, like webmaster-gam.
2) When talking about something that is popular - if possible have to check itself.
3) Invalid authoritative view very often can distort the image of reality, what is not sin in order to benefit from the monetization of general misconceptions. :)

Social Networks 4G

...Will provide operators main income

Cellular phone operator Verizon plans to launch communications fourth generation (4G) by the year 2010, expecting that it would be a substantial revenue yield users social networks such as MySpace and Facebook. Analysts warn that Verizon is not the only operator that has found new market.

All it need to do to social networks have become a hit in mobile networks is to select the correct network. So believes Verizon Wireless technical director Dick Lynch. Verizon plans to launch 4G- network in 2010. They will be interested in the possibility of including users and social networks. "Those who today enjoys Facebook and YouTube or other social networks will be the main consumer services wireless networks in the future," Mr. Lynch believes.

"4G Network is no longer transfer of voice or text messages. This is interactive applications that enjoyed success with customers," confident Dick Lynch.

Verizon was moving in the right direction focusing on the younger audience of social networks - they will be more likely to download music or video to mobile phones, than older users. Sites MySpace and Facebook quickly became popular by the fact that users can create files online, communicate with each other and share video, music and photos. Move their ability to cellular phones is a good idea. But the networks third generation (3G) data transmission speeds low and operators maintain high rates of traffic. And to a market puts Verizon network 4G.

Rather than develop their own social networking products the majority of operators have chosen to work with the existing popular sites like MySpace and Facebook. Many of the new projects, such as Intercasting, Juice Wireless, AirG, Frengo and Twitter, also plan to provide social services in mobile networks, said Rajeev Chand, Rutberg and Co analyst.

Verizon is not the first operator interested social networks based on the mobile Internet. Despite its ambitious plans the company may miss returning to the market. In 2006, Social MySpace network has reached an agreement with a provider AT&T/Cingular and with a startup Helio, owned by SK Telecom and EarthLink. AT&T is negotiating with other social networks, including Facebook, launches mobile videoservis based network 3G. Helio sells phones with pre-installed software to facilitate access to the functions of MySpace and YouTube. In September, American cellphone operator T-Mobile also easier access to the functions of MySpace with its popular Sidekick phone. T-Mobile will launch network 3G one or two years, and also focuses on social networks.

Last quarter revenue from Verizon data services grew by 63%, to 2 billion USD. Like other operators, the main part of the proceeds of Verizon receives from the transfer text messages and downloading ringtones. John Fletcher, an analyst marketing agency SNL Kagan, sure that the social network increase operators revenue. "Today, data transmission revenue fluctuates around marks in 20% of the total revenue," he says, "although most of the revenue from data provided business users, BlackBerry owners and laptops. Revenue from private users is much lower."

Users Will Bring Billions of Dollars for Social networks

Global revenue from end-users who use social networks, dating services and the delivery of personalized content will grow in the next five years to 10 times.

Such conclusions based on the basis of the recently published report of Juniper Research. According to the study, revenues of social networks, dating services and personal content will increase from 572 million dollars in 2007 to over 5.7 billion dollars in 2012. The social network will bring 50 per cent of the total income for the period under review.

According to the author of the report, Dr Windsor Holden, in developing countries where broadband is weak, the mobile phone has become the primary means for accessing the internet, so the social network will be developed at a mobile platform, rather than on computers.

The study predicted a multiplication active users of social networks, with 14 million in 2007, and 600 million in 2012. But it is pointed out that the main obstacle mass distribution service remain high prices for traffic.

Facebook. Social Networks Safety

Social networks such as Facebook now attract millions of users, owing to simple communication and simplicity find new friends. But is all personal information users closed? Heated debates on the subject starts when Facebook made the data available to users of search engines (such as Google and Yahoo!).

Growth of database users Facebook began with a Harvard University in 2004 and so far the number of accounts is 42 million. In theory, users data hidden from the outsiders. Options security systems can hide personal information or the whole account of the people with whom they are in one school or work in one team. This gives more protection to which private data than in many other social networks. But after the Facebook announced the opening of user data for search engines, you can confidently say that the project which was initially used to communicate students completely changed its original purpose and has become a huge online directory.

A study conducted a month ago (august 2007) in the British firm Sophos, specializing in IT security, revealed that many users are very imprudent to access its security and privacy of their personal data. Sophos has created a false account to Facebook and invited to friends 200 users, 41% of which are pleased to have agreed and gave us full access to their data. Some data were so detailed that you can easily determine the identity of the person and guess his passwords. Sophos said that despite the fact that Facebook users gave very flexible system for the protection of personal data, users are doing everything possible to not to use it.

Next cite several examples of how the vulnerability of personal information in social networks account played a joke on its felines owner. Former Inspector General of Police had to reopen the case woman whose purse was stolen in a London nightclub - thieves using her name, found her account on a social networking and took advantage of information is there to pay her credit card.

In July, Oxford University student Alex Hill said that the University was accused of promiscuity and violating all the rules of the academic institution. The reason for the charges became photos stored on his Facebook account. Student Society now advises all pupils to tighten access to their profiles on Facebook, but again many continue to grant access to its accounts to all those who have put themselves in the column University of Oxford.

Last month political resonance was caused by the fact that the 17-year-old daughter Republicans Rudy Giuliani joined the group in Facebook, which supports Democrat Barack Obama. All ended that she had to delete its account.

Social Networks Sensation

The world social networks have shown a significant increase in attendance over the past year. Thus, the number of visitors to MySpace.com since June 2006 increased by 72%. In absolute terms, this is almost 48 million people. Facebook.com has increased the number of its users at 270%, from 14 to 52 million people. The largest growth rate among Tagged.com - 774%, or 11.6 million visitors in absolute terms.

The common increase in attendance sites of selected social networks *



(* The table presents sites with attendance of at least 10 million, showed growth of user base of at least 50% and of particular importance for the North American region. Figures are not rating)

In different regions showed different network growth. In the United States and Canada popular MySpace and Facebook. In Europe, a strong position Bebo.com. In Asian it is Friendster. Custom database networks Hi5.com and Tagged.com fairly evenly distributed across the world: they do not have regions with very high or very low attendance.

Distribution attendance social networking sites chosen by region



"Our study showed that hundreds of millions of people around the world regularly visit social networking sites. Many do it every day. It is no longer fashionable whim, a full-fledged part of the lives of Internet users," said Bob Ivins, executive vice president of comScore international markets.

The Social Network for Mobile Operators: Warning

Adapt to web 2.0 or die. Warning for mobile operators.

Analytical Agency Arthur D. Little has prepared an analytical report which is the main appeal is "Use or lose profit!" The development of social networks and tools to enable users to create their own content and consume it as convenient to them, give operators potentsialny new source of revenue. But to take advantage of this source, operators need to greatly revise its approach. This is to renounce closed portals, own formats, high tariffs for the transmission of data and learn in every way encourage their active mobile communities.

More than 38% of young Europeans are already actively enjoy access to there own mail box from their mobile devices, and operators need to open access to already existing web 2.0 service. The lack of access to the provision that it would severely affect the operator income of these services.

What are the options available to mobile operators? - partnerships with major players web 2.0 (flickR, myspace and others), or self-development of competing services. Vodafone and 3 (formerly known as Hutchison 3G) has opted for the first option and choose to work with MySpace, Skype, Google, YouTube. Nevertheless, the report provides a more stable and less profitable option is to abandon all attempts to engage in the very web 2.0, and to concentrate on its key businesses - providing services for the transfer of data.

The Gender Structure of the Internet is Changing

Analysts of marketing company eMarketer reviewed internet-market USA and found that the number of all Internet users there are 51.7% of women or 97.2 million.

eMarketer said that the Internet was originally a purely male phenomenon, the rise in research and military facilities, but over the past 15 years it rapidly became less specialized and increasingly glam-style that led to a significant influx of women and a slight outflow male audience. However, analysts point out that over the past 5-6 years among women there are more and more skilled programmers, IT managers and programmers.

Notably, over the past six months other research companies, such as comScore Media Matrix, Arbitron and Edison Media has also published a study of gender structure of the internet from different countries and concluded that the feminization of the Global Network.

eMarketer report states that since 2000 the number of women in the Global Network grew by 12.4%, while the male audience growth for the same period was only 3.2%. By 2011 year women users of global network in the United States alone will increase to 109.7 million, which will constitute 51.9% of the total number of users.

However, the researchers found that female audience tends to a simple service and usually avoids complex multimedia and network services - only 66% of women from 97.2 million viewing online video, men, the figure is markedly higher - 78% of the 90.9 million people.

In eMarketer said that in the foreseeable future naturally the situation is unlikely to change, the only factor that can change the statistics online population is any population surges or falling.

Overall, analysts say that in the U.S. so far 78.4% of women and 76.7% of men using the internet.

"Now grow up generation of girls who communicate with High-Tech and for them through three or four years would not be any difficulty communicating with complex internet-service as well as with computers. Moreover, in developed countries now mass trend growth the female population while maintaining the percentage of male," said eMarketer analyst Debra Williamson. "In the next couple of years should be expected to increase among female audiences such as social services network, specialized sites or multimedia portals," she supplements.

Is Social Networks Profitable Business?

Social networks in the face of its growing popularity faced with the complexity of monetization or profit from their services.

The problem is named in the main report In-Stat "Social Networks: finding friends online".

"In order for social networking sites have become successful, it must to attain a critical mass, but the competition to attract new members being very badly," says Jill Meyers of In-Stat. Moreover, the site focused on a younger audience, which finite and limited in income," said Miss Meyers. In her observation, baby boomers most often in social networks are frequently overlooked. Although they have their own social network, for example, Eons.com.

eMarketer estimated, in 2007 the cost of advertising on MySpace outweigh the cost of advertising in other social networks together.

One of possibility opportunities to earn is sale users data: the huge number of resources have comprehensive demographic data. While this may not like members of the site, it may be the best way to reach profitability.

While social networks have become a popular phenomenon, individually enjoyed varying popularity from growth 1177% (Sconex.com) to -40% (LiveJournal.com), according to comScore Media Metrix.

Microsoft offers tips on increasing revenue from advertising in social networks. Group digital advertising solutions to the Microsoft ordered Metrix Lab study on how members of the social networking sites use. It was found that advantageous in terms of advertising can be a creation of the so-called profile brands, which can be added to the list of friends. A quarter of members of social networks are made on any advertising, a one third is forwards it to friends.

But according to eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson, the time of branded profiles are probably already passed. The idea of advertising - creation of advertising profiles and collection of friends - was popular in 2006, but had to decline because users are tired of collecting friends.

Some companies are developing special software that uses sophisticated modeling techniques to identify the context of what are written by members of social networks to show them the most appropriate advertising.

There is a risk that innovative models will not be accepted, and advertisers want to use something more commonplace. For instance, the Roadblocks which sells at MySpace pages.

Objective Social Network

Anonymity of participants social network is one major constraint networks for business. User reports on a fraction of the information, but not for an objective assessment of a potential partner or client.

Anonymity or partial anonymity of the participants of social networks is a factor in the popularity of networks worldwide. Participant reported only the part personal information, which he deems necessary or possible to tell and this is an opportunity to change about yourself in the eyes of other people.

But on the other hand, the ability to keep some details for the frame, which can be key to business reputation, and that can have a significant impact on a decision in the business, is an obstacle to the application of social networks in real business. Indeed, for the use of social networks, online services supported by social networks, characterized by a marked weakening in comparison with similar connection in the real world.

Company SoWeSay announces new social network allegedly deprived of this shortcoming. Currently, the network operates in beta mode, and recording it is possible by invitation only.

Users of the network can create profiles for the other members of the network, communicate and make available information about other people. There are several ways to verify their information, so users can obtain an objective assessment of the requested nominee. Typical features are personal feedback is not subject to further editing.

More Time to Communicate

The social network is the main reason for the increasing amount of time now spent on the Internet. This is conclusion of Never Ending Friending. The study was prepared jointly by the company TNS, Teenage Research Unlimited Marketing Evolution and instructions on MySpace, Carat and Isobar.

As it turned out, a third of those surveyed aged 14 to 40 years who enjoy the social networks, have increased as a result of this time presence on the Internet. And only 8% of users who communicate in social networks, the total period of stay decreased in Networks.

E-mail became more use 26% of respondents (less than-14%), internet-messengers -24% (less than-16%).

While those users who have become more time to conduct on the Net, not necessarily do so at the expense of viewing television programs. The authors of the study noticed that the fans of social communication in the network, there is a tendency to watch less TV. That is the difference from those whose pastime on the Web devoted not social networks, and other types internet activity. On average, social networks amatores watched television about two hours a week less than the general Internet users.

What are the same sites visited by amatores of social networks? The first is MySpace, the principal asset of the blogs communication amatores. That it spent most of the time that users spend on the Internet. In top ten of most popular portal sites also hit Facebook. In December 2006, at MySpace spent 12% of the total online time, which users had in the United States Network.

However, according to eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson, though these portals enjoyed great popularity among network users, it does not mean that they are good marketing channels. In eMarketer optimistic about the key benefits of social networks - users the opportunity to voice their concerns, to share it with otheres and make a relations with the pertinent people, -noted Williamson. However, she said, now it is time to social networks to prove its worth marketing. "They should not simply force users to communicate on the Net, but also show that social marketing networks can bring real results."

Social Networks and Security

Now the Internet is actively being developed social networks. People like to stay there, being there for a long hours communicating, finding new/old friends. This is fine, but in my opinion the time had come to think about what we publish on the Internet and imagine what it might lead.

For example, take the site odnoklassniki.ru. Great project has helped to find my classmates and co-workers. There you can post pictures, say where you studied, worked and served. I do not sign up there despite requests from friends, but recently decided to try. I must to said that is very sustains. On the site there is an opportunity to tell all about my friend's. There's enough just to that guy agreed to this. You send him invitation and if he accepted it, everyone can saw your friend and who is your friend's friends. As stated in the adage: "Say me who's your friend and I will say to you who you are." But let us look at this from the other side.

Despite the fact that I have recently replaced my corporate phone, I had twice called strange people, the dialogue was this:
- Hi, it's Mike!
- Who is Mike?
- Now that you do not hear, that's right?
- No. And what surname?
- Well, it's me, Mike!
- What is your surname?
Put the phone.

Many have already heard about telephone frauds. When a man asks to call and presented his friend. For example, parents call and say that their son shot down the right, and you need to drive and take a pledge. And this is only one of the scenarios.

As for the information in fact provide odnoklassniki.ru when allowed to see all your friends? Invaluable! Now you will call and provided the correct last name, or even know biography. But in odnoklassniki.ru good database: Parts military officers, military schools. All this you can see one query. And, for example, that the sample is Military Commissariat do on all graduates of this school year? Find evaded conscription, all his friends to know and make an operation. That's great.

I do not understand why all can see my friends on odnoklassniki.ru. I do not understand at all why people publish this list to your friends in the whole world. This is personal information. I do not want to publish it.

I called various members of advertising agencies by offering something. I asked, and where they learned my phone, and they were told that saw the announcement of my speech on the Internet, a name and place of work is to find a working phone and call-awaited technology.

In the end, reverting to social networks, it is understandable that our relationship with each other is valuable information that we need to preserve and protect, and we take and publish it. We should at least have the right to share this information only elected. At sites with pictures already have such opportunities in the form of access passwords secret and special links.

When the list of my friends for a few days came to 30 people on odnoklassniki.ru, I think over all of this. As a result, I have removed all friends from odnoklassniki.ru for my safety and for their safety. Let my list of friends remain in the head. Moreover, for quick access to the correct person odnoklassniki.ru have a "Favorite" button.

This is my opinion, it may seem to you wrong. Answer a question on the meaning of the entire web to tell their friends and take a decision.

BDV