SN Guide: Social Networking Examined

SN Guide: Social Networking Examined

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I. Motivations

• A Social Network Guide will help people stay connected with what is new and notable in the world of online social networking.
  • With so many social networking ventures being started, updated, and used every day, I anticipate utility for a website which analyzes the content, design, and marketing strategies of major as well as up-and-coming social networking sites. Users will benefit from analyses of social networks as well as reviews, opinions, and speculative articles on the topic of social networking.

II. Content

• SN Guide will house two main features.
  • An online directory of social networking sites.
    • Details about various sites.
      • Demographic: What is the primary audience of this site? Who are its users?
      • Usage: How popular is the site based on users and other metrics?
      • Design principles: How does the site manage its layout for the typical user?  How do they couple site design/uniformity with the availability of user-customization?
      • Notable innovative features: What brings people to this site? What makes it special or fills its niche in the world of social networking?
      • Marketing strategies and image: How does the site advertise? What is its "public image"?
    • User ratings and comments on each particular site.
      • A commenting feature enhances the interactivity of the site, adding to a dynamism that will pique user interest in SN Guide.
      • A simple five-star rating system along with text comments will be sufficient to allow users to rank their favorite sites and to comment on their usability, features, and marketing.
  • An archive and listing of articles that discuss and analyze social networking sites. Users will be allowed and encouraged to submit articles they have written for publication in this section.
    • Reviews of specific site features.
    • Analyses of usability.
    • Opinion articles.
    • Speculative pieces about future features, future sites, and the future of social networking in general.

III. Audience and Benefits of Use

• Social networking website builders and designers.
  • SN Guide will provide a survey of the social networking websites that already exist. As well, it will help current and future site creators to see the "big picture" of the social networking world, as well as articles and user opinions on the latest trends and features of social networking sites that already exist.
  • Designers will find the comparisons and analyses useful in the construction of their own sites.
  • Articles about social networking will act as a resource to enable them to keep track of current technologies in the industry.
• Net-savvy social networking site clients.
  • The site directory will give social network users the ability to find new sites that would interest them.
  • SN Guide will be a dependable and objective reference for users concerning the different types of social networking sites.
  • Users will find an outlet for voicing their own critiques, criticisms, and concerns about social networking topics.
  • Articles about social networking will act as a resource to enable users to keep pace with the newest social networking innovations that may interest them.