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The emergence of Online Social Networking service which have introduced new paradigms of sharing have changed the way people interact with each other. They provide an easy and creative way to connect with people. As a result there are all kinds of people like working professionals, students, businessmen and many more who participate actively in such networks. Social Networking services are also turning out to be a medium for promoting small scale business, books, events etc. Apart from this there is substantial literature which suggests that social connections can be created, maintained and strengthened through computer mediated channels of communication with special importance being given to the role of internet in maintaining social relations. Thus the social networking services build digital connections among people who are socially connected. Though the users can leverage a host of applications/services like messaging, chatting, file sharing, discussions in groups, activities etc from these online social networking applications, there is no relevance given to the context/location of a user in the existing setup. With the technology moving from personal computers to hand held and intelligent devices with embedded technology and connectivity there is a rise in the development of pervasive computing applications which provide easy access to required information and applications through a class of ubiquitous equipment that operate when and where needed. This adds value to the existing infrastructure by providing services which are “anytime and anywhere”. Social networking applications hold a vast amount of personal data that can be used to improve the experience of users in the physical space. With the changing environment of users and also that of the people in their social network a system with a capability of examining the environment and providing highly personalized services to the user is highly desirable. Thus the work described in this document will project a social networking service that gives significance to the location of a user. In other words we will see how social networking services can migrate from networked personal computers to more ubiquitous hand held devices like PDA’s, Smart Phones which would involve the location information of the physical space in order to make social experiences more meaningful. The primary goals of this work are:- 1.To develop a social network service and deploy it to a select set of users and monitor the level of interaction. 2.Propose an architecture which could be used to implement location awareness in the social network service developed. 3.Develop a prototype and provide a “proof of concept” of the architecture and the system designed. 4.Survey privacy issues that are of great importance in such systems. This work will produce a framework and perception of designing a social networking service that is location aware. The resulting system will be deployed to a set of users’ in order to understand the usage pattern of such systems. This would give a good picture of how such systems would be perceived and compared to the existing online social network services that are insensitive to the change in location of its users.

The integration of immigrants has been a significant area of research, focusing on aspects such as employment, housing, and education for newly arrived community members. In recent years, scholarly attention has increasingly turned toward social networks and their influence on immigrant integration into the labor market of the host country. This study aims to examine the role of social networks in relation to labor market integration by conducting an in-depth analysis of two distinct groups of second-generation immigrants in Sweden, originating from Bosnia and Somalia. Additionally, the study explores the impact of social identities, including social class, education, culture, and gender, on their integration and the formation of social ties. Through a case study of Växjö, this research offers an opportunity to explore the long-term effects of networks by comparing the similarities and differences in the patterns of integration among second-generation immigrants from Bosnia and Somalia. The qualitative case study employs semi-structured interviews supplemented by a desk analysis of existing research and published works. By synthesizing social network and social capital theories, the analysis sheds light on the significance of strong and weak ties for skilled and less skilled immigrants in finding employment and achieving labor market integration. Based on 18 interviews, the findings highlight contrasting patterns between the Bosnian and Somali immigrant groups. Because of the Bosnians' higher education levels and middle-class backgrounds, they predominantly rely on weak ties to secure employment. Conversely, most Somalis heavily depend on strong relationships due to cultural considerations, lower levels of education, and social class. Moreover, while Bosnian networks exhibit gender equality in educational attainment and access to job opportunities, Somali networks still face challenges regarding gender disparities in labor market access. This comparative study contributes to peace and development research by generating new knowledge and understanding of the role of social networks in the economic integration of immigrant groups from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The findings underscore the importance of considering the interplay between social ties, social identities, and employment.

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Religious participation often influences the composition of one's social network, but less is known about the degree to which religious attendance increases access to highly-influential individuals who can offer potential advantages in terms of resource distribution. Using data from the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity (PS-ARE) I examine the influence of religious attendance and gender on accessing high-status social ties, which are defined as having conversations with the highly educated, elected public officials, and congregation leaders. I estimate ordered logistic regression models and find that increased religious attendance is associated with greater odds of accessing high-status social ties. Additionally, I test for any moderating influence of gender and find that similarly attending women and men largely access such social ties equally, with a few exceptions. This study identifies religion as an organization that offers similar social networking opportunities for women and men alike. Since women attend religious services more frequently than men, this study draws conclusions that the relationship between religious participation and access to high-status social ties may be particularly meaningful for women on the aggregate, who often experience social networking disadvantages within other organizations.