Users of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or Twitter face two problems 1) their online social friendships and activities are scattered across SNSs. It is difficult for them to keep track of all their friends and the information about their friends online social activities. 2) they are often overwhelmed by the huge amount of social data (friends updates and other activities). To solve these two problems, this research proposes an approach, named SocConnect. Soc- Connect allows users to create personalized social and semantic contexts for their social data. Users can blend their friends across different social networking sites and group them in different ways. They can also rate friends and/or their activities as favourite, neutral or disliked. SocConnect also can recommend unread friend updates to the user based on user previous ratings on activi- ties and friends, using machine learning techniques. The results from one pilot studies show that users like SocConnects functionalities are needed and liked by the users. An evaluation of the effectiveness of several machine learning algorithms demonstrated that , and machine learning can be usefully applied in predicting the interest level of users in their social network activities, thus helping them deal with the network overload.

Users of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or Twitter face two problems 1) their online social friendships and activities are scattered across SNSs. It is difficult for them to keep track of all their friends and the information about their friends online social activities. 2) they are often overwhelmed by the huge amount of social data (friends updates and other activities). To solve these two problems, this research proposes an approach, named SocConnect. Soc- Connect allows users to create personalized social and semantic contexts for their social data. Users can blend their friends across different social networking sites and group them in different ways. They can also rate friends and/or their activities as favourite, neutral or disliked. SocConnect also can recommend unread friend updates to the user based on user previous ratings on activi- ties and friends, using machine learning techniques. The results from one pilot studies show that users like SocConnects functionalities are needed and liked by the users. An evaluation of the effectiveness of several machine learning algorithms demonstrated that , and machine learning can be usefully applied in predicting the interest level of users in their social network activities, thus helping them deal with the network overload.

People make a range of everyday decisions about how and whether to share content with different people, across different platforms and services, during a variety of tasks. These sharing decisions can encompass complex preferences and a variety of access-control dimensions. In this thesis I examine potential methods for improving sharing mechanisms by better understanding the everyday online sharing environment and evaluating a potential sharing tool. I first present two studies that explore how current sharing mechanisms may fall short on social networking sites, leading to suboptimal outcomes such as regret or self censorship. I discuss the implications of these suboptimal outcomes for the design of behavioral nudging tools and the potential for improving the design of selective-sharing mechanisms. I then draw on a third study to explore the broader “ecosystem” of available channels created by the services and platforms people move between and combine to share content in everyday contexts. I examine the role of selective-sharing features in the broader audience-driven and task-driven dynamics that drive sharing decisions in this environment. I discuss the implications of channel choice and dynamics for the design of selective-sharing mechanisms. Using insights from current shortfalls and ecosystem-level dynamics I then present a fourth study examining the potential for adding topic-driven sharing mechanisms to Facebook. I use design mockups and a lab-based interview to explore participants’ hypothetical use cases for such mechanisms. I find that these mechanisms could potentially be useful in a variety of situations, but successful implementation would require accounting for privacy requirements and users’ sharing strategies.

Agritourism is increasingly prevalent in Canadian society and affords individuals the opportunity to experience and learn about agriculture. Social networking sites can allow agritourism providers and consumers to engage outside of the agritourism context. This research used qualitative and quantitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews to understand how agritourism providers and consumers interact on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; why agritourism providers are using social networking sites in general; and if social networking sites can be used to facilitate free-choice learning. Customer Relationship Management and the Contextual Model of Learning were used as frameworks to better understand these interactions. The results and findings are discussed and confirm that agritourism providers believe educational opportunities can be fostered on social networking sites, but are primarily using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote connections between consumers and agritourism organizations. / October 2016

This bachelor thesis studies the impact of social networking on customer loyalty. Customer loyalty is defined as a commitment to re-buy a specific product or service in the future, despite external influences. There are several influencers of customer loyalty that must be taken care of, e.g. core offering, demographics, elasticity level or share of wallet. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the factors that influence customer loyalty through social networking on Facebook. In order to achieve that, the author has reviewed academic literature on the topic of customer loyalty, as well as on social networking and the ways in which Facebook is used as a marketing tool.

According to Nicole B. Ellison and Danah M. Boyd in their article on “Social network sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship”, they defined Social Networking Sites as “Web-based services that allow individuals to (1) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) View and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system”( 2007). In other words, Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are websites that are designed to simplify communication between users who share similar activities, attitudes and interests. Today the growth and role of social networking sites has become an issue not only for the users themselves but also for scholars and industrial researchers. My aim in this research will be to explore Social Networking Sites in general. The concept of Social Networking Sites is very broad; therefore my main study will be dealing primarily with how privacy and restrictions plays a role in identity management with reference to Facebook.

How do we mourn the dead and proceed with our lives when the dead do not absent themselves from our everyday world, but remain integrated into our community of friends on social networking sites? This paper explores the changes occurring in the ways in which we experience online the deaths of our loved ones, namely, a collapse between public and private modes of grief. The changes under examination include the changing perception of death, identity creation and ownership, the role of the bereaved, theoretical/therapeutic approaches to grieving, the function of ritual, and commemoration of the dead. Questions this paper addresses include: to whom do the dead belong? Does death become banal when it is incorporated into everyday life? How can a ritual reflect a passage from one state of being to another when you are part of a system that does not recognize a change in status? / text

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the potential utility of online social networking in enhancing participation in, and maintenance of, a university-based exercise program through the provision of social support. Ninety-one employees previously enrolled in an exercise program were surveyed. Participants were asked about their online social networking habits and their opinions on the possible use of online social networks to increase social support for and adherence to an exercise program. Respondents already belonging to a social networking site (SNS) (79%) were optimistic about the utility, particularly after their exercise program, while those who do not belong to an SNS were less positive. The findings imply that using online social networking to add social support both during and after an exercise program could be effective. / text

Due to the advancement of the Internet, information delivery has been forever changed. Technology rapidly outpaces traditional methods of conveying educational material. As a result, educators must seek non-traditional methods to deliver information. The use of social media outlets such as Facebook is one avenue of information delivery. The purpose of this study was to determine the uses and gratifications of the followers of the Trinity Waters Facebook page. A qualitative research design and purposeful sampling of (n=9) respondents were employed in this study. A semi-structured interview protocol was utilized in order to direct the study‘s research objectives. Respondents‘ desire increased availability of information and greater opportunities to establish networks with contemporaries. In addition, respondents sought practical information that could be applied to their daily pursuits. This study showed that followers of the Trinity Waters Facebook page want a greater amount of educational information disseminated through the page. As a result of this study, Trinity Waters should continue to seek out and distribute information that is significant and specific to the Trinity River basin. Trinity Waters should continue to pursue and disseminate information on current legislative or political actions that are specific to the Trinity River basin and also the state and federal levels. Events, meetings or seminars pertaining to the Trinity River basin and conservation efforts should be actively promoted by Trinity Waters via the Facebook platform. This study should be replicated with other extension programs throughout the state and nation. Further research should also be conducted on the implication of Facebook and social media in extension education settings.

The proliferation of social networking sites (SNS) over the last 20 years is a techno-social phenomenon of our age. Since it emerged in 2004, Facebook, the most popular social network in the world, steadily outcompeted its rivals in the overwhelming majority of countries. However, there are a few exceptions, Russia being one of them: Vkontakte, country’s local SNS, has remained the most popular site of this kind in Russia. The aim of this master thesis is to discover what motivates Russian SNS users to prefer a domestic networking site over its global rival Facebook. Uses and gratification theory and social network theory form a theoretical framework of this study and guide the choice of methodology, as well as the process of analysis and discussion. Qualitative methodological approach, and in particular interviews and comparative case study, was applied in this research. Thus, 14 interviewees were recruited and asked about their experiences of Vkontakte and Facebook usage. In addition, the comparative analysis of both sites was conducted in order to establish the differences in tools, features and services which potentially could influence the usage patterns of Russian SNS users. It was discovered that the difference in a number and quality of tools on Facebook and Vkontakte, primarily video and audio, significantly influence the frequency of usage and time spent on these sites. Moreover, it was established that the networks of Russian users on Vkontakte contain both weak and strong ties, while Facebook networks contain mostly weak ties, which makes global network less interesting and attractive for country’s users. And finally, the study suggests that although both sites have noticeable disadvantages, users tend to think of Vkontakte as a more favorable SNS even in this respect and highlight that their dissatisfaction with some aspects of Facebook usage was greater than that of Vkontakte. The study provides novel information regarding under-researched topic of SNS usage in Russia, and thus contributes to the existing academic works in the field.