WHAT IS SOCIAL NETWORKING?
Instant messaging and VoIP are great for communicating with just a few people, but what if you want to communicate with large numbers of people?
Ruby likes to use social networking sites. These websites are specially designed to bring together people who share interests. They also enable users to connect with friends, family and colleagues online. They ,provide a range of ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video,voice,file, sharing, blogging and discussion roups. Users can play games and quizzes th BGF BNMM  at allow them to share information with each other.
Sociak networking is very popular; the websites are used by millions of people all over the world every day. Popular social networking sites include facebook MySpace, Bebo and Twitter. Some sites allow users to personalise their own space by adding photos, links and blogs, and by adapting the layout to their own individual style.


WHAT WAS THE FIRST SOCIAL NETWORKIG SITE? AND IT'S IMPACT
Early social networking websites started in the form of generalized online communities such as THE WELL (1985), Theglobe.com (1994) and Tripod.com (1995). These early communities focused on bringing people together to interact with each other through chat rooms, and share personal information and ideas around any topics via personal homepage publishing tools which was a precursor to the blogging phenomenon. Some communities took a different approach by simply having people link each other via email addresses.These sites included Classmates.com (1995), focusing on ties with former school mates, and SixDegrees.com (1997), focusing on direct ties. User profiles could be created, messages sent to users held on a "friends list" and other members could be sought out who had similar interests to yours in their profiles (Boyd & Ellison 2007, p.3).Similar features had existed in some form before SixDegrees.com came about, but this would be the first time these new developments (that would later catch on and become immensely popular), the SixDegrees.com simply wasn't profitable and eventually shut down and Amazon.com bought up PlanetAll. It was even described by the websites's owner as "simply ahead of its time". New social networking methods mwere quickly developed by the end of 1990s which changed the social networking enabled the graphing of user's own social network-thus linking social networks and social networking became the largest and fastest groqing site in the world, not limited by particular geographical followings

ADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

• Social networks are boredom killers are especially for students during vacations and even elderly people who are retired from their jobs.
• Through Social ads and fans page you can advertise your business. For example facebook offers a very customizable ads placement service, which is also very easy to use and cost effective. Its ads allows you to target people of specific ag, geographic location, interests, etc making your ads most useful and effective.
• Kids can gain social confidence from interacting with other people online, which may help them feel more secure in new situations such as going to college, joining a sports team and meeting new friends.

DISADVANTAGES OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

• You are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know. Most people would say be careful, but no one can be certain at any given time. As long as people can know who you exactly are, then some can find ways to do you in.
• You are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know. Most people would say be careful, but no one can be certain at any given time. As long as people can know who you exactly are, then some can find ways to do you in.
• In addition to the above it's worth considering how your child may be impacted emotionally by frequent usage of social networking sites. Some experts have warned that sites such as Facebook and Bebo can have a negative effect on children who are less confident and self-assured, as they can equate their happiness and success as individuals with how many friends they have on Facebook. Even if a child isn't being bullied as such, they can experience self-esteem issues if their online network isn't as big as their friends, or they have been excluded from a certain online group.
• Unfortunately some users can harness social networking sites to carry out 'cyber-bullying' where malicious comments are posted online about an individual and/or that user receives abusive messages or other content. Some tech-savvy users may even be able to hack into another user's account to harass them so it's important your child is aware of these dangers and understands they must be reported as soon as possible. As social networking allows people to take on a different online persona, this can encourage individuals who wouldn't be a bully in the real world to take part in unpleasant activities because their real identity can be covered up.

Tips for staying safe on social networking sites

• Ensure your child is the minimum age required to join a social networking site.
• Never give out personal details such as addresses or mobile phone numbers on social networking sites. It's also best if your child doesn't use their real name on their profile.
• Be very wary of accepting friends who you do not know personally.
• If your child is the victim of any form of harassment or abuse, ensure you keep a record of all communication to pass over to the relevant bodies.
• Try to use a 'disposable' email address for registering with social networking sites and avoid using your real name for the address. Hotmail or Yahoo! provide free email addresses.