social network

A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations) and a set of the dyadic ties between these actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for analyzing the structure of whole social entities as well as a variety of theories explaining the patterns observed in these structures.[1] The study of these structures uses social network analysis to identify local and global patterns, locate influential entities, and examine network dynamics.

TYPES:
1. Social Connections Keeping in touch with friends and family members is one of the greatest benefits of social networking. Here is a list of the most widely-used websites for building social connections online. Facebook: Arguably the most popular social media utility, Facebook provides a way for users to build connections and share information with people and organizations they choose to interact with online. Twitter: Share your thoughts and keep up with others via this real-time information network. Google +: This relatively new entrant to the social connection marketplace is designed to allow users to build circles of contacts that they are able to interact with and that is integrated with other Google products MySpace: Though it initially began as a general social media site, MySpace has evolved to focus on social entertainment, providing a venue for social connections related to movies, music games and more. 
2. Multimedia Sharing Social networking makes it easy to share video and photography content online. Here are some of the most popular sites for multimedia sharing. YouTube: Social media platform that allows users to share and view video content Flickr: This site provides a powerful option for managing digital photographs online, as well as for sharing them with others. Picasa: Similar to Flickr, Picasa provides a way to organize and share photos. It is a Google product and so offers integrated tagging and sharing with Google+.

3. Professional Professional social networks are designed to provide opportunities for career-related growth. Some of these types of networks provide a general forum for professionals to connect, while others are focused on specific occupations or interests. A few examples of professional social networks are listed below. LinkedIn: As of November of 2011, LinkedIn had more than 135 million members, making it the largest online professional network. Participants have an opportunity to build relationships by making connections and joining relevant groups. Classroom 2.0: Social network specifically designed to help teachers connect, share and help each other with profession-specific matters. Nurse Connect: Online community designed to help individuals in the nursing profession connect and communicate with each other.