I really enjoyed this week's readings and how Kadushin as well as Benkler and Benjamin Phelan transitioned from small social networks to the way organizations network.
The Hive (quibbling aside amongst the researchers in the first half of the paper) really delve into the world of eusociality - is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification (Wikipedia definition). At the heart of this article appears to be moral behaviour and the differences between altruists and individualists - with the belief by Darwin that the actions of altruists would overpower the selfish actions of individualists. And all of these beliefs are understood and derived from looking at how ants perform in a colony and how bees perform in their hives.
If you apply this type of mentality to the social networks of today, does Phelan's article still ring true? Can altruistic traits be encoded in DNA and passed on from generation to generation (as Darwin tried to determine)? Well it seems that good character traits, like altruism, aren't just a part of your physical make-up. It's also determined by the environment one is raised in and the behaviours that exist in that group.
I was drawn back to an article that I had analyzed for our first assignment in COMM 501 - Communications Research. In the article I read about the Sichuan earthquake in China, and how media helped spread the message about how survivors could be involved in the relief efforts. I kept thinking that while we as humans are more socially networked today thanks to the Internet, it seems to take a worldwide catastrophe to motivate us to altruism.
Gone it seems are the days where people did things out of the good of their own hearts. Now it seems that only when disaster visits the doorstep do people feel motivated to step out of their insular bubbles and help their fellow man. I would like to think that personally I could have my altruistic side tapped for much less than disaster but I don't truly know how I would react. How do you think you would in the same situation?
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
A day at the conservatory
This blog can't be about all school all the time, and thankfully this afternoon classmate Hillary and I left the books and blogs behind for a few hours and walked down the hill to the Muttart Conservatory for some sunshine, fresh air and plants.
I've taken enough photos of these gorgeous pyramids on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River from the outside, but this is only the second time I've ever been inside of the pyramids to see their wonders. Three pyramids are static, with plants from the Tropical, Temporal and Arid climates. The fourth pyramid is a feature and this month it was hydrangeas! Oh the perfume when we walked in.
The walk was a perfect way to break up some of the reading and writing monotony of our spring intensive. Back to the books this week though. We're already planning what adventure we'll be on next weekend!
I've taken enough photos of these gorgeous pyramids on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River from the outside, but this is only the second time I've ever been inside of the pyramids to see their wonders. Three pyramids are static, with plants from the Tropical, Temporal and Arid climates. The fourth pyramid is a feature and this month it was hydrangeas! Oh the perfume when we walked in.
The walk was a perfect way to break up some of the reading and writing monotony of our spring intensive. Back to the books this week though. We're already planning what adventure we'll be on next weekend!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The wealth of networks
Well so much for this post being saved so I could revisit it later. Have you ever written a brilliant email or a couple of pages for a paper and then it never saves? That's what happened with this post. Ugh...now to see if I can pull together the threads of Kadushin and Benkler again.
Kadushin and Benkler both examined what social networks were like from the perspective of small groups. Small groups could comprised of any number of individuals, close friends, family members, etc. but these members all had certain roles and characteristics that were enhanced by their small group interaction.
Kadushin probes the idea of small groups or pure informal groups, observing that over time these groups create cliques and that the group exhibits certain characteristics including judging the group by attractiveness and formalizing some sort of leader for the group. Those external to the group will always want to be inside the small group, so will place their social networking efforts in the direction of hopefully joining the group. For members internally, they see no value creating relationships outside of their clique so do not reciprocate social efforts to those externally. A lopsided network is created and maintained (sigh...does this remind anyone of high school and either being one of the cool kids or not?).
Benkler's article examines how with the advent of the Internet came the occurrence of more virtual communities and with that the fear that society would disintegrate. Benkler quotes Howard Rheingold's 1993 The Virtual Community, "There is a hunger for community, no longer satisfied by the declining availability of physical spaces for human connection. There is a newly available medium that allows people to connect despite their physical distance" (Benkler, p. 359) which gives us an understanding of how the advent of the Internet was first received and perceived.
From 1993 to 2000 reports continued to emphasize that the longer that people spent online, the less time they actually invested in human to human contact. However, over time a different picture emerged. Benkler references a study done by Keith Hampton and Barry Wellman. These men studied a Toronto suburb that had access to high-speed wiring ahead of broadband (Benkler, p. 363). What they found was that through Internet access, members of the community began to make connections to the weaker ties in their community, strengthening them so that offline people were more inclined to visit with others when they ran into them around the town. This seemed in direct opposition to what researchers first believed ~ that society would disintegrate physically as more people moved online.
Personally I've seen the change in my family over the years; as we've moved increasingly online, so too has the ways in which we stay in touch with each other. When I first began travelling in 2000 I had daily emails, weekly long distance telephone calls and handwritten letters to stay in touch with my friends and family. Over the years I incorporated IM (instant messaging) and video chatting to the mix. Today I spend a lot of time text messaging or tweeting family or friends and while it's a quick fix to catch up with those I care about, I still prefer to pick up the telephone and call them or arrange a visit in person.
Technology added to the mix or removed, social networking I believe always depends on the person doing it and they will make all the difference to the mix.
Kadushin and Benkler both examined what social networks were like from the perspective of small groups. Small groups could comprised of any number of individuals, close friends, family members, etc. but these members all had certain roles and characteristics that were enhanced by their small group interaction.
Kadushin probes the idea of small groups or pure informal groups, observing that over time these groups create cliques and that the group exhibits certain characteristics including judging the group by attractiveness and formalizing some sort of leader for the group. Those external to the group will always want to be inside the small group, so will place their social networking efforts in the direction of hopefully joining the group. For members internally, they see no value creating relationships outside of their clique so do not reciprocate social efforts to those externally. A lopsided network is created and maintained (sigh...does this remind anyone of high school and either being one of the cool kids or not?).
Benkler's article examines how with the advent of the Internet came the occurrence of more virtual communities and with that the fear that society would disintegrate. Benkler quotes Howard Rheingold's 1993 The Virtual Community, "There is a hunger for community, no longer satisfied by the declining availability of physical spaces for human connection. There is a newly available medium that allows people to connect despite their physical distance" (Benkler, p. 359) which gives us an understanding of how the advent of the Internet was first received and perceived.
From 1993 to 2000 reports continued to emphasize that the longer that people spent online, the less time they actually invested in human to human contact. However, over time a different picture emerged. Benkler references a study done by Keith Hampton and Barry Wellman. These men studied a Toronto suburb that had access to high-speed wiring ahead of broadband (Benkler, p. 363). What they found was that through Internet access, members of the community began to make connections to the weaker ties in their community, strengthening them so that offline people were more inclined to visit with others when they ran into them around the town. This seemed in direct opposition to what researchers first believed ~ that society would disintegrate physically as more people moved online.
Personally I've seen the change in my family over the years; as we've moved increasingly online, so too has the ways in which we stay in touch with each other. When I first began travelling in 2000 I had daily emails, weekly long distance telephone calls and handwritten letters to stay in touch with my friends and family. Over the years I incorporated IM (instant messaging) and video chatting to the mix. Today I spend a lot of time text messaging or tweeting family or friends and while it's a quick fix to catch up with those I care about, I still prefer to pick up the telephone and call them or arrange a visit in person.
Technology added to the mix or removed, social networking I believe always depends on the person doing it and they will make all the difference to the mix.
Image courtesy of http://www.itsafullnest.com/page/14/
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Relationship broker
In Chapter 5 of Charles Kadushin's book, he begins to analyze some of the psychological foundations upon which social networks are built and maintained. As he begins to analyze the depth to which social networks run, Kadushin references, Boissevain who wrote a book called Friends of Friends.
Boissevain mentions at one point how within social networks there are highly specialized at the social network process and he named them "brokers" (Kadushin, 57). These brokers help manage the connections between networks for some sort of profit - but not the monetary kind.
It makes me think of the connections I've made over my lifetime, through the different hats I've worn professionally. Some of these connections have stayed professional, some are more close to me. But all have come in handy at some point in time. Have you ever had someone ask if you could put them in touch with another group they know you have connections to? It's a heady feeling.
More than just a heady feeling, social networks fulfill two needs according to Kadushin: 1) to feel safe; and 2) to reach out (Kadushin, 56). Rationalized as almost an inherent function in humans from birth (we are programmed to feel safe and reach out to our mothers in infancy), I find the reasons that I seek out others is because growing up I had very few friends, at least until I was a teenager. If anything the experience has helped me appreciate the relationships and connections that I do have that much more.
Boissevain mentions at one point how within social networks there are highly specialized at the social network process and he named them "brokers" (Kadushin, 57). These brokers help manage the connections between networks for some sort of profit - but not the monetary kind.
It makes me think of the connections I've made over my lifetime, through the different hats I've worn professionally. Some of these connections have stayed professional, some are more close to me. But all have come in handy at some point in time. Have you ever had someone ask if you could put them in touch with another group they know you have connections to? It's a heady feeling.
More than just a heady feeling, social networks fulfill two needs according to Kadushin: 1) to feel safe; and 2) to reach out (Kadushin, 56). Rationalized as almost an inherent function in humans from birth (we are programmed to feel safe and reach out to our mothers in infancy), I find the reasons that I seek out others is because growing up I had very few friends, at least until I was a teenager. If anything the experience has helped me appreciate the relationships and connections that I do have that much more.
Image courtesy of carloszardoya's Flikr account
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Sharing generously
On Tuesday we had a guest speaker in our class, Dr. Raul Pacheco, and he talked about how we as students and practitioners of communications on social media could create and maintain our social profiles effectively.
I'm no stranger to social media - I've been blogging since 2008, been on Twitter and LinkedIn since 2009 and picked up other social platforms along the way (Yelp!, Foursquare, Instagram, etc.). I've even collaborated on other blogs with friends and been part of a group wiki. Being social for me personally is like the air that I breathe - something I am naturally inclined to do.
However something Dr. Pacheco said on Tuesday resonated deeply with me - share generously with your networks and don't be afraid to let your personal profiles creep into your professional profiles and vice versa. I remember struggling with that concept when I first started the Twitter feed for my organization (@UofAPublicHlth).
For months and years I had been tweeting from my personal account, building a steady group of followers and solidifying some great relationships. I knew how I wanted to portray myself personally in the online environment but was scared stiff to tweet on behalf of my organization. I won't lie, the first few months were pretty terrible...I had built up a great group of followers but they weren't our internal folks and they weren't the media members I had hoped to engage with.
One day out of desperation I contacted the social media expert at the University of Alberta at the time and asked him for some advice on how I could grow and connect with audiences from our professional account. I remember Andy telling it to me straight and it went something like this, "You have this amazing personal network of followers and those you follow. You have great conversations with these people and you share relevant information. This is what is missing in your company Twitter account. Don't forget that even professional accounts need to show a personality - it helps build credibility."
Once that lightbulb came on for me my organization's Twitter feed skyrocketed and I haven't looked back since. So while I also share generously with retweets, comments and connections on my social media platforms and on those I follow, I also remember to share just a little bit of who I am on the places where I live socially.
I'm no stranger to social media - I've been blogging since 2008, been on Twitter and LinkedIn since 2009 and picked up other social platforms along the way (Yelp!, Foursquare, Instagram, etc.). I've even collaborated on other blogs with friends and been part of a group wiki. Being social for me personally is like the air that I breathe - something I am naturally inclined to do.
However something Dr. Pacheco said on Tuesday resonated deeply with me - share generously with your networks and don't be afraid to let your personal profiles creep into your professional profiles and vice versa. I remember struggling with that concept when I first started the Twitter feed for my organization (@UofAPublicHlth).
For months and years I had been tweeting from my personal account, building a steady group of followers and solidifying some great relationships. I knew how I wanted to portray myself personally in the online environment but was scared stiff to tweet on behalf of my organization. I won't lie, the first few months were pretty terrible...I had built up a great group of followers but they weren't our internal folks and they weren't the media members I had hoped to engage with.
One day out of desperation I contacted the social media expert at the University of Alberta at the time and asked him for some advice on how I could grow and connect with audiences from our professional account. I remember Andy telling it to me straight and it went something like this, "You have this amazing personal network of followers and those you follow. You have great conversations with these people and you share relevant information. This is what is missing in your company Twitter account. Don't forget that even professional accounts need to show a personality - it helps build credibility."
Once that lightbulb came on for me my organization's Twitter feed skyrocketed and I haven't looked back since. So while I also share generously with retweets, comments and connections on my social media platforms and on those I follow, I also remember to share just a little bit of who I am on the places where I live socially.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
How do you measure ROI of relationships?
I've been giving a lot of thought lately to how I use social media personally and for my own workplace. I'll admit I love connecting with people and connecting people with other like-minded individuals. It's been my calling pretty much since birth and with today's social technology I find they are an extension of what I love to do.
Lately I'm a little disillusioned with how reciprocity has been actually working within our larger parent organization. I'm talking everything from being left out of tweets when our researchers are featured with their new discoveries to no acknowledgement when we recognize other researchers. We've been told to follow some basic criteria when posting to social media, and that should ensure pick-up and shares amongst other faculties. It saddens me to say that it isn't quite the truth.
As always I bounced this blog post off of @marynedwards and as we talked it through she said the way people and organizations behave on social media these days is not unlike the group projects that we used to have to do at MRU! There's always that one person that takes the reins, often ignoring the contributions of others on the project (thanks for the insight as always Maryn).
Instead of letting this phase me I have come to realize that the community where we are physically located in is much smaller than the virtual community that we've been building. For each snub from the folks back at home, we get three new follows and multiple shares from the relationships we've built externally. So where is the value really? The value is everywhere, as long as both sides can see it. I still find value talking about my organization online each and every day, and others must think so too, our engagement is ongoing and ever-growing. I hope that eventually those within our own community might see some value in who we are and what we're doing and invite us to the table instead of ignoring us.
Adventures in blogging
Well I'm about to dive into this "daily blogging" thing (A-M, I look to you for examples of how to do it right). I apologize bloggy friends but for the next three weeks I will be exploring the concept of social networks through my blog.
Part of this is for class credit, but for those of you who have been followers for a long time, you know occasionally I will throw out posts about my job and communications conundrums I've had. Just think of the next three weeks of one big long extension of that (with some legitimate travel and adventures thrown in along the way). Thank you so much in advance and I hope that my next posts might pique your interest.
Part of this is for class credit, but for those of you who have been followers for a long time, you know occasionally I will throw out posts about my job and communications conundrums I've had. Just think of the next three weeks of one big long extension of that (with some legitimate travel and adventures thrown in along the way). Thank you so much in advance and I hope that my next posts might pique your interest.
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