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28 January 2008
Technology Writer Discusses Social Networking Sites
Ask America webchat transcript, January 24
Jessica Hilberman, who writes on technology, health, popular culture and urban issues, answered questions in a January 24 webchat on social networking sites and the changes in human interaction as a result of the Internet.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Ask America Webchat Transcript
Social Networking Sites--On the Campaign Trail & Beyond
Guest: Jessica Hilberman
Date: January 24, 2008
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST (1700 GMT)
Moderator: Today is January 24, 2008. Welcome to our webchat!
The webchat will begin at 12:00 EST / 17:00 GMT. You may send in questions now or wait until the live event begins.
Moderator: We'll be getting started in just a moment!
Jessica Hilberman: Hello, and welcome to our Web chat. My name is Jessica Hilberman. I write about issues of technology, culture, and health. I will be answering questions for an hour, so please submit as many questions as you like.
Moderator: Today's webchat is the first in a series of chats tied to the U.S. Department of State's newest eJournal USA The Next New Thing.
Question [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: How could these social networking sites benefit an ordinary person’s life? Would you like to share?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: I believe social networking can have a great benefit on people's lives. For me, I have been able to connect with classmates and family I didn't know were online. I am able to keep up with friends in London and Tokyo or hear about events near where I live. Social networking has actually made me more social away from the computer.
In the The Next New Thing journal, I discussed a Web site called Babajob.com in India. It is being used to help unemployed people find work. Its sister site, Babalife.com is designed to connect people across India in whatever their regional language may be. I think it's amazing that social networking sites started mostly in English and have spread across the globe to serve people in many countries for so many different reasons.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: What are the steps taken to protect children & their personal information from sexual predators on social networking sites?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: This is a very important question. In the United States, it's something we are still working on. Recently, the major social networking site MySpace agreed to automatically limit access to profiles of children under 16, so that strangers cannot see them. I think that's a good start.
Parents also have to work hard to make sure their children know how to be safe online. For example, they should be sure children know never to give out their address or telephone information, and they should never agree to meet strangers in person.
Moderator: You can read Jessica Hilberman's article "Social Networking 2.0" at:
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0108/ijse/hilberman.htm
Q [nina2]: I'm not very interesting in myspace, blog,...but it takes part of globalization so I have to interesting in, my question is about what are the impacts of those in poor countries, because I live in Madagascar, and majority of population doesn't know about it.
A [Jessica Hilberman]: This is a great question. More and more, social networks are trying to grow in places where many people do not have access to technology. The site I mentioned in India, Babajob.com, pays for people with computers to sign up people without them. That way the people who need jobs are able to be connected online, even though they may be very poor.
Babajob's business model will probably expand to many countries because of the way it both helps the poor and creates jobs for people who know how to use the technology.
Q [Chat Participant]: U.S. campaign season is more web-savvy than ever before. How candidates are using these sites? Are they all using them...correctly? Where do you see the place of these sites 5 or 10 years in political future?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: It certainly is! I'm not sure whether there's a "correct" way to use a campaign Web site, but there are certainly ways that internet users find more engaging than others.
For example, Barack Obama's Web site is the most innovative out of any campaign. It has a built in social network where users can create profiles and network to plan fundraisers online. It's very personal for people who are his supporters, and I would guess that reflects his goal of getting a high percentage of youth votes. He has definitely made the best use of new media social networking in his campaign.
Fred Thompson, who dropped out of the race yesterday, had a Web site that showed a video right on the opening screen. I don't usually like video and audio that are automatic, so I felt it wasn't a great Web site because I didn't want to dig for more information.
More importantly, I think that what makes a good Web site is easy access to information. People who are supporters or are researching candidates want to be able to find details about the candidates’ platforms, news, fundraisers, personal life, and local events. A clear, effective Web site will provide obvious links to this information in a visually pleasing format.
Q [Mirija]: Does the blog make us much closer?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: I have been thinking a lot about this. One of my friends has cancer, and she writes about it on a blog at a website called CaringBridge, where people can read her blog and leave comments in a virtual guestbook. Every time she writes, I read her updates and try to comment. It makes me feel closer to her because I know what's going on in her life.
However, if I do not comment or make an effort to call her also, she doesn't know I've read her blog. Reading a blog makes it easy to know what people are doing or feeling, but it's still important to reach out in person or over the phone to the people we care about.
On the other hand, blogs can bring us closer to strangers. I have a blog about my local community and I meet a lot of people who read it. It's fun to know that they have been using my Web site, even before we met each other.
Moderator: Visit America.gov's election year blog "Campaign Trail Talk" at http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/USINFO/Products/online_discussions/elections.html.
Q [Chat Participant]: Hello! In the developing world the concept of "leapfrog" technology means a new technology will make older ones obsolete and often the newer technology is easier for poor countries to obtain: like cell phones for example.
Can these community sites do the same? Leapfrog over gaps in communication or is too much infrastructure needed?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: More and more Internet technology is being optimized for phones, so it shouldn't be long before you can see very advanced Web sites on your phone. The network Facebook.com has phone access, and many phones have advanced Internet browsers. Once these high-tech phones are affordable, this kind of communication will be everywhere. If the infrastructure is the airwaves, it already exists.
Moderator: To those of you just joining us, welcome! You may submit your questions now.
Q [Chat Participant]: Will more web use make youth more active? As I understand there is low voting percentage for youth.
A [Jessica Hilberman]: Whoever solves the problem of low youth voter turnout will win the next US election! Just yesterday, my younger sister told me she forgot to register to vote, so now she won't be able to vote in the Primary Election.
I believe that online registration and online voting would make it easier for youth to vote. We have a large generation of people who have grown up with instant messaging and email, and they often prefer to do things online. If people could vote online, I believe more of them would vote. Someday I hope we can solve the security problems of online voting and have it as an option.
I think the Web has also made youth more active in terms of organizing and getting out information. We saw this with MoveOn.org, which used the Internet to bring Democrats together through a major campaign.
Q [Kuba]: what are most popular webpage for social networks? Must I pay to join?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: Most social networks are free to join. In the United States, the most popular social networks are Bebo.com, Facebook.com, Orkut.com, and MySpace.com. There are also networks for people interested in professional contacts, including LinkedIn.com.
One of the coolest new social networks comes from Ireland. It's called Ammado.com, and it allows people to network based on the charities and causes they are interested in.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Social networking could serve the humanity as THE WEB is serving. Don’t you think web access to cell phones could enable us to develop social networking at more grass root level?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: I do - and I think that's already happening. Cell phone Web browsers have a long way to go, but as they get better access to the internet in the developing world will get better as well.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan]: LC Karachi: Dear Jassica, As the Internetworking i.e. THE WEB expanded the canvas for communities & societies, the social networking sites will narrow the strata of the communities, i.e. employee-employer relationship, students-n-institutions relationship & so on. Do you agree?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: Like any medium of communication, we can use the Internet to expand or narrow our worldview. For people who want to reach out and join broad communities or explore different communities than they are usually exposed to, the Internet offers a wealth of opportunities and information. But for people who want to close their lives and only socialize with people who think and act like them, the Internet allows that too.
I believe social networking sites allow people to expand their communities. On MySpace, you can meet people who are friends with your friends, but who might live in another state or country. Or you can become friends with people who share your interests, even though you have never met. There are a lot of opportunities to expand relationships. It's up to the users to choose whether they will narrow or expand their communities online.
Q [Kuba]: Can you say young people today gain online network and friend but lose REAL WORLD contact?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: It depends on what you consider to be "real world" contact. I used to talk on the phone to my friends a lot more than I do now. Now, I send a lot more email and I chat online. I still see people in person often, but I hear their voices less frequently.
It's complicated, because each person has to decide how they want to use this technology and whether it helps them communicate better, or if they prefer other kinds of contact.
I'm online all the time, for example, but I still send letters through the mail when I want to say something very personal to a friend. It's not immediate, but I think getting something through the post has a deeper effect if it's handwritten or contains a photo.
Q [adolatkal]: Dear Jessica!
An Indian experience with their developed BPO, ICT enabled services, also, working at home sitting on the PC, must concern other developing countries too. Especially those ,where rich-experienced, good educated, very often retrained abroad, multilingual aged specialists cannot find any job at home country, but they can work in virtual offices, teams etc.. And especially women must be supported!
Halima, an emeritus MBA professor on IHRM from Uzbekistan
A [Jessica Hilberman]: Networking is definitely allowing people to contract globally more easily. Many software companies use European, Indian, and Asian firms to build projects and write code. And I agree, these jobs are great for women!
Q [Mirija]: What are the impact of internet in the way of thinking of the user?
A [Jessica Hilberman]: I think the Internet allows us to get information very quickly, but also requires us to be skeptical and filter that information. We need to be able to get reliable, truthful information. Figuring out what to trust online can make us better critical thinkers. But I find having immediate access to information also sometimes makes me impatient.
Q [David Gough / AmCham Atlantic]: Afternoon, or good morning to you - any comment on www.Linkedin.comvs say Facebook as a more biz oriented site vs 'social' networking sites? Thx.
A [Jessica Hilberman]: Oops, I signed off too soon. LinkedIn.com does seem to be more serious in that people don't post sill pictures or use it to play games. Also, it has job listings and more cachet for businesses. It's business-oriented, but still geared toward networking via existing contacts and using them to find new contacts. Facebook allows users to post work and job information, but it's much less formal. I think for a job search, LinkedIn is more likely to get you employed.
Q [adolatkal]: Dear Jessica! There is a very evident shift from the interpersonal to the intrapersonal intelligences while we are social networking.I suppose, that it will be reseanable, if some of your publications can be devoted to these issue.
A [Jessica Hilberman]: That's a good point. Rather than communicating with one person through email, we can now blog and reach many people at a time. Or we can post to messageboards and reach many people. There is definitely less privacy in this model, but there may be a benefit in transparency or sharing information.
Q [majori]: what do you think about the non respect of human right in africans' countries and what kind of recommendations can you make? thanks you.
A [Jessica Hilberman]: I am very saddened by the state of many African nations and especially the recent violence in Kenya. However, I am not an expert on Africa, so I cannot make recommendations. I do hope that speed with which we are able to get news and pictures from the Web motivates people to help African nations when they can. When we learn about humanitarian tragedies quickly, we are empowered to help.
Jessica Hilberman: Again, many thanks. I learned a lot from your questions and I hope you've learned something interesting from my comments. Have a wonderful day!
Moderator: We wish to thank Jessica Hilberman for joining us today. The webchat is now closed.
A full transcript of today's webchat will be available on our Ask America homepage usually within one business day.
(Guests are chosen for their expertise. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.)
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
