Running head: SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES OVERVIEW 1
Social Networking Websites Overview: Hardware and Software Architecture, Message Flows
and Risks
Yazhen Liu
Sullivan University
CSC610 Information Systems Development
SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES OVERVIEW 2
Social Networking Websites Overview: Hardware and Software Architecture, Message Flows
and Risks
This article overviews the hardware and software architecture required for a social
networking website; Explains the different user categories and message flows within a social
network; discusses the benefits the organizational monitoring of social media, and identifies the
competitive advantage of social media for businesses.
Hardware and Software Architecture Required For A Social Network Website
A social network website is a type of an Information System. According to Stair and
Reynolds (2012), “an information system (IS) is a set of interrelated elements or components that
collect (input), manipulate (process), store and disseminate (output) data and information and
provide a corrective reaction (feedback mechanism) to meet an objective” (p. 10). Thus,
