978-1285197159 Chapter 9 Although social networking Web sites are primarily used for nonbusiness purposes

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Chapter 9

Social Networking

At a Glance

Instructor’s Manual Table of Contents

Overview

Objectives

Teaching Tips

Quick Quizzes

Discussion Questions

Additional Projects

Additional Resources

Key Terms

Lecture Notes

Overview

Chapter 9 discusses social networking, including social network advertising and social shopping

Web sites. The chapter includes an in-depth discussion of social networking ethical issues, such

as cyberbullying, cyberstalking, encounters with sexual predators, and the uploading of

inappropriate materials. It concludes with a discussion of online virtual worlds and the ethical

issues involved in users behavior in such worlds.

Objectives

As students read this chapter, they should consider the following questions:

What are social networks, how do people use them, and what are some of their practical

business uses?

What are some of the key ethical issues associated with the use of social networking Web

sites?

What is a virtual life community, and what are some of the ethical issues associated with

such a community?

Teaching Tips

Vignette—Wanelo: Social Shopping Web Site Headed for Success

1. Introduce the term social shopping Web site—a site that brings shoppers and sellers

together in a social networking environment in which participants can share information

and make recommendations while shopping online.

2. Point out that Wanelo is a social shopping site that allows people to save a product found at

any Web site to the user’s account on the Wanelo site.

I. What Is a Social Networking Web Site?

1. Introduce the term social networking Web site.

II. Business Applications of Online Social Networking

1. Although social networking Web sites are primarily used for nonbusiness purposes, a

number of forward-thinking organizations are employing this technology to advertise,

assess job candidates, and sell products. Use Table 9-2 to aid the discussion.

A. Social Network Advertising

1. Explain that social network advertising involves the use of social networks to

communicate and promote the benefits of products and services.

2. Point out that there are two significant advantages of social networking advertising over

more traditional advertising media (e.g., radio, TV, and newspapers): (a) advertisers can

create an opportunity to generate a conversation with viewers of the ad, and (b) ads can

be targeted to reach people with the desired demographic characteristics.

Direct Advertising

1. Direct advertising involves placing banner ads on a social networking Web site. Note

Advertising Using an Individual’s Network of Friends

1. Explain that companies can use social networking Web sites to advertise to an

individual’s network of contacts.

Teaching

Tip

Explore the ethical issues involved with a company exploiting an individual’s

personal relationships for the financial benefit of a company.

Indirect Advertising through Groups

1. Point out that innovative companies are making use of a marketing technique by

creating groups on social networking Web sites that interested users can join by

becoming “fans.”

2. Discuss the social network initiatives implemented by Coca-Cola.

Company-Owned Social Networking Web Site

1. Point out that Dell created its own social networking Web site, IdeaStorm, in February

Viral Marketing

B. The Use of Social Networks in the Hiring Process

1. Caution students that employers can and do look at the social networking profiles of job

candidates when making hiring decisions.

2. Members of social networking Web sites frequently provide sex, age, marital status,

sexual orientation, religion, and political affiliation data in their profile. Users who

Teaching

Tip

Discuss the pros and cons of an employer using social networking data when

making hiring decisions.

C. The Use of Social Media to Improve Customer Service

1. Increasingly, consumers are using social networks to share their experiences, both good

and bad, with others. Note that unless organizations monitor social networks, their

D. Social Shopping Web Sites

1. Introduce the concept of social shopping. Use Table 9-3 to aid the discussion.

Quick Quiz 1

1. A(n) _____ is a site that creates an online community of Internet users that enables

members to break down barriers created by time, distance, and cultural differences.

2. _____ involves the use of social networks to communicate and promote the benefits of

products and services.

3. The goal of a(n) _____ campaign is to create a buzz about a product or idea that spreads

wide and fast.

4. A(n) _____ brings shoppers and sellers together in a social networking environment in

which members can share information and make recommendations while shopping online.

III. Social Networking Ethical Issues

1. Use this section to discuss some common ethical issues that arise for members of social

networking Web sites.

A. Cyberbullying

1. Define cyberbullying as the harassment, torment, humiliation, or threatening of one

minor by another minor or group of minors via the Internet or cell phone.

2. Discuss the numerous forms of cyberbullying.

B. Cyberstalking

1. The term cyberstalking is used to describe threatening behavior or unwanted advances

directed at an adult using the Internet or other forms of online and electronic

C. Encounters with Sexual Predators

1. Explain that some social networking Web sites have been criticized for not doing

enough to protect minors from encounters with sexual predators. MySpace spent two

years purging potential problem members from its site, including 90,000 registered sex

offenders banned from the site in early 2009.

D. Uploading of Inappropriate Material

1. Note that most social networking Web sites have policies against uploading videos

depicting violence or obscenity.

2. Emphasize that policies do not stop all members of the community from attempting to

IV. Online Virtual Worlds

1. Introduce the terms online virtual world, avatar, massively multiplayer online game

(MMOG), and massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG). Use

Figure 9-2 to aid the discussion.

A. Crime in Virtual Worlds

1. Note that some virtual activities are clear violations of real world law and need to be

reported to law enforcement authorities—for example, avatars trafficking in actual

drugs or stolen credit cards.

B. Educational and Business Uses of Virtual Worlds

1. Explain that virtual online worlds are also being used for education and business

purposes. The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international consortium of

hundreds of colleges, universities, museums, and research centers exploring the use of

new media and technologies to improve teaching, learning, and creative expression.

Quick Quiz 2

1. _____ is harassment, torment, humiliation, or threatening of one minor by another minor or

group of minors via the Internet or cell phone.

2. _____ is threatening behavior or unwanted advances directed at an adult using the Internet

or other forms of online and electronic communications.

3. A(n) _____ is a character in the form or a human, animal, or mythical creature.

4. A(n) _____ is a shared multimedia, computer-generated environment in which users,

represented by avatars, can act, communicate, create, retain ownership of what they create,

and exchange assets, including currency, with each other.

Discussion Questions

1. Is the information posted on social networking Web sites about news events occurring in

foreign countries a reliable source of up-to-the-minute news?

Additional Projects

1. Write a paper exploring the privacy policy of three social shopping Web sites. Do they sell

user information to third parties?

2. Outline the pros and cons of college instructor–student friendships on social networking

Web sites. Do you think that this sort of relationship is appropriate?

3. For one week, make a note of the time that you spend on social networking Web sites. Do

you think that this is time well spent? Why or why not?

Additional Resources

Key Terms

Avatar—a character in the form of a human, animal, or mythical creature through which a

visitor to a virtual world represents himself or herself.

Cyberbullying—the harassment, torment, humiliation, or threatening of one minor by

another minor or group of minors via the Internet or cell phone.

Cyberstalking—threatening behavior or unwanted advances directed at an adult using the

Internet or other forms of online and electronic communications; it is the adult version of

cyberbullying.

Online virtual world—a shared multimedia, computer-generated environment in which

users, represented by avatars, can act, communicate, create, retain ownership of what they

create, and exchange assets, including currency, with each other.

Social network advertising—the use of social networks to communicate and promote the

benefits of products and services.

Social networking Web Site—a site whose purpose is to create an online community of

Internet users that enables members to break down barriers of time, distance, and cultural

differences.

Social shopping Web site—brings shoppers and sellers together in a social networking

environment in which participants can share information and make recommendations while

shopping online.