Social Networking in the Classroom

There is a lot of debate right now within academic circles about social networking. In the K-12 world it's about allowing access and in the higher education world it's about the legal ramifications of the things that students will put up.

In my world, there's more.

I teach a course in Social Networking here at Champlain College and my challenge is, within this world of fast moving change, how do I keep up and continue to show students how Social Networking is changing how we will do business.

The first challenge, of course, is that students believe they already know everything there is to know about Social Networking. They have MySpace and Facebook. What more is there to know? A lot, actually. Consider the following sites that are changing the way we do business and connect:

• LinkedIn: You can see my LinkedIn profile here on this Blog. LinkedIn is social networking in the business world and it is having a big impact on how I connect with experts in the field, stay connected with businesspeople I know and garner internships for students!
• SixDegrees.org: This new website created by Kevin Bacon (ever played the game, sixdegrees of Bacon? I'm one degree removed because I know Kathryn Blume who met and worked with Kevin Bacon on her Lysistrata Project several years ago!) and it's goal is to use SOCIAL NETWORKING to fundraise for causes.
• MySpace.com: Yeah, I know. We all know about MySpace. But...what about the fact that they are working with eBay to create an opportunity for individuals on MySpace to sell stuff to their friends using the eBay auction engine? They are calling it PEER COMMERCE! The WSJ had an article in the paper on Thursday, Feb. 8th that addressed this along with challenges they are facing with Google and Advertising.
• YouTube: The non-profit group, Public Citizen is highlighting the dangers of new birth control pills -- using YouTube to get the word out. They are bypassing the traditional e-alerts and PSA's on TV to reach their audience. This is a new way for advocates ... and it's social networking! They've created website as well: notmypill.org.

There's more. But isn't this enough? Advocacy comes to social networking. PEER Commerce comes to social networking. Mobile is moving fast. Social networking isn't just about seeing what your friends did at their party last night. There's a lot more to it.

Well...I've got to get to class.