Social networks. From Facebook to here.

[Sakha]

Hello all! May be it's not good idea to write at the forum such things, but I tryed to get some replies from our group in Facebook. Seems like members of this forum don't like other options to keep in touch besides this forum (at least 'our groups' are usually empty). Well, that's good, it means this forum is more then enough for discussions and keep up 'being a club'.

But please, let me ask you some things which bothering me now.

Here in Russia we have Russian version of Facebook.com - VKontakte.ru. It's kind of bad copy of a facebook. Only simple options had been copied which is a bit stupid - if you clone something - do your best with it. Anyway, it's only IMHO.
But the thing is that now everybody use it as a general network in Russia. All over Russia. I found people I know from Siberia I haven't seen'em for years. I have 120 friends in there and it's the only 'place' I can keep in touch with people who are really far away... That's actually what for social networks are.
I don't want to say that networks like Facebook is bad thing, but step-by-step people starts use it even more then face-to-face contact. Even my flatmate writes me e-mails in network, we do see each other every day and spending so much time, but in network we have a bit different contact...
Anyway, what I wanted to say, that people in Russia are starting to be crazy about Vkontakte though Linkedin and Russian version of Classmates are also popular. At the end, this theme is very popular in Russia. On every other conference we do talk about social networks.
And how's things goes in Finland? As I know you don't have local network, all my Finnish friends use Facebook. Do you have any narrow professional networks? And finally, what's your opinion about network as a new way of communication?

[nico]

As I know you don't have local network...

Maybe not a network such a Facebook or Linkedn, but of course we have local social networks. Biggest teen site is IRC-galleria which belongs to the same company that owns Habbo which by the way is one of the largest teen sites in the world (a finnish origin site).

Do you have any narrow professional networks?

What do you mean by that?

And finally, what's your opinion about network as a new way of communication?

If you mean like Facebook I personally think it sucks - I like to meet people in real life :-). I don´t have anything against topic specific online communities like optimointi.com or anything else that has to do with a hobby, profession etc. But for just social things - no!

[Matti]

As I know you don't have local network...

Maybe not a network such a Facebook or Linkedn, but of course we have local social networks. Biggest teen site is IRC-galleria which belongs to the same company that owns Habbo which by the way is one of the largest teen sites in the world (a finnish origin site).

I made an interesting attention yesterday. IRC-galleria has been updated with a very similar feature like Facebook's "My status" (Matti is at work, Matti is at home etc.) I think that IRC-galleria is loosing the time of it's users to Facebook. And it looks like IRC-galleria has mentioned it.

And about the main subject. I think there are both, good and bad, sides in social networks. The good thing is that communicating is coming easier and the bad side is same that nico said. People just sit at their homes and live in virtual worlds. Social networks are making communicating poor. You can't use your voice, your expressions and body language (okey, maybe some kind of video networks will change it). It's just words. Showing your feelings isn't that easy with words.

[Sakha]

As I know you don't have local network...

Maybe not a network such a Facebook or Linkedn, but of course we have local social networks. Biggest teen site is IRC-galleria which belongs to the same company that owns Habbo which by the way is one of the largest teen sites in the world (a finnish origin site).

I've meant sth like Facebook, Classmates. Like we have Vkontakte.

Do you have any narrow professional networks?

What do you mean by that?

Well, may be wrong term (I do always have problems in terms saying in another language)... Should I say specific online community?
I'll try to explain. We're going to develop network for doctors all over Russia. For registering there the doctor first has to prove that he is 'real' (licenses and so on), so the member of that network could be only doctor. They could share info, communicate and have kinds of those features which Facebook have or Classmates. The aim of the network to put up together all doctors and let them communicate from different parts of Russia. I believe it will help doctors from Far East, for example, get some news from colleages from Central Part. And while it's not just a forum, they could also share video, pictures and so on (for doctors it's very important thing).

So, about main subject... I do agree with all of you that real communication rather then network. For social things I mean. But I found very usefull to keep in touch with all people I do know personally from other cities of Russia. I lost contacts from some good people and now, after few years I found them (just by search) in Vkontakte and we can keep in touch now. I think that's work! Well, don't saying that we'll keep contact if needed by phone, e-mails or icq, but still that's is also way how people use it in a good way for social things.

[nico]

We're going to develop network for doctors all over Russia

Brillinat idea!