Online social networks are becoming increasingly popular. Such networks are terrific for creating Internet-based communities of members who have similar interests. These communities are a way to make friends and share information. I was an early fan of social networking services and believe that they can supplement but never replace real world interaction.
I joined LinkedIn.com about six years ago. I found it to be a useful, practical business tool. Then about a year back, my LinkedIn experience began to get bizarre and now it’s sometimes unpleasant. People started asking to join my LinkedIn network simply because we shared a last name. Numerous network requests came from public relations and marketing representatives who I didn’t know. Then job seekers tried to invite themselves into my network. Finally, individuals with completely fictitious credentials attempted to gain network access. Now I have to verify each request by a phone call or personal e-mail and I am sure that others are not being as careful.
The original attraction in LinkedIn was that the people in my network were those who I knew well and felt comfortable recommending to others as my business associates. There was a certain trust in LinkedIn connections because theoretically each individual accepted or invited into a network was supposed to be at least a quality business acquaintance. Some LinkedIn members, on a quest to grow their networks as large as possible, or perhaps not understanding the trust concept, accept every connection request. This undermines the value of the site and its networking experience.
I am a member of more than 100 social media and networking sites and it’s clear that malicious interests have hijacked some of these communities. Consider what’s happening at eventful.com. Eventful is supposed to be an events website which enables its community of users to discover, promote, share and create events. These events could be concerts, conferences, professional training — any gathering of interest to a local or global audience.
Checking the list of events on eventful.com shows that in Riyadh there’s a seminar and conference available for public attendance this week. But then a recent “member” has added Hannah Montana and Green Day concerts, and someone else has created an entry for a “Romantic and fun June meet up.” Weirdly, some eventful members have been asking for details of the concerts, which are supposedly being held at the Marriott and InterContinental Hotels. Just to be clear on this issue, such concerts would never be held in the Kingdom.
I used to find Facebook and Twitter amusing. Now, scam avoidance has become a concern in these online communities. Facebook was hit three times in May by phishing attacks involving fake e-mail from Facebook administrators. Clicking on the links in the e-mail would take the users to a fake page that looked like the Facebook login page. From there the hackers would be able to steal the users’ logins and passwords. Facebook is now blocking the compromised accounts and there are plenty of stories online about users begging Facebook to give them back their accounts and access to their contacts and friends.
Twitter administrators are struggling to restore accounts compromised earlier this week when users clicked on a link to what was supposed to be a great video. Twitter claims that anyone with a suspended account who is not suspected of being a spammer will have their account restored – but no time frame has been given for the reactivation.The bottom line – clicking on links at social networking sites, even those sent supposedly from the accounts of friends, is probably not a terrific idea.
It’s sad to come to the conclusion that these days, online social networking communities are attracting some very anti-social individuals – just like communities in the real world.
