Abstract

Social networks are a response to our need of communication. There are three types of social networks: those for the general public, for professionals and for scientists. This paper argues that the use of social networking is changing the meaning of the concept of “friend”, and that we have to be careful to preserve our public image in these networks. In general purpose networks, personal and professional issues are intertwined, and this is used by some marketing companies. The Web 2.0 collaborative media tools can be used to achieve advances in science, which is essentially collaborative, but this potential use faces a serious drawback because scientists prefer to communicate their work in scientific journals.

Abstract

Results of a qualitative-quantitative analysis of the use that professionals and organizations related to librarianship, documentation and archives in Latin America are making of Facebook are compared with other social networking platforms. More than a tool for interacting with friends and family, it is suitable for creating community and establishing business and labor contacts. The analysis confirms the cultural and technological trend of people increasingly seeking “convergence”, defined as the ability to adapt and use a technological tool for a variety of purposes, using Facebook both as a means of social interaction (friends, relatives, fellow students, etc.) and for professional and labor interactions, thus taking on different roles.

Abstract

A survey conducted among 5,500 professors and researchers from the three Galician universities received 463 answers. The results reveal a rise in popularity of professional and scientific digital social networks, but it also shows a lack of knowledge about them and inefficient use of them. Ninety percent of Galician university professors are present in a professional or academic network, but only 8.64 percent consider themselves experts. LinkedIn and ResearchGate have the largest number of members, although their average use is medium or low. Biomedical, engineering, and natural sciences scholars use more networks than the two previously mentioned; and social sciences and humanities scholars prefer Academia.edu. In total, 32.8 percent of the three universities’ scholars that answered the survey use social networks at least once a month. Social networks are used primarily to disseminate and follow publications, and, secondly, to get citations and improve reputation.