Developing the “Perfect” Social Network

What are some features that should be included in the "perfect" social network?

Creating the prefect social network would involve keeping a lot of things in mind. It is important to acknowledge what has worked well with other social networks in the past, along with what hasn’t worked as well. If I were to develop the “perfect” social network it would include a variety of things. First I would include a video option. This way, if you are trying to re-connect or have a conversation with some of your friends who go to different colleges or are studying abroad, then you can make the conversation more personalized with video to video interactions. This allows the receiver of the video to clearly receive the message without having to try and interpret what the text really meant by being able to see your body language and hear the tone of your voice. If the social network is purely video-based, there will be a clear and more personalized way of communication. Basically your profile will consist of all videos. Second, I would include a chat option. This shows when the user is online allowing you to be directly contacted or directly contact someone in case there is an urgent matter that needs to be handled. There will also be a video option to the chat which can allow for face to face live chat if the user desires. Third, I would include a picture up-loader. This is a nice feature that can keep your “followers” or “friends” in the loop about what is going on in a less personal matter. Finally, I would somehow make for this social network to be private from future employers/companies. I think that it is extremely important to separate work and fun. Users should be able to post photos of them and the activities they partake in away from the workplace or future workplace without it being held against them or penalized when it comes time for employment.

What works well and what doesn’t work so well on existing social networks like Facebook?

I believe that the design of Facebook is great which is what contributed to keeping it popular for almost ten years. The creators continually changed and updated some of its features which kept people interested and using the site. Just like all websites, Facebook had some flaws along with its perks. Features that I think allow Facebook to run so smoothly are things such as the like button, birthday reminders, event invites, and the timeline feature. The like button allows users to easily agree with a status, an advertisement, or a picture. This is a simple way to show your opinion without having to use text. The birthday feature is by far the most helpful feature Facebook offers. I would have missed countless birthdays if it wasn’t for the reminder on the top right hand of the page. Creating events on Facebook is an easy (and lazy) way to invite people to events without having to buy invitations and mail them out. It also allows the guests to ask questions and get almost immediate feedback from the creator. Lastly, Timeline is a great feature which allows the user to look back on events in their lives in chronological order.  It’s nice to already have these events in the order in which they happened and be able to look back and remember them with pictures and posts. Some of the flaws that I think Facebook has is how it is connected to other social networks such as instagram and twitter and how public it is allowing future employers to see your webpage even if it is made private. I feel that Facebook should only be for Facebook. Connecting other social medias makes the platform too busy often times more confusing. I also think that Facebook should create a better privacy policy. Although this is near impossible, it would be nice to have a place where I do not have to censor what is posted and who is going to see it. 

 

Would the new "perfect" social network be designed like Facebook?

I do not think that the flaws [or perks] are what contributed to Facebook becoming less popular. The fact of the matter is people get bored and need a change of scenery when it comes to the internet and social networks. I do not think that Facebook did anything wrong with the layout or new changes, people just wanted a bigger change and a whole new layout. If my “perfect” social network was actually created I think it may be similar to Facebook but not the same. I would aim for more personal communication and better privacy amongst users. To me, these are the most appealing features that would interest me in any new or upcoming social media site.