The most important technological trend of the last years has been the rise of social networking systems to social phenomena involving hundreds of millions of people, attracting users from several social groups. Social networking systems blur the distinction between the private and working spheres, and users use such systems both at home and in the workplace, both professionally and with recreational goals. Social networking systems can be equally used to organize a work meeting, a dinner with colleagues or a birthday party with friends. For example, the chat systems that are embedded in social networking platforms are often the most practical way to contact a colleague to ask an urgent question, especially in technologically oriented companies. Moreover, several traditional information systems have been modified in order to include social aspects. Currently, social networking platforms are mostly used without corporate blessing, maintaining their status as feral systems.
Why and how more and more people get involved and use social networking systems are critical topics in social network analysis (SNA). As a matter of fact, social networking systems bring online a growing number of acquaintances, for many different purposes. Both business interests and personal recreational goals are motivations for using online social networks (OSN) or other social networking systems. The participation in social networks is a phenomenon which has been studied with several theories, and SNA is useful for common business problems, e.g., launching distributed teams, retaining people with vital knowledge for the organization, improving access to knowledge and spreading ideas and innovation. Nevertheless, there are some difficulties, such as anti-social behaviors of participants, lack of incentives, organizational costs and risks. In this article, a survey of the basic features of SNA, participation theories and models are discussed, with emphasis on social capital, information spreading, motivations for participation, and anti-social behaviors of social network users.
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