What: New York Times article on Facebook friends not meaning much in real life
Posts to which it is related: Fostering Ambient Awareness in Virtual Teams, Building Social Relationships in Virtual Teams
Bottom line: A while back Betsy discussed how social networking tools create ambient awareness and strengthen weak ties. I too blogged about how a blogger was able to create strong social bonds with her fans. In the NY Times article covered in this digest item we get a different viewpoint on social networking tools. The author had close to 700 Facebook friends and decided to organize a “real-life” party. Several friends responded that they will come. Many others said “maybe”. However, only one friend, whom the article’s author was meeting for the first time, showed up at the party! I think this article goes to show that technology (e.g., social networking technology) by itself does little to create meaningful social relationships. How one uses them as well as the situation in which they are used play an important role in the outcomes. The author admits to having workaholic irritability and wanting to be left alone. Should we be surprised that Facebook did little to help the author?

What: ReadWriteWeb article on influence in social media sites
Posts to which it is related: Leading Virtual Communities: Do We Have the Answers?
Bottom line: Because 10% of users on social media sites create 90% of content, many companies tend to discount the importance of online communities in reaching the average consumer. However, a recent study by Rubicon Consulting suggests that companies do so at their own peril because the active users (i.e., those who generate most of the content) are also the most likely to influence their peers’ buying decisions. Essentially, the study found that buying decisions tend to be driven more by online reviews than by newspaper articles, reviews by website editors, or advice from store employees. Only personal advice was more influential.

What: New York Times article on the negative effects of multitasking
Posts to which it is related: The Leading Virtually Digest, September 29, 2008
Bottom line: Switching among multiple tasks in short periods of time is common among those working virtually. However, as discussed in this article, psychologists, neuroscientists, and others are finding that such switching can lead to a great deal of stress and inefficiency. There are very few tasks where multitasking can help us. It may help, for instance, when we are engaged in a task requiring creativity by triggering different cognitive functions.