| dc.description.abstract | Since the inception of web 2.0, the popularity of the Social Network Service (SNS) has continued to increase. Four SNS are among the global top ten websites – Myspace, Facebook, Hi5, and Orkut.(Alexa traffic, December, 2007).These dating sites, based on six degree of separation, have emerged as the most visited WWW sites, although they were started within 10 years.
With this background, this research is focuses on the benefits of SNS, using Facebook as an example. Using randomized control-group pretest-posttest experimental design, our study tested the data gathered from responses to a questionnaire distributed among students enrolled in the Information Management course at National Central University. A particular interest was the perception of SNS users and non-users as it is related to issues such as meeting new friends, entertainment, maintenance of relationship, understanding and learning, friend searching, social involvement, trust in websites, trust in other members, information searching, cost, and friend quality and attitude. Given few references about SNS in Taiwan, we envisaged this study to serve as a pioneer study of these issues.
Our conclusion shows that Facebook has higher “Trust in Website,” “Trust in Other Members,” and “Friend Quality” compared to traditional dating communities. Facebook can also provide user with entertainment and more social involvement. As a result, people have good attitude to use it. On the other hand, there were still few Taiwanese who like to use Facebook due to the fact that English is the main communication language in Facebook. For this reason, our research showed that there is no significant difference to meet new friends, maintain relationship, friends searching, information searching, understanding and learning between Facebook and traditional internet media. But after some years, Facebook perhaps will overcome the language barrier, and become the mainstream in the future. | en_US |