Social media involves the use of web-based technologies for the purpose of social interaction. Social
media builds on the ideology of Web 2.0 by emphasising user-generated content. This definition of
social media is broad, as the variety of types of ‘social interaction’ and the number of available webbased technologies can be extensive. However, social media can best be categorised into 6 main
categories; collaborative projects, blogs and microblogs, content communities, social networking sites,
virtual game worlds, and virtual communities
1
. Web technologies include blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs,
wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing, and voice over Internet
protocols.
1.1 Categories of social media
• Collaborative projects, e.g. Wikipedia, serve  as an online database, allowing users to pool
knowledge and information on particular topics to be viewed by other interested parties.
• Blogs and microblogs, e.g. WordPress or Twitter, are a type of website or part of a website
maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, graphics or video. Many blogs
provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online
diaries.
• Content communities, e.g. YouTube or Flickr, Delicious, where users can upload, share, and
view multimedia content such as videos, pictures, music or presentations.
• Social networking sites, e.g. Facebook or LinkedIn, are online services, platforms or sites that
focus on building and reflecting social networks or social relations among people who share
interests or activities.  
• Virtual game worlds, e.g. World of Warcraft, are mulitplayer online role-playing games in which
a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world.
• Virtual communities, e.g. Second Life, often take the form of a computer-based simulated
environment through which users can interact with each other through avatars and can
explore, meet others, socialise, participate in individual and  group activities, and create and
trade virtual property and services with one another, or travel throughout the ‘world”.  
1.2 Use of social media by statistical agencies
Considering the use of social media by statistical agencies starts with the need to understanding the
context of online behaviour, evolution of online media and the recognition that statistical users expect
to be able to interact via such media.
1.3 Some facts to be considered
• Social media usage is growing rapidly – 2,000 million people with web access worldwide and
750m active Facebook users.
• Social media are very present in mobile devices
_____________
computer repair va
social media agency