Page 338 - Using MIS

306 Chapter 8 Social Media Information Systems

Social Network 2
Social Network 3
User
4
User Social Network 1
10 User
5 User
User 1
11 User
6
User Wedding
12 User Photographer’s
2 Facebook
Page

User User
7 3
Social Network 4 User
8

User
9

Figure 8-6
Growing Social Networks

followers. In this way, social media may allow users to convert social capital into financial capi-
tal. Some famous celebrities get paid more than $10,000 for a single 140-character tweet! 12

Using Social Networks to Increase the Strength of Relationships

To an organization, the strength of a relationship is the likelihood that the other entity (person
or other organization) in the relationship will do something that benefits the organization. An
organization may have a strong relationship with you if you write positive reviews about it, post
pictures of you using the organization’s products or services, tweet about upcoming product
releases, and so on.
In the previous example, the photographer asked a client to like her Facebook page and
wedding photos. To the photographer, the number of friends the client has in her social network
is important, but equally important is the strength of the relationships. Will the client’s friends
like the photographer’s page and photos? Will they retweet the client’s success story? If none of
the client’s friends like the photographer’s page and photos, then the strength of the relation-
ships is weak. If all of the client’s friends like the photographer’s page and photos, then the
strength of the relationships in the client’s social network is strong.
13
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin provided a key insight. He said that if you
want to strengthen your relationship with someone in power, ask him to do you a favor. Before

12
SponsoredTweets.com maintains a list of celebrities, number of their followers, and their price for a sponsored
tweet.
13 Founding father of the United States. Author of Poor Richard’s Almanac. Successful businessman; owner of a
chain of print shops. Discoverer of groundbreaking principles in the theory of electricity. Inventor of bifocals, the
potbelly stove, the lightning rod, and much more. Founder of the public library and the postal service. Darling of
the French court and salons and, now, contributor to social network theory!