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Buzzwords S1
Are You Part of MY Social Network?
Vocabulary 2
Grammar Points 3
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Vocabulary
English Definition Class
social media Internet-based tools for sharing noun
and discussing information
social networking computer-based interaction noun
between people who share similar
interests
connected joined or linked together adjective
personal profile a personal page on a social noun
networking website
virtual not real or physical adjective
keystroke the pressing of a button on a noun
keyboard
active busy; engaged adjective
user a person who makes use of noun
something, usually something
electronic
supporter one who encourages someone or noun
something
detractor one who is against something noun
to eliminate to get rid of verb
face-to-face in person; live adjective
fan an ardent or enthusiastic noun
supporter of someone or
2
something
Vocabulary Sample Sentences
What social media tools do you use?
Facebook is the most popular social networking
service these days.
Are you connected to the Internet?
The Internet makes it easy to stay connected.
Be careful what you put in your personal profile
on social networking sites.
The computer game takes place in a virtual
environment.
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You can register by computer with only a few
keystrokes.
The children were very active in class today.
She lives an active lifestyle.
How many users does Facebook have?
He is my biggest supporter.
Are you a supporter of the team?
Try being a supporter instead of a detractor.
His detractors booed his speech.
It's a process of elimination; you have to get rid of
things one by one.
We've never met face-to-face.
The actress has many many fans.
The team's fans made a lot of noise during the
game.
Grammar Points
The Focus of This Lesson is Social Networking.
The term "social networking" refers to using websites such as MySpace and Facebook called "social
network services"-for the purpose of connecting to and interacting with your current social network
and making new connections and friends. Online social networking as we know it began sometime in
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the mid to late 90s when services such as Geocities and Tripod encouraged users to interact with one
another in chat rooms and online forums built around common interests. At around the same time,
blogging (which we talked about in an earlier lesson) was beginning to achieve popularity.
Today, there are all sorts of tools and websites to help keep you stay connected to your various social
circles as well as help you move beyond those circles by allowing easier access to individuals you
wouldn't have met in "real life." Typical social networking services allow users to create personal
profiles that include photographs and various types of personal information such as location,
occupation, and interests. The services also allow users to connect with people they know personally
("offline friends") and people they are acquainted with only by virtue of the internet ("online friends").
Some of the more popular social networking sites in America include MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn,
and of course, Facebook.
Surely, the most popular social networking site in the world, Facebook, has more than 200 million
active users. Are you one of them? The Facebook phenomenon, and its extreme popularity, is fairly
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recent; prior to 2006, Facebook was strictly for college students, who had to prove their statuses with
their university email addresses. Today, Facebook has an open door policy that has contributed to its
recent, rapid growth. Through Facebook, new and old friends share bits and pieces of their lives with
one another through photos, videos, status updates, blog posts, and links to things they've found on the
web. Facebook encourages a comprehensive sort of social networking and gives users the power to
control how much of their online personas they expose to the various Internet communities they
belong to.
Social networking has its supporters and its detractors. Some love the easy accessibility it grants to
people and the ability to cultivate virtual relationships with others who have similar interests. Others
think that social networking is an invasion of privacy that, rather than bringing people together, pushes
them farther apart by eliminating the need for face-to-face contact. What do you think? Do you use
any social networking services? Why or why not?
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LC: BZ_S1L13_092909 © www.EnglishClass101.com - All Rights Reserved 2009-09-29