Benkler

1. There are many ways in which Benkler sees the social networked sphere as a positive development, discussed in this chapter. One that stuck out most to me was the fact that people and communities all over the world in all kinds of economies are able to be better connected to the rest of the world. People in low socio-economic societies are able to easily get a hold of technology and use the internet to their advantage. Having large sums of money is no longer necessary to be able to creatively express themselves and even market their ideas online.
2. It seems to me that most of the networking sites were started by professional tech people, such as Google, MySpace, Facebook, etc. However, as technology develops and more and more people are using them and being more adventurous and creative, sites and apps are being created by amateurs. There are many applications (apps) on technology such as the iPhone that are made by people who just think something would be cool, and with some software they are able to create it and ultimately probably commercialize it. I think this is a huge advancement in the social networked sphere, changing the lives of many people.
3. There are SO many social networks online, but one (besides the obvious facebook) that I have heard my family members using is called “Momster.com” which is a site for new and experienced mothers to share ideas, problems and discussions about raising children. Another one that my sister used when getting married was called “The Knot”. This is a site used by engaged couples (mostly the women) in which there are lists of things you need to get done before the wedding and gave information on businesses you could use to get these things done.