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a p p e n d i xa :TERMS AND DEFINITIONS■Social Object
Definition: A Social Object is some “thing” we share with others as part
of our social media experience on the Social Web.
Glenn Assheton-Smith, 2009What It Means and Why It Matters
A social object is something that is inherently talkworthy, something around which
people will naturally congregate and converse. Social objects are an essential element in
the implementation of social technology: Social objects are the anchor points for these
efforts and as such are the “magnets” that hold a community together.
While it may seem like so much semantics, when viewed in the context of the
way in which people are connected or to whom they are connected the social object
provides the underlying rationale or motive for being connected at all. In short, with-
out the social object, there is no “social.”Social Application
Definition: A Social Application is software that coordinates group inter-
action that is important to running your business.
John Milan, ReadWriteWeb, October 12, 2006What It Means and Why It Matters
The term social application—expressed in this definition in a decidedly business
context—refers to the specific tools or functions available to participants in a social
network—that is, the tools and functions that allow those participants to perform spe-
cific social tasks such as friending, connecting, sharing, and similar. The social appli-
cation includes larger software components as well, up to and including entire social
networks.
In this sense, it’s the social application that “allows social activity to happen” in
a distributed (e.g., virtual or online) context. In real life, the social application is the
living room sofa, where conversation is facilitated, or the postal system, through which
party invitations and RSVPs are exchanged. In online communities, this same type of
social exchange is facilitated through software applications.