Assignment 7.1:: Best Buddies Group on Facebook

According to Social Network Analysis, communities are organized into nodes representing individuals or groups and ties connecting different nodes. On Cornell campus, students participate in numerous clubs with a wide range of interests and goals.

One example is Best Buddies, an international organization that promotes friendship between students and mentally challenged adults. Cornell University chapter has over 20 matched pairs of buddies that communicate and participate in group events such as pot-luck, apple picking and holiday arts and craft party.

According to SNA model, Best Buddies' nodes include college volunteers, mentally challenged adults and their onsite managers, and international organization managers. Parcipants maintain ties with various groups. Student volunteers remain in contact with matched challenged adults, club director and other students. E-board facilitates communications among college members, site managers and regional director.

All members share common interest of community outreach. College students and managers cooperate to raise awareness and have a good time with mentally challenged adults. The level of reciprocity is high, because members share common goal and work together if conflicts arise.

Best buddies college members utilize CMC as the primary method of communication. Email is the most popular choice to make announcements about upcoming events or answer questions. Among e-board members, a club gmail account faciliates updated version of roster and other necessary documents organized. College students also keep in touch with others using facebook. Best Buddies facebook group promotes bonding by allowing members to read each other's profiles and view pictures from previous events. Facebook also allows visualization of strong ties among e-board and active members and weak ties among less active members such as alums.
http://cornell.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234448571