Online social networks have become extremely popular among all categories of users in recent years. The trend started with Web 2.0, which enabled a number of widely used applications, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Despite a recent drop in popularity caused by the full acknowledgment of the potential dangers of online social networks (mainly due to the uncertain levels of privacy and confidentiality, and the related lack of safety for each individual user), social networking will continue to play an important role as a tool for people to connect and communicate.

This book is a comprehensive overview of the theory behind the social networking applied in the electronic space. It maps the state of the art of Web-based social networks and their applications, primarily from the research perspective. Altogether, 82 experts from academia and research institutions worldwide contributed to the book.

The content is divided into 31 chapters, of 20 to 30 pages each, gathered into five parts. Part 1, “Social Media Analysis and Organizations,” provides insight into social media research and social network behavior and modeling. Part 2, “Social Media Mining and Search,” examines communities, collaborations, and mining. Part 3, “Social Network Infrastructures and Communities,” offers contributions on decentralized online social networks, accessibility testing, and human-centered concepts. Part 4, “Privacy in Online Social Networks,” concentrates on the important issue of privacy; overviews the security requirements for social networks in Web 2.0; and explains how to manage trust and optimize intrusion detection system deployment. Finally, Part 5, “Visualisation and Applications of Social Networks,” offers topics such as online advertising and social bookmarking on an intranet. Impressive lists of references accompany all chapters, and several chapters offer brief case studies. The book also includes a useful index.

This book is a useful resource for academics, educators, researchers, and graduate students, and, to a certain degree, designers, developers, engineers, and practitioners who wish to understand the social network theory background. General users, technicians, and communication network specialists will want more information on the technical solutions behind the online social networks, as well as practical information on their effective use. Also, the book does not clearly outline the future of social networking.