I heard you were on Facebook: linking awareness systems to online social networking

Abstract

Awareness systems have shown to be an effective channel for supporting social relationships. Prototype systems that support communication with intimate relationships are typically stand-alone systems. This paper describes the design of an awareness system that is linked to an online social network, allowing users to reach a broader network of friends and acquaintances when using the system. The system enables posting sound bites from daily life to one's Facebook wall. The user may record them actively, or they may let the system randomly capture environmental sounds. A final prototype was evaluated with three small friend-networks. Results support the expectation that the linked awareness devices on a social network, enhances social awareness beyond a network of physical devices. The paper further presents design insights for the development of the link between awareness systems and existing online social networks.