Mobile communication, a professional social network for mobile society researchers

And more on social networking: after the professional email groups there are now the professional social networks.

Mobile Communication – the social implications of mobile communication is a social network for mobile society researchers. The new site is focused on the academic analysis of mobile communication in society.

Members create their personal chat group, share photos and videos, post in a forum and are related to one another on the basis of their institutional affiliation or scientific background.

The network, hosted on Ning (which by the way is very slow), was created by Richard Ling, a sociologist at Telenor’s research institute located near Oslo, Norway. It has currently 12 members.

What does this mean?
Are email groups things of the past? What is the real difference between email groups and these social networking sites, except that you can upload video and photos? Should Putting People First become a social networking site too? Or is it one already? Is there a need for a new social networking site?

(via Smart Mobs)