Benefits of social networking in online social support groups

Restricted until 30 Jun. 2012.An increasing number of health-related support groups online are embracing social networking features. So far little is known about how patients use and adopt social networking features integrated within online social support groups (OSGs) and whether the use of networking features enhances experiences of OSG users. Although there are abundant studies on the topic of general purpose social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), no studies have been published of social networking sites as supportive care resources for patients.; By taking the uses and gratifications perspective as a theoretical backbone, the current study examined individual variations in motivations, OSG use patterns, and appreciation of benefits from OSG use and explored the role individual users' personal social circumstances and psychological dispositions play in using and appreciating resources available within OSGs. By conducting an online survey of the current users of OSGs, the present study investigated the effectiveness of OSGs in providing emotional and informational support to their users.; Findings from the survey suggest that OSG users are making use of selected features depending on their needs and that certain features are more effective than others in providing certain types of support. For example, discussion board was most frequently used by information seekers and most effective in providing informational support. On the other hand, information seekers are least likely to make one-to-one connection to other users by friending, although the friending feature (social networking feature) was found to be effective in providing emotional support.; The current study makes important contributions toward a better understanding of health-related social networking sites and provides practical lessons on how to build OSGs that can better serve the needs of their users