Social software encompasses a range of software systems that allow users to interact and share data. This computer-mediated communication has become very popular with social sites like; Facebook Flickr YouTube Linked In as well as commercial sites like Amazon.com and eBay.

A social network service focuses on building social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities.It essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services.

Most social network services are web based and provides means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places (such as former school-year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust.

Popular methods used in education now combine many of these, with Facebook, Bebo and Twitter widely used worldwide; Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter being the most widely used in Australia.