Online social networks are complex systems that can be variously construed as websites, platforms and communities but relatively rarely are they considered from the perspective of a goal-directed user. A mixed methods study consisting of questionnaires and in-depth interviews was carried out in order to examine the use of social networking within the online cartoonist community. We consider this subset of users, who rely on the use of social networking for specific work-related activities, because they form a group of motivated innovators who explore the uses and abuses of different services in terms of both feature set and community. A complex picture emerges of the strategic combination and interplay between platforms to co-optimise function and reach.
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