A Semantic-Enabled Engine for Mobile Social Networks

Social-related services like sharing, tagging or commenting are a mainstay of current web applications and platforms aimed at groups of users. These services not only enhance the purpose and main functionalities of their applications but also create a network of users and services that interconnects into a wider online ecosystem. Despite their success in general and recreational applications, these social networks also present a series of challenges like attracting user signups, keeping a healthy contribution level, user privacy concerns, etc. Furthermore, mobile social networks (i.e., social networks tailored for mobile devices) have to account for the additional immediacy and adaptability required from their services. This paper introduces the Social Core – a social network engine that adds semantic-based functionalities like semantic annotations, semantic search and semantic-enhanced access control; as a way to enhance and answer to the current challenges of social applications. The Social Core was integrated as part of the SmartCampus mobile platform, which is currently being live tested by around one hundred students.