Mehdi Namazi - Network System Development Department Informatics Services Cooperation Tehran, Iran
Emran Mohamamdi - Progress Engineering Department Iran University of Science and Technology Tehran, Iran

Social networks have always been subject to methodological debate, since its main concern is not the phenomena that humans experience, but the human itself. It can be assumed what degree of controversy may exist in a field whose main focus is such a volatile and unpredictable entity as human. Social networks play a critical role in formation of economic, political and cultural trends and they are growing on ever developing information platforms. These IT platforms may differ from the technological point of view but all of them form a same phenomenon: Virtual Organization. Social Network would be any organization with non-co-located organizational entities and resources, using virtual space for interactions between staff to achieve organizational objectives. The purpose of this paper is to develop a basis to develop an excellence model for social networks as virtual organizations. Based on the results of this research, a social network excellence model can be developed as a roadmap for social networks to move toward excellence and also being an aid for organizations in measuring and improving their related social networks business performance.

Social Network, Virtual Organization, Excellence Model, Information Technology