I've been involved in both of these, and I see the difference as being connected with what they are trying to do. In a social network the aim is for people to connect with each other, with old friends and new ones, and to engage in social activities. In a COP people who work in a specific field get together, whether they have known each other previously or not, and share information and ideas about their work practices. The one I was involved in was for state school teachers of English, Maths and Science in the Middle East. They asked each other questions about how to motivate their students, how to use ICT in their classes and how to teach specific topics, and they shared their ideas and experiences. They really enjoyed sharing their knowledge with each other and finding out new techniques to try in class.

3  out of 3 found this valuable. Do you find this valuable? Do you?