Social Networking: Cast Your Social Net on the Web
You’ve undoubtedly heard the names Facebook, MySpace, and Friendster thrown around in recent years. These sites are examples of online social networks, and are a tiny fraction of the number of similar sites taking root on the Web. We're all familiar with social networks offline; they could be one’s professional contacts, college friends, or family members. Online social networks take this idea of connecting with others and make it digital. Whether it’s for fun, business, romance, or any other reason, more and more people are interacting over the Net. To learn more about this phenomenon, and to do some networking of your own, use the resources provided in this guide. For a Spanish-language version of the Guide, click here.
Expand All Guide SectionsBasics of Social Networking
Joining an online social network is pretty simple. In general, you’ll go to the site, create ... read more »
Choosing a Social Network
There are many ways to get involved in the social Web. With so many sites out there, the hardest part is choosing a social network to join. Luckily, the Web hosts social networking sites for users with a diversity of interests and backgrounds, so you’re sure to find one that fits your needs.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Social networking sites come in as many angles as are there are types of people. You’ll find massive general interest social networks (such as hi5 or MySpace), social networks for professionals (such as LinkedIn), and even very specific social networks for groups of people with a shared interest (such as Ravelry for knitters or SteamStreet for investors). Take a look at the first section of Picks below to find some lists of these sites.
- If you’re an aspiring artist, comedian, or musician, think of your social network profile as a way to promote yourself. These sites are used as effectively for marketing as they are for entertainment. For example, many musicians on MySpace create profiles and offer a few songs for users to listen to while reading about the band. Remember though, if you want to delve into these online communities, carefully monitor what is being posted on your profile page, as it’s easy for advertisers to spam users’ comments sections.
- Dating Web sites are a popular example of online social networking. Through these services, users can explore potential partners via online user profiles. They connect electronically, and eventually face to face. Our findingDulcinea Dating Web Guide has a collection of links to dating sites, information about how to safely engage in online dating, and tips for selecting the best dating site for your needs.
- Professional networks allow members of the workforce to interact in an online environment that isn’t flooded by the spam, media, and inanity found on many of the popular, general networking sites. There are a few professional social networking sites below to get you started. For even more help in your job search see our findingDulcinea Job Hunting Web Guide.
- Although many social networking sites have built-in ways to personalize your profile, independent programmers have created lots of free add-ons that can help you make yours stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking to revamp your MySpace profile or add additional features to your Facebook, try entering the desired feature (such as slideshow, wallpaper, music player, and so on) and the name of the network in a search engine, and explore the results.
Dulcinea's Picks
To explore your social networking options …
Go2Web20.net
is a directory of the newest and most “2.0” sites on the Web. Choose the tag "social" to see an amazingly large list of old and new social networking sites and applications.
Wikipedia
has a list of social networking Web sites that includes the site name and URL, a quick description of what it does, an approximation of the number of users, and how you can join.
The Open Directory Project
is a link directory that has a list of more than 100 social networking sites. Note that anyone can add a link or description to the directory listings so some of the links were probably added by the sites themselves, but you can still take a gander at all of the networks that are out there.
For the best social networking sites …
Mashable
hosts the Open Web Awards and lets users vote for the best online communities each year. Take a look at the winners of the 2006 Social Networking Awards. You’ll find Mashable’s choices for the best sites in a number of categories including “Widgets and Add-Ons,” “Photo Sharing,” “Music,” and “Mobile.”
The Webby Awards
have been around since 1997 and recognize some of the best Web sites and applications online in a variety of categories. For the winners in the social networking category from 2007, scroll way down the page (categories are in alphabetical order).
For popular social networks …
Facebook
started as a network just for students but is now open to any Internet user. This social network allows you to search and connect with other users through criteria such as school, location, name, or other profile details. Its many applications allow users to share photos, write messages on public "walls," send private messages to friends, give virtual "gifts" to friends, and much more. This is a good way to keep up with the happenings of your friends without a great deal of effort.
MySpace
offers you the ability to rank your contacts and display some of your "top friends" (your favorite social contacts) on your own profile page, set a favorite song to play when others look at your profile, and even embed video onto your profile page. Many celebrities, music groups, comedians, and video producers have MySpace profiles.
hi5
is a lot like MySpace but with a much more international membership. If you have friends from places around the world, you’re likely to locate them on hi5. Among a variety of features, this site allows you to give other members a virtual “hi5.”
orkut
is a Google-based social network named after the programmer who put it together. Join this network using your Gmail account or by creating one for free to see what other Googlers are up to.
MiApogeo.com
is a newly created social networking site directed primarily toward a latino audience. Apart from allowing users to create a profile and interact with other users on the site, MiApogeo offers articles on lifestyle and entertainment, blogs and an innovative Wiki feature for Latino history and culture, based on content submitted by the site's users.
For photo- and video-sharing social networks …
Flickr
allows you to store and share your digital photos with family and friends. Organize your photos in many innovative ways, such as by plotting them on a map. Sometimes more interesting than your own photos, though, are the photos of other users. Because you can choose to make your photos public or private, the public photos are available for viewing by anyone on the site. Just search by keyword if you are looking for a picture of, say, a bumblebee—you'll probably be able to find one. If you have any questions, the Flickr tour can help you get started.
Photobucket
not only stores photos for you to share with your friends and family, it stores and shares your videos as well. You can even use Photobucket to create slideshows and remixes of your photos, and as a host for videos that you've posted on other sites.
YouTube
is the most popular video-sharing social network. Search for and watch user-submitted videos that feature just about anything—think America’s Funniest Home Videos in a free-for-all format. If you find videos you like, you can check out other content from the same user and even connect to them the same way you’d do in any other social network.
For professional social networks …
LinkedIn
is a networking site that allows you to set up a profile, then connect with colleagues (past and present), old classmates, or search for other people in your industry. LinkedIn alerts you if other people from your company sign on so that you can connect with them.
WhoToTalkTo
is a place to post job leads and to get job leads from others. The site works on a point system: you have to post your own leads in order to request one from someone else.
Jobster
is a search engine and networking site in one. Create a profile, add "tags" (keywords) to your profile, and network with other users. If you are just searching for jobs, you can do so without creating a profile. When job results are returned, read what other users are saying about that company.
Ryze
(pronounced "rise") can help you create networks with others in your field, search for jobs using its "Classifieds" section, or check out the career-related events going on in your area.
Dice
is a job site for those in the tech industry. The article, “Make a Social Network Work For You,” has tips for job seekers or professionals to help them keep their social network alive and thriving as a career boost. Don’t miss the author’s evaluation of the professional networking opportunities available in a few common social networks.
To reconnect with old friends and classmates …
Classmates
is (as the name suggests) a place for you to connect with old classmates and stay up to date with reunions. Choose your state, the letter (and then name) of your city, and then choose your school to sign up and find other students. Classmates will encourage you to sign up for paid membership but be aware that basic membership is available for free.
WAYN
(Where Are You Now?) is a site dedicated to helping you track the friends you meet on your travels and keep in touch with them. It’s also a travel guide for different cities and countries. Meet new people who will be traveling where you are, or keep in touch with old contacts from previous travels.
To create your own social network …
Ning
lets you create your own social network and share it with whomever you choose. This is great for people who want to keep their social networking private, or for those who want to create a social network for something very specific.
TechCrunch
provides reviews of nine social networking platforms that allow you to create your own social network. These reviews cover Ning, KickApps, CrowdVine, GoingOn, CollectiveX, Me.com, PeopleAggregator, Haystack, and ONEsite.
Social Networking Safety Tips
Anytime you put personal information into the public domain you run the risk of that personal ... read more »
The Latest Social Networking News
When a new site strikes gold with an idea, waves of imitators and innovators follow with hopes of ... read more »
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