Social Networking

Friends make up our social network. This gets bigger when you get acquainted with others and this in essence is social networking.

But social networking does not end there. It also goes to specific groups like people who share a common interest or hobby. In fact, the most popular one around these days are those found online because you get to meet individuals from other places

Social networking enables people who share the same interests

It's great to have friends but you have to admit that there are certain interests you or they have, which neither is not interested in. When this happens, it is time to expand our circle and that is just one of the advantages of social networking.

Social networking enables people who share the same interests to hang out together and this simply means that you are able to make new friends. If for example you are interested in basketball, no one there will get tired of talking about the players or the game which occurred last night or several years ago.

Since most social networking is done over the web, you get to meet individuals from other countries and learn about their culture. How many people do you know keep in touch with someone across the Atlantic or the Pacific? Given that you share something in common, you get to communicate with that person regularly that is very similar to hooking up with your friends after work or school.

From a business point of view, the first two advantages of social networking enable you to meet new clients and expand your business because most of these sites allow you to customize your webpage and provide links to your personal website.

Just to give you a few examples, there is Multiply, MySpace, Friendster, FaceBook and Classmates. With so many around, you won't have a hard time looking for a social network that you like. You can even post ads here so you can inform other members of an event that you are hosting.

The best part about becoming a member of a social network is that majority of these is free. This means that you don't have to pay any fees. All you have to do is sign up by filling up the form and then activating the link when this is sent to you via email. Now that you are a member, you can invite other friends to join and look at other profiles.

The advantages of social networking will allow you to make new friends, promote your business and best of all, won't cost you a thing. But there are some social networking sites that will require you to pay a fee. Before you sign up, consider if this value for your money.

Will social networking sites ever replace meeting people in social events and other gatherings? Of course not because all this medium does is give you more exposure. It allows you to put your best qualities out there especially when first impressions last.

When you join a social networking site, never post any private information about yourself unless you are ready to have people get in touch with you. You shouldn't also put anything embarrassing about yourself because some people have been denied employment because of the information posted.

If there are "privacy" settings in your social networking site, you are advised to use it so you can control who has access to your personal information.

A lot of experts say that social networking is here to stay so we have to take advantage of it. When you do join a social networking site, keep an open and see if this is exactly what you wanted. If not, cancel your account until you find the one that you like.

The Facts About Social Networking

Is it a fad?

There are hundreds of social networking sites in cyberspace and you can become a member in any of them. Is it a fad? A lot of people say this is not so because it is the best way right now to connect people with the same or similar interests regardless of your age and gender.

Connecting people is achieved by putting yourself out there. This means creating an account and telling a little bit about yourself which is like introducing yourself in front of the class. With other features like blogging tools, uploading photos, videos and music, joining forums and writing comments, you get to personalize it and tell people more about who you are which is something that a lot of people appreciate.

But perhaps another reason why social networking sites are so popular and have thousands of members is the fact that it is free. You can post just about anything online as long as it is not pornographic although some social networking sites allow that.

It is also very popular among entrepreneurs because they are able to use it to promote their business. Although there are other means to do that, why pay for it when you can advertise for free while you are a member.

To stress that point, one study shows that 41% of the members of a certain social networking site are IT professionals. These individuals use it to gain business contacts and gain knowledge about technology.

It is very similar to how retailers want to expand markets. They no longer have to go door to door to make a sale but other means to get similar results. A good example is someone who joins a networking site, joins a discussion, sees an opportunity and then takes it. If that member was able to provide quality service, other people will be interested in availing the same products or services as well.

Recruiters have also found better uses for the social networks because it enables them to find the right people whenever there is a job opening. Instead of waiting for an applicant to send their resume after posting an ad in the print publication, they can get referrals of people who are qualified to take on the job without spending any money.

There are some who say that the popularity of social networks will eventually kill web searching. But experts in the industry say that this is not possible because Google which happens to be one of the biggest search engines around and has market capitalization bigger than that General Motors or Ford will not allow that to happen.

While there may be new features in these social networks in the future, people will still have to use search engines when they need information.

Social networking sites are here to stay because aside from maintaining contacts with existing friends and making new ones, there are other things that members can do with it. It just takes someone to think out of the box to find some better use for it which will be welcomed by the public.

It also shows that the creativeness of one person gives forth to new ideas. Without this technology, we won't have the ability to improve and come up with better solutions.

Most Popular Social Networks Sites

Social networking websites are like ants in a picnic, their virtually everywhere. No matter where you go on the internet you're bound to run in to one. When you think about it it's really good because you can always be connected with friends wherever you go and whenever you want. But with so many choices to consider how do you know which one to go with. Here's a short list of the top ten sites that you can choose from.

First would be the "Facebook." Many people might be thinking it was going to be MySpace right? Well, in terms of what it offers Facebook wins over MySpace by an arm's length because of the applications and functions that it offers.

Next to it would be "MySpace" because in terms of quantity, MySpace comes in first but because of the fewer functions that it offers it comes down to a close second. The main reason why MySpace is has a lot to offer is because there are a lot of users.

Third would be "Hi5." The most impressive thing about Hi5 is the simplicity of the site itself. There are fully functional options that simplify the social networking experience. It makes social networking a lot more serious when you start using Hi5.

Next would be "43 Things." People who have ever had a plan to do something that they can't really finish because no one's there to support them are the patrons of this site. That's what 43 Things is all about. More than social networking 43 things is like an online support group that allows you to interact with people who have either made plans like you did or people that are going through the same thing as you are.

Fifth would be the "Windows Live Space by MSN." The great thing about Live Space is the flexibility and the ease of use of the site. Talk about a social networking site with the power of the drag and drop. It is absurdly easy to edit your profile, your page and your whole section. Drag and drop your profile to anywhere in the page as you want it. Another great thing about Live Space is that the widgets that are available are actually functional.

Next would be the social networking site called "Gather." Gather.com is for people who love to blog. It's a social networking website with the twist of a bloggers website. Write all you want and all you can, all day long.

Seventh would be "Worlds.com." As the name suggest is really a virtual world where you can go around and explore places and meet people just like in the real world. Just like in the real world, here you can dress up you avatar the way you like.

Next would be "Live Mocha" for people who want more out of their social networking experience. Here, you must definitely try Live Mocha. Live Mocha is not just a social networking website; it actually teaches people a language. Choose from the many languages you can learn and log in to learn it. Of course progression is dependent on the person.

Ninth would be "Stickam" that is really a surefire hit for Webcammers. If you have a webcam and you want to chat with other people who also have webcams then you are going to absolutely adore Stickam.

And last but not the least, the social networking site called "Profilactic" is on the list. The cool thing about profilactic is that when you sign up for an account here you can add all other social networking accounts. Profilactic has an alert that signals you when one of your other accounts has been updated or gets an update.