Colin Meunier asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Colin Meunier

Social networking is the new buzzword on the Internet. It is a new, exciting and simple way of connecting with friends and people, whether for friendship or even for commercial reasons. There are different websites that offer social networking, and these websites have their own bouquet of features.

Some websites have the user create their account and create their complete profile. They allow the user to upload their image galleries and even videos. Depending on the completion of the profile, they can then be searched by others, and a proper network can be created. A user’s network is completely controlled by the user, and they can decide who they wish to add on their network and who not. Some social networking websites have a special feature where anyone can post a personal message to the user, which can be read by anyone, until the user decides to delete the message.

Apart from these basic features, some social networking websites have advanced features. For example, they allow the users to play small Flash games. These social networking websites also have other features which are popular amongst most social networking website users.

Advantages of Social Networking Websites:

Social networking websites are a very good option for people who do not have much time in their real time for socializing. They also actually allow users to reconnect with any of their long lost friends.

Social networking is by large a very harmless way to meet new people and connect with them. With the help of the profiles, you can know much more about a person than one would require for a first meet. And who knows, once two people meet, anything can happen!

Social networking websites are useful for professional reasons as well as personal reasons. Many professionals use social networking websites to forward their professional careers. Some professionals also meet people in their same professions and connect with them. This not only gives more information of the professional, it also creates a common knowledge base for the said profession.

Social networking websites can also be used for marketing of a particular product or a service. Almost all social networking websites are free to join, and the number of people on a social networking websites are just too much to be ignored by a marketing professional.

Disadvantages of Social Networking Websites

Social Networking Websites, to be very frank, have little or no disadvantages. The use and misuse of a social networking website is all depending on the user. However, there are some precautions to be taken when signing up for a social networking website, and this is where Social Networking Websites falter.

For example, one of the first rules of online life is to give as minimum personal information as possible. But at a Social Networking Website, the user would have to fill an entire profile to make the networking fundamental actually work for the user.

Social networking websites are also known to be misused by advertisers. The free signup and the feature to connect and contact with anyone has made open a entire people to receive unwanted advertisements and other content.

However, social networking websites depends on the user. It is all up to the user, whether they can make their experience a good one or a bad one.

Ron McNeil asked:


With the popularity of social networking software and websites growing at such tremendous rates, designing and starting your own website may seem like a glorious idea! After all, current statistics show that the popular online community, MySpace, receives more visitors a day than Google, a very popular search engine. However, before you make any final decisions about starting a virtual community offering social network software, it is important to first do some research of your own.

Online community network is more than just building friendship, or relationship for that matter. It helps in building communication with people, and this could be utilized to your business benefits. To do that, you would need to provide the features for creation of stronger networking ties between people, and when such ties develop, your customer base increases, building up a brand for your social networking site.

One good way to research to determine which types of social networking software are most popular with internet users, is to preview different community software tools for you. You may need to become a registered member of several different online communities in order to test out the social network software tools provided by each website. In most online communities, the basic networking tools, to aid in communication, are offered with a free membership. However, in some online communities, advanced social networking software tools are provided against a small monthly fee. Either way, it is a good idea to try the different software, prior to starting a social networking website. In doing so, you will be building knowledge to help you determine which type of community software tools you wish to provide.

Another way you should consider researching before starting a social networking website that offers community software tools is to read about some of the current most popular networking websites, and determine what keeps them so popular. Communicating with different members of the most popular online communities is a great way to determine factors that keep particular communities so popular. Be sure to ask a lot of questions, and you’ll likely be surprised how many people are eager to answer.

In starting a social networking site, it is very important for you to have a plan for targeting the right people in the community. The choice of social network software would allow you to put in features, which would be appropriate for the people that you would want to join your network. For example, instead of career and school sections, you could have the interactive game feature, aiming to build the brain strength of your members. Your social networking software may also provide news on entertainment, a hobby section for older people, and tips how to keep healthy. It could have forums, where members would discuss regarding the relevant matters, and a place for blogging, which the members could use as journals. There would of course be a space provided to your members to put up their profiles, which form an important part in such social networking scenario. You could also consider putting in a profile tracker feature, by which the members would know how many times his profile has been viewed.

The social network software that you choose would mostly depend upon your plan of approach for the networking site that you have in mind. After choosing the kind of people that you would want to target, you need to have a clear conception on what you are going to provide in the site. This would determine the choice of your social network software. Your social networking site may allow the member groups, which would perhaps include business groups and others, to create online communities, and this could be provided free. This would provide the initial member base, to create vast numbers of community network by inviting friends.

By starting a social networking site, you would benefit from the growing customer base that the social networking software would build up for you. This would create your own brand, expand your customer base, increase traffic to the online communities of your web site, boost your revenue, and increase market differentiation. Your social networking site should have enough features to retain the customers, and you should have a plan to add more and more features, as your customer base grows.

One fact remains – social network software continues to grow in popularity, and the growth is predicted to continue. Since the development of the first social networking website in 1995, more and more people are finding themselves becoming actively involved in different online communities. Starting your own social networking website may be a great idea, but you should do extensive research before making any final decisions.

Randy Zlobec asked:


Social networking sites offer several benefits to members, many of which are just plain fun. There are so many things to do once you register that it can take some time to get a taste of everything. For those who have not discovered social networking sites, it is definitely time to crawl out from under your rock.

What is Social Networking?

At the basic level, social networking is simply the process of interacting with those in your social group, as well as meeting new people to include in that group. Before the internet became a standard feature in many households, your social group typically included people you met at school or work, and they generally lived nearby. You went out to clubs and restaurants, or maybe had a barbecue in the backyard whenever you wanted to interact with each other.

Not to say that backyard barbecues and nights on the town are a thing of the past, but social networking sites have certainly changed the concept of social networking. Your network is no longer limited to the people in your neighborhood, or even people in your country, and socializing does not require one dime to be spent on food or fuel.

How Does it Work?

While every social networking site has its own special attractions, there are some basic features that carry across them all. Once you register for an account with a social networking site, you receive your own personal page within the site. That page serves as your portal to the outside world.

Every social networking page contains basic profile information, but not every page is the same. Remember that your page is yours, and you are free to decorate and design in any way that makes you happy, as long as you stay within the guidelines established by the site. What you put on your profile page, from your picture to your graphics, is the first glimpse that other people have of you.

Of course, graphics and text are not the only enhancements that you can make to a page. You can add videos, upload photo albums, and add music to your profile page. There are even free music players that will let you add a variety of songs to the player and then place it on your page.

Social networking sites also let you start your own blog with no extra setup. Blogs are your chance to let the world read your innermost secrets and mindless ramblings. Blogs can also be a way to market your business, promote your favorite cause, or rant about things that make you want to pull your hair out. Think of it as an invisible, non-judgmental therapist that is available at all points in time.

So, What’s the Point?

Social networking sites are just plain fun. Once you set up your profile page, other registered users from around the world can look at your profile and decide whether they want to get to know you. If they would like a chance to be friends, they simply request that you add them to your friends list. Of course, you can look at other people’s profiles and make requests, too. Where else can you make friends with a sales executive in London while getting to know an unsigned blues band in Colorado?

There is an old saying, though, that goes, “Make new friends and keep the old” The same applies with social networking. You can look up a high school friend or a college roommate and have the chance to reconnect. Granted, you may quickly remember why you haven’t stayed in contact over the years, but you will at least have the chance to know how they are and where they have gone.

Social networking sites are also an excellent way to keep in touch with family members. While some families live in the same neighborhood, some do not even live in the same country. Profile pages can be used to give the latest news without a long-distance phone call, and family pictures can be shared without worrying about lost mail.

Some people even choose to use social networking sites to promote their businesses. Photos of the business or products allow people to see what is being offered, and the blog feature makes it possible to entice visitors to check out your business. This can be especially helpful for online businesses. Some marketers also use social networking sites to both increase their popularity and enhance their image as an expert in the field.

What’s the Catch?

Social networking sites are not perfect. Because they are free of charge to registered users, site owners must find other ways to cover the cost of the site. Typically, keeping the site free means displaying advertisements to users. Unfortunately, the ads can easily become too much, and the site becomes cluttered with advertisements. When that happens, profile pages become less attractive, and users tend to be unhappy with the view.

Another downside to social networking sites is the risk to children. Not all adults on the internet are child-friendly, and there are predators on social networking sites just as they are anywhere else. Some social networking sites require users to be a minimum age, and they allow users to block their profiles from the general public. In order to see the profile, send a message, or leave a comment on a restricted profile, you must be added to their friends list. Other sites have begun allowing users to not only block a harassing member from their page, but also to report the offender.

All in all, social networking sites are a great way to meet new people, make friends, and connect with people from your past. You can build relationships, build a reputation, or build a business with the click of a button. If you haven’t made the leap into the future of social networking, you may want to get started.