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Social Networks: Finding the Perfect One
The internet has millions of users and it’s not a wonder that a lot of social networks have sprouted out of nowhere. Some have sizzled for a few months, then faded away into the internet recycle bin (if there is such a term). Some, like Friendster and MySpace, were so popular and were there for so long that no one can exactly remember when they started. Both these sites have millions of users in their archive: students, professionals, techie old ones, or teeners, name it and they have it. About 99% of these social networks are available for free; there are even social networks that pay their users. But with all these sites trying to compete for our time, which ones are worth the effort? I’ve tried out some sites to see what they can offer and discovered some really good sites. The ultimate question that you should ask yourself is: What do I want from my social network? Anything. If you are just looking for a site to do whatever it is you like to do, the top sites seem to be Friendster, MySpace, and, Facebook. In these sites, you can create a profile and pepper it with your cute pictures and videos in less than an hour. You can also find new friends in less than a minute. You can also search the user profiles for those long-lost high school friends or the cute long ago crush. These sites can be considered the modern and electronic version of the high school autograph. You can fill in the boxes of the preset questions, but this time there is no restriction unto the length of your answer (unlike the paper autograph). With Friendster and MySpace, you can even modify your profile’s appearance, i.e. background color or pictures, font sizes and colors, or just about anything (my background is that of Disney’s fairy tale princesses). And you can leave graphical “comments” for your friends. Facebook, on the other hand has a simple blue and white appearance that the use cannot modify. These sites have a bulletin where you can type information for all users to see, but also have a private messaging system. Media. If you want to share those pretty pictures of your holiday at some faraway place or that wedding video for a distant aunt, then you need a social network specifically built for this type of upload. Of course, you can always do that in all the sites in the previous category but Flickr, eSnips and Scribd seem to be the authority in this field. In these sites, the focus is on the media and social networking comes as a plus. You can choose whether to keep your folders open for public perusal or for private viewing only or by email invitation. That way, you unburden your old computer with those gigabytes of photos and videos. Selling your work is also an option in some sites, i.e. the eSnips Marketplace and Fotolia. If music is your forte then Last.fm and Pandora are the best sites for you. These sites revolve on music, and unlike the first group you cannot search for other users to add to your list of friends. Money. These sites are for those who want to have fun while earning money. The best ones I’ve tried are MyLot, Platinum Lounge, and Dada. Like the first group of sites, you can do a variety of stuff ranging from uploading your pictures to participating in the online bulletins. In the first two sites, the focus is on the online bulletins or online discussions. You can create a discussion about anything that interests or bugs you. These sites are also very user friendly and if you get confused, just type the question and in a few minutes an answer is sure to be on the way. Each post, whether starting a new discussion or just answering to one, has an equivalent point or amount. Rating others or posting comments on your friends’ pages can also help you increase your points. Dada, on the other hand, is almost identical to the first group of sites but shares its revenues to users via Google Adsense. Whatever you want to achieve out of your chosen social network still depends upon you and your efforts. So, plant the seeds (starting and completing your profile), water the plant (updating your profile and posting messages or comments to friends) and watch it grow to bear the fruits or flowers (friends or money or both) that you expected from it.
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Contributor's Note
About 99% of these social networks are available for free; there are even social networks that pay their users. But with all these sites trying to compete for our time, which ones are worth the effort? I’ve tried out these sites to see what they can offer and discovered some really good sites.
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Fotolia
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