A Social Networking Run-Down

Heather Mergenmeier

Kansas City, MO

Sometimes, I just feel out of the loop. There are so many social networking sites now that I find it a bit daunting to be able to remember them all, let alone decide if any of them are a good fit for me. It used to be quite simple, but as fast as I could understand what a tweet is I found out there are even more I had not heard of, but have rapidly increasing participation from the internet community.

If you are anything like me, you like to at least stay informed of "what's new." Here is a quick review of several social networking sites that are worth evaluating for your personal or professional use.

MySpace
Perhaps the first well-known site, it was created in 2003 and termed as "A Place for Friends." Complete with personal profiles, blogs, music, and photos, individuals were able to make their own "space" on the internet. Recently, people have been abandoning their MySpaces for the newer networking sites. Just this month, MySpace laid off 30% of its workforce. If you are new to the social networking scene, it would seem this would be one to skip.

Facebook
Originally designed as a way for students to interact with other students at their college, Facebook has grown to include anyone 13 and over. Originating in 2004, the site has over 200 million active users. One of the most popular applications is the Photo application, where users can upload albums and tag themselves and friends. Businesses and organizations can make a profile and have individuals sign up as fans. Just this month, Facebook announced that you could define a user name to give you a simple URL, such as http//www.facebook.com/username. Facebook is currently #1 in active users world-wide, so it would seem like a good place to start if you are considering joining a site.

Twitter
Twitter utilizes a micro-blogging format for its users to update their profile with a 140 character message, known as tweets. Founded in 2006, Twitter took off in the early part of 2009 with 1382% growth in February. The media is making use of this micro-blogging format, with almost every news outlet and television personality having a Twitter. Celebrity Twitter accounts are also quite popular in terms of followers. Businesses are utilizing Twitter to keep in touch with customers and potential customers.

LinkedIn
The key site for professional networking, LinkedIn allows people to connect with colleagues they know and trust in the business world. By following the connections between people, an individual could request an introduction from a colleague to connect with someone at a company they are interested in. Employers also use this as a way to search for potential candidates.

Other sites to look out for:
Loopt
Loopt is a geosocial networking site, allowing users to see where their friends are, geographically via maps on their mobile phone.

Brightkite
Also using geosocial networking, Brightkite includes micro-blogging and picture updates from wherever you are. Viewers on the site can see where users are checking in, geographically.

While the task of handling multiple site updates may seem daunting, the sites have figured this out. Many allow you to integrate your updates with numerous sites, making your update post on all of your sites at once.

I admit that this is far from an exhaustive list, but hopefully it can give you some ideas of whether you or your business need to be seen and heard at these spots on the Web.