Social Networking - perhaps you've heard of it before, but are not quite sure what it means.
Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in schools or in the workplace, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users to develop friendships and business relationships, too.
When it comes to online social networking, websites are commonly used. These websites are known as social sites. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share a common interest such as hobbies, religion, or politics. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them.
The friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. Another one of those benefits includes diversity because the internet gives individuals from all around the world access to social networking sites. This means that although you are in the United States, you could develop an online friendship with someone in Denmark. Not only will you make new friends, but you just might learn a thing or two about new cultures or new languages and learning is always a good thing.
As mentioned, social networking often involves grouping specific individuals or organizations together. While there are a number of social networking websites that focus on particular interests, there are others that do not. The websites without a main focus are often referred to as "traditional" social networking websites and usually have open memberships. This means that anyone can become a member, no matter what their hobbies, beliefs, or views are. However, once you are inside this online community, you can begin to create your own network of friends and eliminate members that do not share common interests or goals.
Once you've convinced yourself that you are sufficiently informed, you can begin to search for networking communities to join. This can easily be done by performing a standard internet search. Your search will likely return a number of results, including some of the popular ones listed on this page.
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Active Rain ( www.activerain.com ) is a site that is designed to drive consumers to real estate agents and others in the real estate field. There are no fees and no sales pitch of any kind. Active Rain says it’s “the real estate industry’s first online networking resource for real estate professionals.”
So what is Active Rain, well it will be easy to show you some of the features and let you decide what to call it as the site is unique to say the least.
First off you have your profile, in your profile you are able to write a brief description, an “about us” section, an “Areas of Expertise” section, and list some testimonials. This profile is the page that most visitors will end up finding so make sure to take a little time when filling it out. Link to a couple key pages in your site to help visitors find what they are looking for.
Next there is a blog for each member. This blog is linked to and from your main profile page. For those that have been thinking about starting a blog this is an easy way to do it without having to learn all the details of blogging. A nice bonus to blogging is you have a chance to build some links to your site. Point visitors to important pages in your site as many times blog posts will show up in the search engines and can drive some traffic for you.
Then the networking part of the site. You can add other members as “Associates” and they are then linked from your profile. You can add agents that you know, referral sources, a loan officer, and more. This is kind of a neat feature and is a lot like MySpace friends list. I’m sure there is more benefits to this feature that I just don’t understand yet, but it will be a fun one to play with.
For more information on Active Rain please click here on the following link now. www.activerain.com
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Facebook ( www.facebook.com ) is an online social networking directory that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.
Created and launched in February 2004 by Harvard students Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, the site began as a network strictly for Harvard University. Two months later, the site expanded to include other Ivy League schools. After that, the college network slowly grew and by the end of 2004, Facebook had registered more than one million users.
Now open to anyone with a valid email address, the site includes members' pictures, biographies, interests and messages, and members can browse freely through open profiles. Members may choose their personal levels of security to prevent strangers from accessing their personal information.
The platform enables anyone, anywhere, to build complete applications that members can choose to use. Applications range from photo sharing to graffiti walls and everything in between.
For more information on Facebook please click here on the following link now. www.facebook.com
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Flickr ( www.flickr.com ) You can use Flickr to:
- Organize your photos in a meaningful way - How to Organize!
- Share your photos and stay in touch with your friends and family - Sharing with Flickr!
- Form a group for a wedding, reunion and event
- Find beautiful, cool or intriguing photos and videos
- And much, much more!
When you invite people to join Flickr you are instantly connected to them. So invite people to join! You can click through people's profile pages to learn more about them, or search for others using their email address.
Try joining a group by browsing through the public groups that people have already started. Or if you want to have a special group just for you and your friends, create a private group.
To benefit the most from Flickr, add more details to your profile about your interests, create a buddy icon and upload lots of photos.
For more information on Flickr please click here on the following link now. www.flickr.com
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Linked in ( www.linkedin.com ) The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.
This list of connections can then be used in a number of ways:
- A contact network is built up consisting of their direct connections, the connections of each of their connections (termed second degree connections) and also the connections of second degree connections (termed third degree connections). This can be used to gain an introduction to someone you wish to know through a mutual, trusted contact.
- It can then be used to find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by someone in one's contact network.
- Employers can list jobs and search for potential candidates.
- Job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers and discover which of their existing contacts can introduce them.
The "gated-access approach" (where contact with any professional requires either a preexisting relationship or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service's users. LinkedIn participates in EU's International Safe Harbor Privacy Principles.
The feature LinkedIn Answers, similar to Google Answers or Yahoo! Answers, allows users to ask questions for the community to answer. This feature is free and the main differences from the two previously mentioned services are that questions are potentially more business-oriented, and the identity of the people asking and answering questions is known.
The searchable LinkedIn Groups, feature allows users to establish new business relationships by joining alumni, industry, or professional and other relevant groups.
The newest LinkedIn feature is LinkedIn Polls, still in alpha.
A mobile version of the site was launched in February 2008 which gives access to a reduced feature set over a mobile phone. The mobile service is available in six languages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.
For more information on linked in please click here on the following link now. www.linkedin.com
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Meetup ( www.meetup.com ) is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.
Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.
For more information on meet up please click here on the following link now. www.meetup.com
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Twitter ( www.twitter.com ) is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.
Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, or through applications such as TwitterMobile, Tweetie, Twinkle, Twitterrific, Feedalizr, Facebook, and Twidget, a widget application. Four gateway numbers are currently available for SMS: short codes for the United States, Canada, and India, and a United Kingdom-based number for international use. Several third parties offer posting and receiving updates via email. Twitter had by one measure over 3 million accounts and, by another, well over 5 million visitors in September 2008, a fivefold increase in a month.
For more information on Twitter please click here on the following link now. www.twitter.com
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You Tube ( www.youtube.com ) Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.
Everyone can watch videos on YouTube. People can see first-hand accounts of current events, find videos about their hobbies and interests, and discover the quirky and unusual. As more people capture special moments on video, YouTube is empowering them to become the broadcasters of tomorrow.
YouTube received funding from Sequoia Capital in November 2005 and was officially launched one month later in December. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen proceeded to become the first members of the YouTube management team and currently serve as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer respectively.
In November 2006, within a year of its launch, YouTube was purchased by Google Inc. in one of the most talked-about acquisitions to date.
YouTube has struck numerous partnership deals with content providers such as CBS, BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, NBA, The Sundance Channel and many more.
For more information on You Tube please click here on the following link now. www.youtube.com
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