Social Networks

This term can be applied to any network where socializing takes place. That’s almost everywhere!

MySpace and Facebook are huge and are dedicated to social networking almost exclusively. There are countries of people in them. Knowing how to use these places to your best advantage is empowering and can be very enlightening.

See discretion though. Even with something more private like Facebook, discretion is important. Your boss may not be in your friends list, but that does not mean they cannot find someone who is and then look at your page that way. It happens. Being discrete everywhere you socialize online is a good thing.

Research the social network you are considering joining. Find out about the demographics of who is involved.

Many have niche interests.

DIGG is social news networking site. It is great way to find links to interesting stories and sites. It has a more masculine and younger feel, but that is not to out weigh that the people involved in DIGG can be very savvy and well informed.

StubleUpon is similar but with a softer side. I have seen more females there. It seems to be about sharing sites of interest. It’s fairly new and I have little experience with it, so if you have something to add about it, do so.

There are sites that one must be invited to join.

The ORG is a great place if you can find your way to an invitation. Creativity abounds there. That network is not simply about finding things to share, it is about creating and collaborating. It produces content and that can be an awesome experience.

This article on Mashable, a social networking news site, is about what they regard as the 10 Most Beautiful Social Networks.

Social networks are everywhere. Blog hosts that are conducive to community building have them. Some people are so web famous that they have a social network that revolves around them. Forums and discussion boards can be social networks.