Social Networking

Social networking has come of age in the recent past. It would be unfair to say that dot-com dreams died during the Internet stock bubble burst. Some have thrived through it and have come out clean and unscathed. One such website would be Amazon.com. Amazon.com is the king and probably it will remain the undisputed leader of the dot-com era in the time to come. The home of Robot Co-op is nothing but a mere whitewashed room, and Amazon, the online retail giant, owns this tiny company. Moreover, in this whitewashed room Josh Petersen, the former Amazon director clicks away on his laptop. They have taken a bold step in the sphere of social networking. A seven-member group has spearheaded the creation of a web community, which is based on sharing personal goals globally.

There are seven steps to social networking online. The Internet is a vast expanse of space where you can do the unimaginable and form a network, which can be infinite. Every day, a new online networking website seems to pop out from nowhere. It is the most happening hobby or maybe because everyone suddenly want to connect to every one else. Whatever the reasons, at the end of the day it is fun to be a part of an online social networking forum.

There are online communities like Myspace, Tickle and Friendster that can help you connect to people in the same industry for business or help you find new friends for chatting or dating. The joining part is quite simple though you would need an invitation from someone who is already a member there. Once you have signed up, there would be no boundaries. You can connect to anyone, anywhere.

How can one get away or end the boredom created by Internet marketing? Are you a victim of Internet marketing too? Is it driving you up the walls? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you should check this website called www.myspace.com. It is innovative, different and will take you far from the madding crowd. On Alexa, it has been ranked amongst the top 10 sites. At the first look, you might mistake it for a music website with lots of rock videos but that is not the case. The membership of Myspace is a staggering 62 million and is still increasing. It has profiles of Celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Mick Jagger shoulder to shoulder with profiles of people like you and me. It is like a whiff of fresh air for all those who want to get out of their mechanical world of marketing, sales etc.

Social networking and music go almost hand in hand and Myspace puts it together in the same package. Music is all about raging hormones and the famous rock stars of yesteryears will nod their head in agreement. In a community like the one provided by Myspace, a music fan can have a whole new community experience. It is larger than life experience where he/she can get to connect with more people than they can ever think of. This type of social networking will change people’s perceptions and the way music is marketed and sold. It not just about US but this change will take place globally. It seems like Internet community has finally come of age.

There are social networking websites but then it is marred with lack of defenses at social networking sites. According to Brad Fitzpatrick and his website LiveJournal.com, 1.5 million users post diary entries to be shared with friends, colleagues and family. It is not surprising that most of the members post extremely sensitive and personal information in their journals.

Members of social networking sites post everything from their suicide plans to professional sabotage and even their wild fantasies or sexual adventures. Brad Fitzpatrick has no pretensions about agreeing to the fact that security has been the least of priorities at LiveJournal.com. When members come to the initial login page, they send their passwords in the clear. But Fitzpatrick has also added that they are hoping to change this next month although the top priority is still the site performance.

My Space, the moment we utter the words, the first thing that comes to our mind is Myspace.com. Is myspace the happening meeting place for people from all backgrounds, communities and countries? Yes! You guessed it right. Myspace is an online networking portal where you can not only find friends but also you can do your own stuff.

You can share you latest groovy pictures, share psychedelic lyrics and notes and even find out if there are any one else as passionate as you are about life. It is a fun, safe and no boundaries kind of site where you can join for some nice and heart-warming experiences. As far as access is concerned, it is an open to all party. You can be a gay or a lesbian, you can be looking for an illicit love affair; you could be wanting to climb up Mt. Everest or simply wanting to take the Harley down the wild side. Whatever the reason, Myspace is just the kind of place for you.

If it is the Internet, then you need protection. Protecting yourself from Myspace would be the first and utmost thing on your mind before you even click away for sign up. When we talk about protection on the Internet, it sounds quite vague. You might think that how can one get protection in space. After the entire Internet is like absolute space.

You can browse through a web page but you cannot feel it. But you must have read this somewhere “Growing number of child molesters using Myspace to arrange meetings with minors” or “Teenage girl kidnapped by older man she met on Myspace” This is not fake, we are talking facts! In fact, there has been such a furor that schoolteachers and parents have stood together to ban myspace. Are they going to succeed? No! Never! Why? Because Myspace is a fun place and it is no more dangerous than riding a school bus or shopping at the super market.

BuddyName: Gather

Gather is found at www.gather.com and makes use of networking through passions and common interests people share. In addition, Gather is a place adults can socialize and earn gift cards to popular stores or charitable donations, through the Gather points program. Also, Gather members can even earn cash. Furthermore, Gather members’ can share their images, create blogs, join groups, and comment on other member’s images and articles. To continue, you can join this network by clicking on the "sign up-it’s free" button.

First, you need to enter your first and last name, and check whether or not you want to display your full last name, or just the initial. Second, type in your city state, and country. Third, create a username and password. Fourth, type in your email and the verification text that they provide. Next, read Gather’s terms of service page, community guidelines page and agree that you are over 13 years old, by checking the box provided. Finally, click on the "sign up- it’s free" button, which takes you to a page that displays your username and namespace.

Next, you can fill in your city, your state, your gender, and your birth date information that is kept private, but is used to display relevant content by Gathers partners and sponsors. Then, you can decide whether or not, to be notified when someone comments, sends a private message, when you receive a group invitation, or when you receive a connection request.

Then, you can publish anything such as a story poem or recipe. You’re limited only to your imagination. Furthermore, you can share your photos, find other members that share your interests, and invite friends to Gather. Also, you can join groups or create your own groups. In addition, you can subscribe to other members’ groups with RSS feeds. Moreover, social bookmarking allows you to share popular content on Gather at two sites dig.com and del.icio.us. What’s more, in the "update settings" page you can choose to approve viewing of mature content such nudity and vulgar language. (more…)

BuddyName: Facebook

Facebook is a social site that uses student, business, and location networking. Facebook can be found at www.facebook.com. First, click on the "register" link and fill in your full name. Second, select whether you are attending high school, college or graduate school. Third, select from the choices if you are working at a company, or none of the above. Fourth, you enter your email and make up a password. To continue, you enter your birthday and the text in the image box. Next, you read their terms of use and check that you agree to them. Then, click on the "register" button and they will send you an email to confirm your registration. Finally, you click on the link in your email to complete your registration.

To continue, Facebook allows you to look at the profiles of your friends and others in your network. Next, another feature of Facebook is the ability to search for other Facebook users in your networks. Moreover, you can enter emails for your alumni or work to join those networks. Also, you can join a regional network by entering your city or town. For example, if you live in a small town, a network of bigger cities is provided for you to choose. Then, you can upload a picture to accompany your profile. Thus, you need to read their terms of use to make sure your pictures are not copywrited and that they don’t violate Facebook’s terms of use. Finally, use the browse feature to find the picture you want on your computer, check the terms of use, and click on the upload picture box. (more…)

BuddyName: Friendster

Friendster is a social networking site on the internet that can be used to build a large base of friends. This site is located at www.friendster.com and is easy to use. First, click on the "sign up" link. Second, fill in your first and last name, and decide whether or not to hide your last name. Third, select your gender, date of birth, relationship status, postal code, country, email address, and select a password. Fourth, verify your registration by typing in the characters found in the image box. Finally, you agree that you are at least 16 years old and agree to Friendster’s terms of service.

Next, you can import your address books from Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL, Gmail, or .CSV File. Then, you decide what friends you want to invite to join Friendster. Then, you have the option to enter emails by typing them in the boxes provided. Subsequently, you can personalize the message to your friends. After that, you can click on the "invite" box or just click on the "continue" link. To continue, you can upload a photo or choose to skip this step. You can give a photo a caption if you decide on uploading a photo. Next, they send you an email to make sure you are receiving emails, before friends can contact you. Subsequently, when you receive the email, just click on the "verify email address" link.
Furthermore, you can pick to upload more photos. Then, you can fill in information like gender, age, relationship status, hometown, your location, and your employment history. Next, you are able to post a "shout out" on your profile by clicking on the "create" link. Also, you can change your Friendster URL from a number to something more personal. The next option is to create a blog. (more…)