Social Networks

Ripping Apart Their DNA…

There was a time when people used to exchange numbers after a meeting, the trend then shifted to emails and now when you meet someone new the question is “What’s your Facebook ID, add me”! Social networking automatically translates to online social networking in the minds of most people these days. So what are social networks all about? How do they function and what do people do for hours online on these websites? Let’s find out.

The popularity of social networking is exploding through the roof with more than 300 networking sites being available currently. According to a report, 20% of people using the internet have visited a networking site at least once in the last month.  Some popular social networking sites are MySpace, Xanga, Hi5, Friendster and Facebook. A social network allows you to create your own online profile and design your profile by using one of the many available enhancements such as webfetti. This forms the central feature of such a site and the profile page allows you to enter personal information (name, age, location and sex), post photos and videos of your choice and also has options to list your choices such as your favorite books, hobbies, music bands, TV shows and so on.

The most important feature or purpose of a networking site is that it allows you to connect with existing friends, make new ones and look for new friends. You could also search for people that are not on your list as well as browse profiles of other users.  However, each website has its own set of rules and specifications that determine who may join it and also limits searching and access to other profiles. MySpace is the most open network where anyone with a valid email id can join and the site provides some to other user profiles on the website and permits one to contact them. In order to access the complete profile it is mandatory that you be a part of their network.

Facebook is a not as open as MySpace. Facebook allows you to create an account with a valid email id but places limitations on who can access your data. You may only access the profiles of users in your network or those that are on your friend list. The networks may include the country you belong to, workplace, school you studied in and other user generated more personal groups on the website. Another popular social networking site is LinkedIn. This site is mainly for professional networking where one may meet other professionals in their field and connect with them. This website, like Facebook allows access to users that are a part of your network or friend list. If one wishes to access the profile of a person outside their network, they would be required to send a ‘friend request’ to that person and upon an acceptance access is given otherwise access is not permitted.

Social networking websites are gaining momentum with more and more people joining them on a daily basis. MySpace boasts of more than 70 million registered users with around 230,000 users registering every day. This phenomenon has also overtaken other popular and previously used sites such as adult sites. It is now said that networking sites are competing with the likes of mobile phones and TV with respect to the amount of time being spent on them. The phenomenon seems to have taken over youngsters and adult alike and reaches across countries and realms. It is the most recent and favorite son of the internet and looks like it is here to stay!