Social Networking Sites: Which One Are You Today?

Social networking sites are the flavor of the season on the internet. People are flocking to become a part of it just like most of us respond to a new tend. However the enthusiasm has been observed to die down after a while or when another new trend hits the market. Users are seen to move from one new idea to another especially when the technology targets young users in their teens and the twenty-something crowd. They are pulled towards the next ‘in thing’ which right now is being a part of social networking sites.

How long will these sites last and what are the options. Each social networking site caters to a category of users. MySpace and Facebook are designed to cater to teens and college students. LinkedIn is a networking sites geared to serve professionals and Xanga is a blog oriented networking site. There are lesser known networking sites such as one for high school students called StudyBreakers and a site where one may post photos called Photobucket. There are an estimated 300 social networking sites on the internet.

Let us take a look at the aspects of some commonly used networking sites and level out the qualities each possesses, both good and the not-so-good ones. Let us look at one social networking site catering to students and one that is oriented towards business networking.

MySpace

This is probably the largest of them all. It has 70 million users with one in every four Americans accessing it at the same time. MySpace has the maximum population of teenaged users and is often called trashy and unnecessarily hyped. It also has the reputation of being the breeding grounds for pedophiles. According to Forrester research, the teenaged users of this website constitute 80% of the 12-18 years old population in the US.

However there have been two additions to the website that will prove useful, especially for students. The news page and the page for the presidential candidates for the 2008 elections will be added value for many people. However it is more of a fun website and the chances of people taking it seriously are very dim.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business/professional networking website. It caters to a wider segment of people ranging from school goers to professional executives. It is a good choice for students to build contacts for their research papers and find mentors for guidance. It is also a good place to build business and industry oriented contacts for job opportunities, case studies and for generally building your contacts.

LinkedIn has over 12.5 million registered active users and new users are added at the rate of around 200,000 users every week. The question arises as to what the next step should be after establishing contact. It would be a smart option to obtain numbers and other such contact numbers as the site does not allow much ahead of sending résumés. The majority of users fall under the above 30 bracket and they could be the influence that may land you a good job.
The persistence of these websites depends on their aptitude to keep users tuned into their site. It also depends on the competitors in that field and any new fad that may spring up. However social networking sites are a trend that is definitely worth the wait and watch game.