News19,135 Articles

June 7, 2008

Social-networking sites: the complete guide

Facebook, MySpace et al, find the right site for you

Scott Spanbauer

Whether you're looking for a job, a party or long-lost friends, your ideal online meeting place is out there. PC Advisor uncovers the best social-networking sites on the web.

With hundreds of millions of user accounts, MySpace is the internet's most recognisable (and reviled) social network. From teenagers to grandmas, seemingly everybody has a page. But Rupert Murdoch's online leviathan may not be the best option for satisfying your web-communication needs.

Nimble new startup companies are offering both general-purpose and specialised services, all for free. They could get you a job, find you a date, connect you with friends new and old and fill your life with beautiful music.

With so many social networks dotting the web, it's hard to know which ones are worth your time and bandwidth. To clarify things, we've examined more than a dozen alternatives to MySpace in five broad categories: general purpose; special interest; sites based around your taste in music or books; mobile networking; and media-sharing social networks. As we discuss our findings, we'll offer a few tips for maintaining your safety and privacy, finding friends online and getting the most out of each service.

General-purpose social-networking sites > >

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  1. Social-networking sites: the complete guide
  2. General-purpose social-networking sites
  3. Special-interest social-networking sites
  4. Taste-based social networks
  5. Mobile social-networking
  6. Media-sharing social-networking sites
  7. Facebook's mass appeal
  8. How safe is social networking?
  9. Social-networking glossary

Continued...
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | NEXT >

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Comments received


Ian Hendry said on Monday, 09 June 2008

There is now a social network for UK-based businesses called WecanDo.BIZ which should be added to the list. It is a lead and referral network where UK businesspeople can share details of other trusted businesses. We revealed the site in April and it is free to access at www.wecando.biz.

This is an otherwise excellent review.

CoNet said on Monday, 09 June 2008

For senior officers in business, there's The Chief Officers' Network at www.chiefofficers.net where senior business people are invited to submit expert level articles.

David Sullivan said on Sunday, 15 June 2008

You can find thousands of niche special interest social networks by using a search engine such as findasocialnetwork.com

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