Gadgets, Computers and Internet Blog - Net Catalogue

In this cyber world life has become faster than ever. This tremendously faster life is complimented by social networking as a means to keep pace with life and at the same time keep in touch with friends or even make new friends. Though the term ‘social network’ sounds fine, it can be a matter of peril if unwisely and desperately handled. Let’s make some effort to search for some useful social networking sites.

Most probably Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace is the world’s most popular and recognizable social networking site. In India it is Orkut that rules the roots. According to demographic chart, Orkut’s 17% members are from India. This is second after Brazil. Though there are plenty of social networking sites, Orkut ranks at the top of its reliability and popularity.

Sites for general purpose:-

Face book: - Beginning in the year of 2004, initially only for Harvard Students as an online yearbook, later on this site extended its memberships to other universities, high schools, and then general people. Search can be made for friends by school, city or working location. It can allow you to make connection with previous friends, classmates, colleagues etc. For this specialty the site has gained huge popularity in a short time and crossed more than 60 million members. Its major features are photo/video sharing, public massage board and messaging. These are similar to MySpace. Though Facebook has a number of specifications it carries some potential risks. Last year Facebook’s Becon advertising scheme allowed online purchases visible by other members. That caused a hue and cry because the members objected of being transformed in to uncompensated products endorsers. Don’t worry! To prevent such embarrassing situation, you can use Facebook’s security setting to set a proper level of privacy guard wall. Orkut has also established this privacy protection this year.

Linkedin:-
Whereas MySpace and Facebook deal with fans and friends, Linkedin can help promote one’s business career. It has ranked itself supreme among its about 20 million members. Like other social networking sites, Linkedin also needs your profile to be posted. Unlike other sites Linkedin gives priority to your professional career, education status, professional skill, employment history, awards etc. It shows how and why you will be contacted. To get maximum benefits from this site you need to post your briefs as you do in your Curriculum Vitae. For posting your CV any where you sometimes need recommendations. While many online members will write recommendations about you, you will decide which one you will enclose for your profile. When you will have more positive recommendations, you will be preferred to the prospective employers. If you wish to receive recommendation, you need to consider writing recommendations for you without waiting for anyone to answer you.

Twitter: -
Unlike MySpace and Facebook, Twitter works in a different way. It has a real-time personal posting which is called tweets. Each one is limited to maximum 140 characters.

When you have completed sign up, you must study the ever checking updated pages- for seeing the multiple ways people are using twitters and for finding interesting Twitterers on the site. You can use Twitter to search through your e-mails for finding whether anyone there is already a Twitterer. Other user may follow you respective tweets. While you are not with your computer, Twitter allows you sending and receiving tweets on your mobile phone via SMS or via Twitter’s mobile site.

Sites for special purpose:-

As it is very difficult to find any particular item in a crowded market it is practically impossible to find any special interest item in a general big website. There lies the need of special purpose websites. Now-a-days thousands of special purpose sites have been developed to allow you to find your required needs.

Ning:-
If you are unable to find your required community on the web, you can build your own according to your choice. Ning allows you in creating a social network using its domain name. You will get the option for profile page, video/photo sharing and discussion forum. Whenever the custom network is complete, anyone, not only the Ning members, can find it in the directory of Ning by its keyword tag cluster. Creating a social network in Ning requires only a couple of minutes. You need a name with the domain name at the end of it (name.ning.com). When you have entered the description of the network, you need to put several keyword tags. Then insert one icon image. That’s all.

Sites based on taste:-

LibraryThing:-
The site LibraryThing will allows you to catalog the index of your library. You can share your preferences in respect of reading with other users. Plenty of users share your reading taste and will be ready for an online discussion. Right now about 3, 33,000 people are subscribers of libraryThing.

QLoud:-
This one is designed for music search services. You are able to search for songs, artists, albums etc. With QLoud you can see a lot of tracks on the site. You can choose any track and save to your e-mail. You may narrow down your search for any specific song or music or you can search for the listener of the same song from the library. As a social networking site, QLoud will also allow you to share the music taste with a lot of people as you do in MySpace or Facebook.