They are probably the most used thing on the Internet today, apart from Search Engines and Email, but even Email is set to be replaced by them, there a means of communication and entertainment, they come in a variety of different forms, but what exactly is a Social Network? And how do I get one?
Well, a Social Network is exactly what the name says, it's a huge Network of people all around the world, that you can 'Follow' 'Watch' or 'Become Friends' with, they allow us to share pictures, videos, work information, updates on our life, and so much more, there becoming an everyday part of life.
They come in a variety of different ways, from Micro-Blogging with sites such as 'Twitter' which allows you to post a short message telling your 'Followers' what you’re up to, Twitter is becoming forever popular with celebrity's and online websites, allowing there 'Followers' to keep up to date on events and news. They also allow users to customize their profiles with Backgrounds.
To Fully Fledged profiles on websites such as MySpace and Facebook, such websites allow friends to connect with you, so you can share Profile Information with them, send them messages, Upload Pictures and Tag your friends in them, there a whole new way of socialization, featuring Rich Web 2.0 features, which is now the millionth English word in the dictionary to allow features such as Live Chatting between friends, Live Status Feeds and so much more. Facebook is orientated more around socializing and keeping up to date, although MySpace has a fully customizable profile, the site is also popular with Young Musicians and Bands as a way to promote them and allow their fans to listen to their Music without actually downloading it.
Although the oldest of the Social Network but changing rapidly is the Blog. A Blog is like an Online Diary, it can be used to write about your daily happenings, upload pictures, or maybe use one on your website like we do to post News and Updates, although Websites such as Tumblr are changing the way we use the Blog forever, they incorporate a Watch feature just like Twitter to allow people to keep informed on Blog Updates, they allow there Blogs to be designed dramatically, changing the way they operate, to an extent that they no longer become a Blog, but maybe a Social Networking site such as Facebook or MySpace
And finally, the latest craze in Social Networking, YouTube, recently bought out by Google, this websites allows users to post videos of absolutely anything, unless it infringes copyright of is seen as inappropriate, people have begun to use the website to post Mini Videos and Series and others use it to post Video Blogs and Rants. Although the Website has been in the medias eye for quite awhile now, with the 'YouTube porn day' where thousands of Hardcore Porn Videos where uploaded to the Website as a petition against YouTube deleting Music Videos. YouTube still continues to grow and dominate the Web Multimedia Industry.
As well as accessing Social Networking from your computer you can also get Mobile Access to most Social Networks, for example Tumblr allows you to create Voice Blogs, where you ring your person Tumblr Blog Number and speak into the phone, once complete Tumblr analyzes the words you have used and posts it to your blog in Text form. Facebook and MySpace have Applications on most new Smart Phones as well as the Apple iPod Touch.
So, you want a Social Network eh? Here are a list of the most respected and popular sites!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com
Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com
The way we use the Internet is forever changing, from 1993 where we just had Text and Links, to Feature Rich Social Networking sites, just who can predict where the Internet will be in 10 years?
Written by Jacob Clark for Spark Fusion
Edited by Stephen Hankinson http://stephenjayy.tumblr.com/
Photoshop Tutorials, Reviews & Technology at Spark Fusion - http://www.sparkfusion.info
