An Introduction to Social Networking Sites

Facebook, Friendster, MySpace. These are familiar names, you've probably have heard of at least one of these sites. And they have one thing in common - all of them are social networking sites, where users create a personal profile and create connections. People use these sites for a variety of reasons, ranging from finding dates and clients, to selling products or services, or making new friends and colleagues.

The majority of social networking sites allow users to decide how much of their information they want to share with the public. Users can hide their pages from the public so that only selected friends can view their information. Email notification is a popular feature that sends users an email whenever something changes on their profile. The email could be used to notify the user when someone posted a comment, someone sent or accepted a friend request, or a connection has an upcoming birthday.

Social networks may seem to provide opportunities for students, but they have their issues. Users often receive invitations from people they don't know. These strangers tend to try to connect with everyone they find on the network to drive up their connection numbers. Thus, the friends of a person who blindly accepts an invitation from a stranger might think that stranger is a trusted contact. Privacy is a major concern. Younger users may be unaware of the problems in revealing too much information. Thieves might use profile information for identity theft. Businesses worry about their employees giving out proprietary information or using the business brand in an inappropriate way.

But it's not all negatives though. People find jobs, bands find audiences, professionals find clients, people with shared interests make friends, friends stay connected. One site can provide a user with all the needed tools to keep a journal, manage appointments, receive customized news, and converse on hot topics. In short, social networks help users connect and share information as well as organize our lives.

Businesses with their own Web sites create profiles with links back to their sites to improve their site's search engine ranking. A user looking for a product or service might prefer to search for the product or service on a social network site rather than using a basic search engine. Or, a potential customer may stumble upon the company while browsing connections of connections.

To surmise, with so many different social networking sites out there that there is surely one for anyone inclined to go out and make a connection. Use caution, exercise common sense and the rewards of sharing information will soon be at your fingertips. Good luck!