Top social networking sites - for promotion and making money online

Social networking websites have been around since the mid-90's, but in recent years, social networking has exploded across the web. The Web 2.0 initiative has made modern social networking sites increasingly popular and easier to use than the initial wave of sites that launched in the 90's.

The top social networking websites is divided into three categories: General purpose, niche sites with a specific theme, and international sites.

General Interests::::

* MySpace: Started in 2003, MySpace was a driving force in popularizing social networking and still maintains a large userbase.


* Facebook: Founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook was designed as a social networking site for Harvard students. After spreading from Harvard through the university ranks and down into high school, Facebook was opened to the public in 2006.

* Hi5: A fast-growing social network with a strong base in Central America, Hi5 has over fifty million users worldwide.

* Ning: A social network for creating social networks, Ning takes the idea of groups to a whole new level.

* Twitter : One part social networking, one part worldwide chat, Twitter is one of the fastest growing phenomenons in the world. A mini-blogging service that lets you update your friends on what you are doing at that moment, Twitter was launched in late 2006 and had explosive growth in 2007.

* Frienster : Launched in 2002, Friendster helped vitalize the Web 2.0 revolution of social networks, and was the source of inspiration for MySpace. One of the most popular social networks of its time, Friendster was overtaken by MySpace in 2004.

* Imeem :Combining social networking and social media, Imeem focuses on sharing music, pictures, video and blog posts. Originally more of a peer-to-peer network with social networking features, Imeem has grown into a full-fledged social network.

* Tagged : A general social networking site, Wikipedia reports that Tagged may be inflating its numbers to attract more users. The seeming lack of moderation for inappropriate material makes this social network unfit for kids.


Niche Sites

* Flixster: With a tagline of "stop watching bad movies," Flixster combines social networking with movie reviews.

* Last.fm: Billing itself as a social music site, Last.fm allows members to create their own radio station that learns what the person likes and suggests new music based on those interests. In addition to this, you can listen to the radio stations of friends and other Last.fm members.

* LinkedIn: A business-oriented social network, members invite people to be "connections" instead of "friends." Linkedin is a contact management system as well as a social network, and has a question-and-answer section similar to Yahoo! Answers.

* Xanga: A social blogging site that combines social networking elements with blogging. Members earn credits for participating in the site and can spend credits on various things such as buying mini-pictures to post in the comments of a friend's blog.

* 43 Things : A social networking site that targets goal-setting, members are interlinked by the goals they are going after and the goals they have completed.

* BlackPlanet : One of the oldest social networks, and the most popular special interest social networking site, BlackPlanet caters to African-Americans.

* Broadcaster : A social network centered around video allowing people to upload their own video clips. engage in video chats with other members, and send video e-mail.

* Care2 : Green living beyond just social networking, Care2 offers email, blogging, shopping, and more, all catered to those wishing to live a green life.

* Classmates : Founded in 1995, Classmates was one of the first social networks on the web and still caters primarily to schools and colleges. Classmates charges a fee for advanced services that are usually free on other social networking sites. The website also uses questionable marketing practices by emailing non-paying users and inviting them to pay for the premium service under the pretense that someone was searching for them.

* Dodgeball : A social networking site aimed at mobile users, Dodgeball interacts with mobile devices to send text messages to your friends alerting them to your status online.

* eCrush : A social network targeting teens, eCrush is the 21st century's answer to writing "Do you like me?" on a piece of paper with a boxes for yes and no and a request to check the one that applies. Teens tell eCrush who they have a crush on, and then eCrush asks those people who they have crushes on. If there is a match, eCrush lets both know, otherwise, the person is none the wiser.

* Flixter : With a tagline of "stop watching bad movies," Flixter combines social networking with movie reviews.

* Gaia Online : A social network with virtual world elements, Gaia Online has an anime, comics, and gaming theme. Members can create their own avatar, earn gold by participating in the network, purchase items in virtual shops, visit virtual towns, and more.

* Meetup : A social network with an event organization theme, Meetup allows members to organize anything from political rallies to spontaneous bar hopping.

* Mog : A music-oriented social networking site, Mog allows members to upload their playlists and keeps track of what members are listening to on their computer.

* Multiply : A social network targeted at a person's real world social network, Multiply offers blogging, photo sharing, book and movie reviews, with an emphasis on sharing these not with the public at large, but with your friends and family.

* Myfamily : Launched in 1998, MyFamily focuses on the family unit as a social network and helps families that are spread out all over the country and the world keep in touch. A very Web 1.0 feel to the network, MyFamily is entering beta on a new Web 2.0 look and feel.

* Reunion : Targeted at finding lost friends, family, and old classmates, Reunion is one of the few social networks that require payment for premium features usually found for free on other social networks. According to the wiki entry for Reunion, they once had an F rating with the Better Business Bureau for misleading business practices.

* Soundpedia : Concentrating on social music, Soundpedia allows users to upload their playlists, search for new music, and view the playlists of their friends.

* Take Part : A social network dedicated to social activism, Take Part was established by Participant Media, the company behind such films as An Inconvenient Truth and Syriana.

* WAYN : An acronym for "Where Are You Now?", WAYN is a social networking site aimed at travelers around the world.

* Xing : A business-oriented social networking website similar to LinkedIn, most of Xing's users are located in Germany.




International Sites

* Badoo: Based in London, Badoo is one of the top social networking sites in Europe.

* Migente: A social networking site targeted at Latin America.

* Orkut: Originally created by Google to compete with MySpace and Facebook, it has mainly caught hold in Brazil.

* Studivz: A German version of Facebook with a strong audience in students.

* Bebo: Based in California, Bebo has gained popularity across the world, especially Ireland and the UK.

* Cyworld: A South Korean social networking site similar to MySpace.

* Faceparty: A United Kingdom social networking site founded in 2000, it differs from the norm by charging a fee for features normally found for free in other social networking sites.

* Piczo: A social networking site aimed at teens with a strong following in Canada and the United Kingdom.

* Studivz: A German version of Facebook with a strong audience in students.

* Passado: A European social networking site with strong audiences in France, Spain and Germany.

Source : social networking sites