Checking Out Social Networks

Social networking sites have become very prominent in this age of technology. Two of the forerunners are MySpace and Facebook. Myspace, the predecessor, is very informal. It was made as a medium to express oneself in a colorful boisterous way. There are themes that can be used to create a page that expresses the personality of its designer. Users were encouraged to use aliases instead of real names. The entire purpose of a MySpace page was to see what new way a person has recreated themselves. Facebook on the other hand, was made as a more professional site. On Facebook people are highly encouraged to use real names. When signing up for the website, users are encouraged to use email addresses associated with organizations in order to become a part of said organization’s network. One is allowed to choose certain “likes” that help to connect them with other people who share the same ones. You are able to list things that are of interest to you and Facebook automatically shows you friends that are interested in the same things. This website is completely centered around networking and making connections with other people. Facebook even has a “friend finder” that suggests people that you may know and an application that suggests you “reconnect” with a friend you haven’t sent a message to in a while. While these two websites are both for networking, Myspace is more informal and juvenile made to show off your personal flair and compete with friends to see who can come up with the most creative name and page. Facebook, however, is more formal and professional and has now become useful in the workforce- becoming a useful tool in the hiring process for many employers.  Friendster is informal like MySpace but you cannot design your own page. It has a wide section named “Classifieds” that is geared toward selling its users a wide variety of items. This website is mainly about posting pictures, having fun, and going into the classified section to get services that range from dating to real estate. Friendster seems to be about buying goods and advertising services. It is a Craig’s list of sorts only with a profile alongside the market. Twitter is another networking website. This website is very informal. It is used to “follow” people that you are interested in- not just your friends. Most of these people are celebrities. On this website people are allowed to give step by step quick updates that tell what they are doing throughout the day. The people that you follow tell about your interests and allow you to feel like you know the person. There have been many races to see who could have the most people follow them. Now, twitter has been used to raise money for different charities, but it is not essentially for that purpose. Twit pics allow you to post pictures of yourself in addition to these quick messages users can post. Twitter also allows users to win free merchandise by “following” different designers and brands. There are many contests that may read “the first 50 people to follow –insert brand name here- win a gift card” etc. This is a way to advertise on these websites and encourage people to become followers of a specific page.