Social Networking comes of age

I was one of the early adopters.

Maybe because I did not have to pay a premium to be one of them, as you usually have to, to be the first to get the newest gizmo. I somewhat did foresee the benefits to be able to "virtualize" our social environment. I should be able to keep in touch in my own terms and through my busy travel schedule and to sustain friendship on our new global reality, where I have more friends scattered around the world than in my hometown.

I joined LinkedIn in 2005, when it was little more than a contact manager. It has evolved to what it is now, the premium Social Networking site for professionals, with capabilities that allow to create business and employment opporutnities, as well as to maintain a peer-support system, instead of trying to make it on your own. Now I count almost 400 real connections on it.

Social Networking sites have undergone a transformation in two major aspects:

1.- SN sites are becoming more and more useful. With the incorporation of new functionalities, SN sites are now addressing real needs and reaching a wider audience.

2.- SN sites are now experiencing geometric growth. With adoption, viral expansion of the use of SN sites is something that is happening finally.

A year ago, my oldest daughter perfected her MySpace template and introduced me to this teenage-bound site. Today, Fortune 500 companies and Presidential Candidates have MySpace pages, it is no longer reserved to "indie" rock bands.
Another popular site, Facebook, opened up an API for third parties to develop Social Network-supported applications, creating a burst of creativity.

These tendencies manifest in a number of obvious ways, and at least two not-so-obvious:

- SN applications are becoming a very important content provider, creating steady, heavy traffic.

- SN applications are starting to be looked at as something that can be leveraged by the business world.

After all, people are at the heart of everything.


A quick overview of the existing Social Networking sites:
http://www.MySpace.com
This is one of the biggest SN sites, in terms of subscribers, and probably the best known. Tends to be a more "push"-like site that allows users to post info about themselves. Applications are controlled by MySpace.
http://www.LinkedIn.com
This site is directed towards the working professional. A must to be in for anyone working in a technology-related field. Application is closed-developed by LinkedIn. Has remarkably good privacy guards.
http://www.Facebook.com
Often seen as a "MySpace for grown-ups", Facebook offers the possibility of developing applications that "piggyback" on the social capabilities of the core application. For example, an external "birthday reminder" application when properly installed and authorized, willtake your birthday date and will remind all your friends linked (that have the application installed too), of your upcoming birthday! Pretty good privacy features.
http://www.hi5.com
Very similar to MySpace. So far I have experienced privacy issues.
http://www.Plaxo.com
Not really a Social Networking application, it allows to update your contact list automatically. At the end, useful to keep in touch.