New to Social Networking Sites by Tausi

Have you wondered what the buzz is about social networking sites, what is different with each one and if you are missing out? Most of the social networking sites are free to join and offer many benefits some of which include receiving the latest information on what is happening around you and in the world, connecting with others, creative self expression, marketing opportunities for businesses, rallying for a cause and many more. The following are some of the common social networking sites and the general features each provide. Perhaps you should consider joining one and give it a try.

Facebook:  It is free to join and has over 800 million subscribers. Once signed up a personal site is created and you add to your profile information such as name, city, school, work, marital status, birthday, interests etc. To interact with other facebook users accept their friendship requests and invite others by sending them a request and you become “friends”. The site will suggest people you might know so you can connect with them. You can post thoughts, comments just about anything that you like on a workspace area that is referred to as your “wall”. It’s faster than writing out an email and provides real time interaction. You can upload photos of a special occasion or a trip. The site provides security settings to control visibility of who sees your information. A page on the site referred to as the “newsfeed” provides frequent updates on any recent postings. It has email and chat features that allows for private conversations between friends.

Twitter: It is free to join and has 200 million registered users. It is like online text messaging limited to 140 characters with quick updates to subscribers. The updates are referred to as “tweets” and members that see your updates are considered “followers”. By default the messages sent are public but can be restricted to only your followers. Businesses can tweet to target customers and announce product and services updates.

LinkedIn: It is free to join and has more than 120 million registered users. You can use this site to highlight your professional, academic achievements and volunteer activities. It allows you to be connected with colleagues from work, school and other professional connections. Colleagues and clients can post a recommendation to your LinkedIn page which is an asset to your career profile as it provides visibility of your accomplishments. It can also be used to seek new business opportunities. Employers can post jobs and search for potential candidates.  The site provides recent news on industries to keep you up to date. There is an email feature and paid subscription to access additional functionality.

Blogs:  They provide a place to share stories and creative passions on a regular basis. This is ideal for anyone eager to share with others about anything you are interested in, passionate about or experiencing. Check out wordpress.com or blogger.com to get started.  Some of my favorite blogs that inspire, educate or just make me laugh are:  Makuti Lounge, the green calabash, circle of moms, making this home, Jon Acuff, Christopher Avery; fabulously broke

RSS: Real simple syndication is a content management web interface that provides real time updates on blogs and news headlines. Any new information that is posted appears on an RSS feed. For more information on how this works and how to subscribe check out RSS in plain English.

Written by guest blogger Tausi.