Blogs and Social Networks Reviews Part 1
March 24th, 2008 by blogsandsocialnetworksThe explosion of social networks available on the Internet today is
quite overwhelming. Which one will suit me? Which one will I enjoy and
use and contribute to? These questions and more flood the minds of all
Internet users when confronted with the onslaught of choices in the
blogs and social networks categories presented for membership.
Most every social network is offered free to become a member,
participate in groups and forums, and meet friends and associates.
There are status upgrades offered on some sites, but these upgrades are
not mandatory to enjoy and offer contributions to the site. You will
get a member page to set up a short introduction of yourself, your
likes and dislikes and a bit of flare about you.
You decide who gets to view your information from everyone on the
net to only a select bunch of friends, you choose how much information
is even seen by theses friends if you wish to be anonymous.
Listing the highlights and specialties of each of the social network sites.
The first site in review will be the biggest! MySpace!
Once you have mastered the MySpace environment, you will feel very
comfortable exploring the other sites out there. With the 221,000,000 +
member sites, the layout choices, music, 43,000,000 + groups, 22 major
forum topics with numerous minor topics, multi category classified
section, colors, flavors, sights, and sounds, I would call MySpace the
New York City of social networks equipped with Manhattan, Brooklyn, The
Bronx, Harlem, and Queens. Each with their own flare for expression, it
is all a mix of cultures and preferences with close knit
sub-communities linked to the masses.
An eclectic adventure awaits beyond the doors of MySpace, I hope to
see you there. If you are new to social web sites, check out my article
series on “How To MySpace”, these will get you started.
Have you had a chance to visit Tagged yet?
This is a fun and relatively easy site to get started on. Everything
seems to be in “fast mode” here. You quickly choose your profile
background, requesting friends is a breeze, write in your journal, add
a You Tube video, photos, all the perks of the “big guys” just in
speedy mode. You can have fun with your friends and send them
“Tags”…they’re it! A great site to make some awesome friends. Put up
your mEgo here to add a bit of your artistic side to the mix. Let’s say
Tagged is like the Metro in Chicago….. There’s always something
happening.
I did a bit of a segway into mEgo there, so I thought we
could visit their site next. mEgo is your interactive, portable profile
to create and enjoy on sites like Live Journal, FaceBook, MySpace,
Xanga, Hi5, Friendswin, Blogger, BlackPlanet, and more. All in One,
interactive, and portable, what more could you want in a profile
organizer? Change your look with photos, avatars, and animations. Equip
your mEgo with feeds and content to share a bit of yourself with your
web friends. We’ll call mEgo the Italy of the social network world.
Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter
Onto a new exciting site called Friendswin. Friendswin is a
step above the rest with top notch Video technology on it’s way. Video
dating, resumes, profiles, and online conference will revolutionize
online communities. This site is raising eyebrows in the social
networking crowd and attracting a lot of attention. It’s “touch of
class” personality puts it in a league of it’s own, drawing “gurus” of
the social scene in for a closer look. Video being in the spotlight,
there are many extras to Friendswin. Music, forums, groups,
classifieds, and chat rooms are but a few, there is even a Friendswin
University! The Hollywood and the Berkeley of the net.
I thought we take a walk over to the business district of Wall Street and visit Direct Matches.
Welcome to the Internets 24 hour convention. This is a brilliant site
where business men and women can meet, network, and create long
standing relationships. The center stage is strictly business, with a
backdrop of a welcoming, comfortable coffee shop. Enjoyable atmosphere
in a bustling district.
Time for a visit to music central, Project Playlist. We’ll
liken this to Beale Street, Memphis. Get the “Music Buzz”, search for
tunes by artist, title, or browse member playlists. Their mission
statement conveys a love and passion for the music industry, “Our view
is that the more people share their individual passion for music by
sharing playlists, the more music will be created, and the more the
entire music industry will grow.” Read More… About Project Playlist
Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter
Stopping off in Colorado ski country, we come to Twitter.
Twitter is a cool little break off the beaten path. A vacation of sorts
with findings and followings, word bubbles and blurbs, featured players
and a public timeline. I’ve been told that Twitter is even more fun
when used through your mobile phone or instant messenging service. Take
a glide down the slopes of Twitter and set yours up. Turn it “on” press
send and “off” when you sleep.
Giving kudo’s where deserved and bringing up a very close, prominent second place in the blogs and social networks community is Facebook.
A Harvard castle of a maze where around every corridor there is a
surprise and a new friend. If you’ve ever taken a look at a map of
Cambridge, MA., the hub of Harvard sits in the center of spokes and
avenues of discovery. Such is the life of Facebook while you poke,
smile at, or give gifts to your network. Check events, groups, photos,
and the marketplace while discovering a space on the web to get lost
and discover yourself.
Want to realize the meaning of hospitality? Visit Lucy over at Meez.
Lucy, with her Audrey Hepburn shine, sets the stage for wardrobe
occasions and by creating your own 3D Meez, you can follow suit (or
choose your own suit:). Export, create, and animate to mirror your
personality or one you want to be. Roscoe will gladly be there whenever
you need technical support and is quick to act. Get coinz for premium
gear by playing games and referring friends. There’s a forum for fun,
fashion, and showing off your Meez. Stop by the Rodeo Drive of the
Internet. What does your Meez say about you?
Having found Meez through Photobucket, I found it fitting to
stroll through the paparazzi playhouse of La Dolce Vita along the coast
of the Ionian Sea. Photobucket, where 60 million people manage their
media, upload videos and photo memories, sharing everywhere from
MySpace and e-mail, to Blogger, LiveJournal, and Facebook. Find MySpace
icons, popular photos and videos, and other cool and crazy stuff. Enjoy
and recreate new visions on Photobucket. Take time to “Digg” someones
impressions.
Another segway? Isn’t our journey going smoothly through the travels
of blogs and social networks? Time to venture into the information
highway of World News that is Atlanta, Georgia. All news, videos,
images, and podcasts. To Digg or not to Digg, that is the
question here. Come to a Digg Town Hall Meeting, the very first on
February 25th, 2008, to get what’s happening. Can you Digg it?
Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter
Time for a visit to the Alexandria of blogs and social networks, Vox!
The brilliance of Vox shimmers across the net with it’s outspoken
writers. And like the town that stretches twenty miles along the coast
of the Mediterranean Sea, Vox is known for it’s own wonders of the
social networking world. Explore it’s wonders of culture,
entertainment, technology, music, life, and politics. Get involved with
a group and construct your own “Lighthouse” of a profile.
