Social Networks can be a great home on the web, can help you connect with people or reconnect with long-lost friends, and can even help your career by making business contacts. Social networks range from friends-based networks like Facebook and MySpace to music and movie networks like Flixster and Last.FM to business social networks like LinkedIn and XING.
Facebook
It hasn't taken long for Facebook to become the most popular social network on the planet. With the multitude of Facebook applications extending its use and the ease of Facebook Connect to use as a login for various websites, Facebook has become our home on the web.
General and Friends-based Social Networks
General social networks do not focus on a particular topic or niche. Instead, they put the emphasis on staying connected to your friends and connecting with new people. These friends-based networks often allow you to join groups and connect with people who have similar interests.
Movie and Music Social Networks
Movie and music social networks focus on connecting people to others who enjoy similar interests in movies or music. They can be a great resource for finding more information about a movie you enjoyed, discovering new music by checking out the playlists of people with similar interests, or just kicking back and playing a movie trivia game.
Mobile Social Networks
Mobile users constitute one of the biggest areas of growth in the online market. A number of social networks have sprung up that cater to mobile users in order to better suit their needs. These social networks can be great for arranging impromptu meetings while out on the town.
Pet Social Networks
Did you think social networks were limited to humans? Many different social networks have sprung up devoted to our hairy, four-legged and sometimes slithering-on-their-stomach friends. These pet-based social networks are not only great for meeting other pet owners, but also can be an excellent resource if you are in dire need of finding adopters of a surprise litter.
Hobby and Special Interest Social Networks
Hobby and special interest social networks range from those devoted to biking or sports to those who focus on sharing car reviews or dispensing medical advice. They can be a great source of entertainment, information and a great place to go for advice.
Business Social Networks
Social networks aren't all about fun and games. Social networking in business goes back long before the Internet when use of the 'buddy system' could be the best way to find a job. Business social networks bring that buddy system into the digital age by allowing you to quickly and easily maintain a list of business contacts and make new business connections.
Reading and Books Social Networks
Just finished up with a great book and looking for something similar to read? Reading and book-based social networks can be a great place to find people who share your taste in books. They are a great way to get book reviews, let friends know what your are reading, recommend the latest book that blew you away, and simply share information about literature.
Name | Description/Focus | Date launched | Registered users | Registration | GlobalAlexa[1]Page ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
43 Things | Goal setting and achievement | 1 January 2005 | 3,000,000[2] | Open | 13,574[3] |
Academia.edu | Social networking site for academics/researchers | September 2008 | 211,000[4] | Open | 3,872[5] |
Advogato | Free and open source software developers | 1999 | 13,575[6] | Open | 318,165[7] |
aNobii | Books | 2006 | Open | 13,131[8] | |
AsianAvenue | A social network for the Asian American community | 1997 | Open | 133,043[9] | |
aSmallWorld | European jet set and social elite world-wide | March 2004 | 550,000[10] | Invite-only | 8,780[11] |
Athlinks | Running, Swimming | 2001 | 139,458[12] | Open | 60,677[13] |
Audimated.com | Independent music | 2010 | Open | 656,507[14] | |
Bebo | General | July 2005 | 117,000,000[15] | Open to people 13 and older | 4,169[16] |
BIGADDA | Indian Social Networking Site | August 2007 | 3,000,000[17] | Open to people 16 and older | 42,765[18] |
Biip.no | Norwegian community | 1 June 2005 | 430,000[19] | Requires Norwegian phone number | 81,916[20] |
BlackPlanet | Black Americans | 1 September 1999 | 20,000,000[21] | Open | 7,193[22] |
Blauk | Anyone who wants to tell something about a stranger or acquaintance. | 2010 | Open to people 13 and older. | 1,081,215[23] | |
Blogster | Blogging community | 24 November 2005 | 85,579[24] | Open | 12,048[25] |
Bolt.com | General | 1996 | Open | 589,595[26] | |
Busuu | Language learning community (headquartered in Madrid, Spain) | 16 May 2008 | 12,000,000[27] | Open | 4,976[28] |
Buzznet | Music and pop-culture | 2005 | 10,000,000[29] | Open | 6,955[30] |
CafeMom | Mothers | December 2006 | 1,250,000[31] | Open to moms and moms-to-be | 1,293[32] |
Care2 | Green living and social activism | 1998 | 9,961,947[33] | Open | 1,930[34] |
CaringBridge | Not for profit providing free websites that connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery.[35] | 9,500,000[36] | Open to people 18 and older[37] | 4,279[38] | |
Classmates.com | School, college, work and the military | 1995 | 50,000,000[39] | Open to people 18 and older[40] | 3,284[41] |
Cloob | General. Popular in Iran | 2004 | Open | 749[42] | |
CouchSurfing | Worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the communities they visit. | 2003 | 2,967,421[43] | Open | 2,231[44] |
CozyCot | East Asian and Southeast Asian women | 2001 | 150,000[45] | Open | 36,959[46] |
Cross.tv | Faith Based social network for Christian believers from around the world | 2008 | 450,000[47] | Open | 53,394[48] |
Crunchyroll | Anime and forums. | 2006 | Open | 5,721[49] | |
Cyworld | General. Popular in South Korea. | 1999 | 24,000,000[50] | Open | 1,616[51] |
DailyBooth | Photo-blogging site where users upload a photo every day | 13 February 2009 | Closed | 5,963[52] | |
DailyStrength | Medical & emotional support community - Physical health, Mental health, Support groups | 4 November 2007 | Open | 10,511[53] | |
delicious | Social bookmarking allowing users to locate and save websites that match their own interests | September 2003 | 8,822,921[54] | Open | 436[55] |
deviantART | Art community | 7 August 2000 | 22,000,000[56] | Open to people 13 and older | 131[57] |
Diaspora* | Decentralized, privacy aware, general (open source) | November 2010 | 370,000+[n 1][58] | Open | 36,792[n 2][59] |
Disaboom | People with disabilities (Amputee, cerebral palsy, MS, and other disabilities) | Open | 218,135[60] | ||
Dol2day | Politic community, Social network, Internet radio (German-speaking countries) | 40,200[61] | Open | 385,237[62] | |
DontStayIn | Clubbing (primarily UK) | Open | 86,535[63] | ||
Draugiem.lv | General (primarily LV, LT, HU) | 2,600,466[64] | Invitation only | 2,698[65] | |
douban | Chinese Web 2.0 website providing user review and recommendation services for movies, books, and music. | 2005 | 46,850,000[66] | Open | 106[67] |
DXY.cn | Chinese online community for physicians, health care professionals, pharmacies and facilities | 2000[68] | 2,000,000[69] | Open | 8,367[70] |
Elftown | Community and wiki around Fantasy and sci-fi. | 185,000[71] | Open, approval needed | 43,277[72] | |
Elixio | Business executives jet set and global elite. | July 2007 | 80,000[73] | Invite-only | 545,268[74] |
English, baby! | Students and teachers of English as a second language | 2000 | 1,600,000[75] | Open | 29,585[76] |
Epernicus | For research scientists | Open | 798,086[77] | ||
Eons.com | For baby boomers and mature internet users age 40 and beyond. | Open to people age 40 years and older | 73,767[78] | ||
eToro | Social Investing, Finance | May 2007 | 2,500,000 | Open | 1,591[79] |
Experience Project | Life experiences | Open | 2,658[80] | ||
Exploroo | Travel Social Networking. | Open | 163,545[81] | ||
General: Photos, Videos, Blogs, Apps. | February 2004 | 1,000,000,000[82] | Open to people 13 and older | 2[83] | |
Faceparty | General. Popular UK. | 200,000[84] | Invitation only to people 18 and older | 163,639[85] | |
Faces.com | Adult Social Network, Mainly UK & USA | 2011 | 700,000[86] | Open to people 18 and older worldwide | 149,839[87] |
Fetlife | People who are into BDSM | January 2008 | 1,200,000[88] | Open to people "of legal age to see adult content" | 4,131[89] |
FilmAffinity | Movies and TV Series | 2002 | 250,000[90] | Open | 3,151[91] |
Filmow | Movies and TV Series | 2009 | Open | 44,630[92] | |
FledgeWing | Entrepreneural community targeted towards worldwide university students | Open to university students | 696,513[93] | ||
Flixster | Movies | 2007 | 63,000,000[94] | Open to people 13 and older | 4,012[95] |
Flickr | Photo sharing, commenting, photography related networking, worldwide | February 2004 | 32,000,000[96] | Open to people 13 and older (Yahoo! Login) | 48[97] |
Focus.com | Business to Business, worldwide | 2005 | 850,000[98] | Open to people 13 and older | 12,114[99] |
Fotki | Photo sharing, video hosting, photo contests, journals, forums, flexible privacy protection, friend's feed, audio comments and unlimited custom design integration. | October 1998 | 1,632,565 | Open | 8,011[100] |
Fotolog | Photoblogging. Popular in South America and Spain | 2002 | 20,000,000[101] | Open | 3,168[102] |
Foursquare | Location based mobile social network | 2009 | 20,000,000[103] | Open | 817[104] |
Friendica | Distributed, federated, privacy aware, open source, general | Open | 354,946[105][n 2] | ||
Friends Reunited | UK based. School, college, work, sport and streets | July 2000 | 19,000,000[106] | Open to people 13 and older | 29,239[107] |
Friendster | General. Popular in Southeast Asia. No longer popular in the western world | 2002 | 90,000,000[108] | Open to people 16 and older. | 12,167[109] |
Frühstückstreff | General | July 2001 | 14,800[citation needed] | Open | 1,827,621[110] |
Fubar | dating, an "online bar" for 18 and older | October 2007 | 1,200,000[111] | Open to people 18+ | 10,453[112] |
Fuelmyblog | Blogging community | July 2007 | 50,000[113] | Open | 85,547[114] |
FullCircle | Geosocial networking and location-based services portal for mobile devices | April 2009 | Open | 1,167,425[115] | |
Gaia Online | Anime and games. Popular in USA, Canada and Europe. Moderately popular around Asia. | 23,523,663[116] | Open to people 13 and older | 6,277[117] | |
GamerDNA | Computer and video games | 21 September 2006 | 310,000[118] | Open | 59,730[119] |
Gapyear.com | Travel social network | July 1998 | Open | 74,763[120] | |
Gather.com | Article, picture, and video sharing, as well as group discussions | 465,000[121] | Open | 3,062[122] | |
Gays.com | Social network for LGBT community, Guide for LGBT bars, restaurants, clubs, shopping | 16 May 2008 | 100,000[123] | Open, Global | 224,302[124] |
Geni.com | Families, genealogy | 16 January 2007 | 15,000,000[125] | Open | 5,958[126] |
GetGlue | Social network for entertainment | 28 October 2008 | 2,000,000[127] | Open | 3,735[128] |
Gogoyoko | Fair play in Music - Social networking site for musicians and music lovers | Invite only while in beta | 145,552[129] | ||
Goodreads | Library cataloging, book lovers | December 2006 | 13,000,000[130] | Open | 327[131] |
Goodwizz | Social network with matchmaking and personality games to find new contacts. Global, based in France. | October 2010 | 110,000[132][133] | Open | 597,008[134] |
Google+ | General | 28 June 2011 | 500,000,000[135] | Open to people 13 and older[136] | NA[n 3] |
GovLoop | For people in and around government | 138,576[137] | |||
Grono.net | Poland | 2,000,000[citation needed] | Open | 395,036[138] | |
Habbo | General for teens. Over 31 communities worldwide. Chat room and user profiles. | August 2000 | 268,000,000[139][140][141] | Open to people 13 and older | 15,255[142] |
hi5 | General. Popular in Nepal, Mongolia, Thailand, Romania, Jamaica, Central Africa, Portugal andLatin America. Not very popular in the USA. | 2003 | 80,000,000[143] | Open to people 13 and older. | 902[144] |
Hospitality Club | Hospitality | 328,629[145] | Open | 99,562[146] | |
Hotlist | Geo-Social Aggregator rooted in the concept of knowing where users' friends are, were, and will be. | 80,000[147] | Open | 155,811[148] | |
HR.com | Social networking site for Human Resources professionals | 1999 | 194,000[149] | Open | 79,591[150] |
Hub Culture | Global influencers focused on worth creation | November 2002 | 20,000[151] | Invite-only | 152,756[152] |
Hyves | General, mostly popular in the Netherlands. | September 2004 | 10,097,000[153] | Open | 2,243[154] |
Ibibo | Talent based social networking site that allows to promote one's self and also discover new talent. Most popular in India. | 3,500,000[155] | Open | 1,143[156] | |
Identi.ca | Twitter-like service popular with hackers and software freedom advocates. | 395,695[citation needed] | Open | 7,290[157] | |
Indaba Music | Online collaboration for musicians, remix contests, and networking. | 350,000[158] | Open, Global | 45,039[159] | |
IRC-Galleria | Finland | 505,000[160] | Open to Finnish speaking people 12 and older | 36,982[161] | |
italki.com | Language learning social network. 100+ languages. | 500,000[162] | Open, Global | 18,956[163] | |
Itsmy | Mobile community worldwide, blogging, friends, personal TV-shows | 2,500,000[164] | 770,100[165] | ||
iWiW | Hungary | 14 April 2002 | 4,000,000[166] | Invite-only | 3,831[167] |
Jaiku | General. Microblogging. Owned by Google | February 2006 | Open to people 13 and older | 62,910[168] | |
Jiepang | Location based mobile social network. In Chinese language | 2010 | 3,000,000[169] | Open | 14,790[170] |
Kaixin001 | General. In Simplified Chinese; caters for mainland China users | Open to the General Public | 284[171] | ||
Kiwibox | General. | 1999 | 2,400,000[172] | Open to people 13 and older | 104,563[173] |
Lafango | Talent-Focused media sharing site | Open, Global | 161,778[174] | ||
LaiBhaari | Marathi social networking | 2010 | 250,000 | Open | 952,782[175] |
Last.fm | Music | 2002 | 30,000,000[176] | Open | 772[177] |
LibraryThing | Book lovers | 29 August 2005 | 1,300,000[178] | Open to people 13 and older | 10,800[179] |
Lifeknot | Shared interests, hobbies | Open to people 18 and older | 1,071,686[180] | ||
Business and professional networking | May 2003 | 200,000,000[181] | Open to people 18 and older | 12[182] | |
LinkExpats | Social networking website for expatriates. 100+ countries. | Open, Global | 800,451[183] | ||
Listography | Lists. Autobiography | Open | 92,525[184] | ||
LiveJournal | Blogging. Popular in Russia and among the Russian-speaking diaspora abroad. | 15 April 1999 | 17,564,977[185] | Open (OpenID) | 115[186] |
Livemocha | Online language learning | 5,000,000[187] | Open | 4,100[188] | |
Makeoutclub | General | 9 August 1999 | Open | 756,300[189] | |
MEETin | General | Open | 318,979[190] | ||
Meetup (website) | General. Used to plan offline meetings for people interested in various activities | Open to people 18 and older | 481[191] | ||
Meettheboss | Business and Finance community, worldwide. | Open | 315,513[192] | ||
MillatFacebook | General, Created in Response to Facebook [193] | May 2010 | 461,200[194] | Open | 236,663[195] |
mixi | Japan | 25 October 2000 | 24,323,160[196] | Open | 232[197] |
MocoSpace | mobile community, worldwide | 2005 | 3,000,000[198] | Open to people 14 and older | 9,882[199] |
MOG | Music | Open to people 14 and older | 13,955[200] | ||
MouthShut.com | Social Network, social media, consumer reviews | Open | 3,340[201] | ||
Mubi | Auteur cinema | 200,000 | Open | 18,225[202] | |
MyHeritage | family-oriented social network service | 30,000,000 [203] | Open | 3,756[204] | |
MyLife | Locating friends and family, keeping in touch (formerly Reunion.com) | 51,000,000[205] | Open | 1,765[206] | |
My Opera | Blogging, mobile blogging, photo sharing, connecting with friends, Opera Link and Opera Unite. Global | 7,300,000[207] | Open | NA[n 3] | |
Myspace | General | August 2003 | 30,000,000+[208][209] | Open to ages 13 and older. | 161[210] |
Nasza-klasa.pl | School, college and friends. Popular in Poland | 11,000,000[211] | Open | 75,145[212] | |
Netlog | General. Popular in Europe, Turkey, the Arab World and Canada's Québec province. Formerly known as Facebox and Redbox.[213] | 95,000,000[214] | Open to people 13 and older | 545[215] | |
Nexopia | Canada | 1,400,000[216] | Open to people 13 and older[217] | 25,241[218] | |
NGO Post | Non-Profit news sharing and networking, mainly in India | 15,000[219] | Open | 42,076[220] | |
Ning | Users create their own social websites and social networks | 2005 (Networks 2007) | Open to people 13 and older | 378[221] | |
Odnoklassniki | Connect with old classmates. Popular in Russia and former Soviet republics | 45,000,000[222] | Open | 65[223] | |
Open Diary | First online blogging community, founded in 1998 | 1998 | 5,000,000[224] | Open to people 13 and older | 28,134[225] |
Orkut | General. Owned by Google Inc. Popular in India and Brazil.[226] | 22 January 2004 | 100,000,000[227] | Open to people 18 and older, (Google login) | 319[228] |
OUTeverywhere | Gay/LGBTQ Community | Open | 445,440[229] | ||
PatientsLikeMe | Online community for patients with life-changing illnesses to find other patients like them, share their data with others, and learn more about their condition to improve their outcome. | 2006 | 109,587[230] | Open to people 13 years and up | 69,514[231] |
Partyflock | Dutch virtual community for people interested in house music and other electronic dance music | 10 November 2001 | 321,125 | Open to people 18 years and up | 16,828[232] |
Pingsta | Collaborative platform for the world's Internetwork Experts | Invite-only, only Internet Experts | 2,533,640[233] | ||
Online pinboard for organizing and sharing things you love | 2011 | Open | 38[234] | ||
Plaxo | Aggregator | 50,000,000[235] | Open | 5,310[236] | |
Playfire | Computer and video games | Open to people 13 and older | 38,259[237] | ||
Playlist.com | General, Music | Open to people over 13 | 8,026[238] | ||
Plurk | Micro-blogging, RSS, updates. Very popular in Taiwan | Open | 1,991[239] | ||
Qapacity | A a business-oriented social networking site and a business directory | Closed | 20,640[240] | ||
Quechup | General, friendship, dating | 2007 | Open to those over 16 | 82,914[241] | |
Qzone | General. In Simplified Chinese; caters for mainland China users | 480,000,000[242][243] | Open to the general public | NA[n 3] | |
Raptr | Video games | Open | 25,664[244] | ||
Ravelry | Knitting and crochet | 3,000,000[245] | Open | 2,334[246] | |
Renren | Significant site in China. Was known as æ ¡å†… (Xiaonei) until August 2009. | 160,000,000[247] | Open | 95[248] | |
ReverbNation.com | Social network for musician and bands | 500,000[249] | Open to people 16 and older | 1,806[250] | |
Ryze | Business | 500,000[251] | Closed | 71,324[252] | |
ScienceStage | Science-oriented multimedia platform and network for scientists | Open | 61,668[253] | ||
ShareTheMusic | Music Community. Sharing and listening to music for free and legally | Open | 612,429[254] | ||
Shelfari | Books | 11 October 2006 | Open | 18,152[255] | |
Sina Weibo | Social microblogging site in Mainland China. | 14 August 2009 | 300,000,000[256] | Open | 28[257] |
Skoob | Collaborative social network for Brazilian readers | 2009 | 420,000[258] | Open | 28,449[259] |
Skyrock | Social Network in French-speaking world | 22,000,000[260] | Open | 710[261] | |
SocialVibe | Social Network for Charity | 435,000[citation needed] | Open | 101,364[262] | |
Sonico.com | General. Popular in Latin America and Spanish and Portuguese speaking regions. | 50,000,000[263][264] | Open to people 13 and older | 2,676[265] | |
SoundCloud | Repository of original music pieces and networking. | 10,000,000[266] | Open | 299[267] | |
Spaces | Russian Social Network targeted to mobile phone users | Open | 9,953[268] | ||
Stickam | Live video streaming and chat. | 9,000,000[269] | Closed | 9,201[270] | |
StudiVZ | University students, mostly in the German-speaking countries. School students and those out of education sign up via its partner sites schülerVZ and meinVZ. | 17,000,000[271] | Open | 7,080[272] | |
Students Circle Network | A Social Network connecting students, teachers and institutions to course resources, study groups and learning spaces. | December 2010 | Open | 345,110[273] | |
StumbleUpon | Stumble through websites that match users' selected interests | 20,000,000[274] | Open | 146[275] | |
Tagged | General. | October 2004 | 100,000,000[276] | Open | 288[277] |
Talkbiznow | Business networking | Open | 136,346[278] | ||
Taltopia | Online artistic community | Open | 281,501[279] | ||
Taringa! | General (primarily Argentina) | 11,000,000[280] | Open to people 13 and older | 214[281] | |
TeachStreet | Education / Learning / Teaching - More than 400 subjects | Open | 422,704[282] | ||
TermWiki | Learning / Languages / Translation - 1.2m terms in more than 1300 subjects | May 2010 | Open | 22,997[283] | |
The Sphere | A Private Online Social Luxury Network with Exclusive Personalized Services | December 2008 | 1,300[284] | Invite-only | 1,115,305[285] |
TravBuddy.com | Travel | 2005 | 1,588,000[286] | Open to people 18 and older | 21,523[287] |
Travellerspoint | Travel | 2002 | 310,000[288] | Open | 15,275[289] |
tribe.net | General | Open | 8,081[290] | ||
Trombi.com | French subsidiary of Classmates.com | 4,400,000[291] | 16,227[292] | ||
Tuenti | Spanish-based university and High School social network. | 12,000,000[293] | Invite-only | 1,083[294] | |
Tumblr | Microblogging platform and Social Networking Website. | 15,940[295] | Open | 32[296] | |
General. Micro-blogging, RSS, updates | 15 July 2006 | 500,000,000[297] | Open to all ages[298] | 8[299] | |
Tylted | Mobile social game network[300] | 2007 | 3,000,000[301] | Open to people 14 and older | 737,508[302] |
Vkontakte | General, including music upload, listening and search. Popular in Russia and former Soviet republics. | September 2006 | 123,612,100[303] | Open | 38[304] |
Vampirefreaks.com | Gothic and industrial subculture | 1999 | 1,931,049[305] | Open to users 13 and over | 21,052[306] |
Viadeo | Global Social Networking and Campus Networking available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese | 35,000,000[307] | Open | 435[308] | |
Virb | Social network that focuses heavily on artists, including musicians and photographers | 2007 | Open | 33,371[309] | |
Vox | Blogging | Open | 56,558[310] | ||
Wattpad | For readers and authors to interact & e-book sharing | Open | 7,036[311] | ||
WAYN | Travel and lifestyle | May 2003 | 10,000,000[312] | Open to people 18 and older | 1,367[313] |
WeeWorld | Teenagers - 10 to 17 | 30,000,000[314] | Open to ages 13 and older. | 18,317[315] | |
Wellwer | Community without borders, where sharing is everything. | September 2011 | Open to people 13 years and older | 370,755[316] | |
WeOurFamily | General with emphasis on privacy and security | Open, subscription-based | 3,359,241[317] | ||
Wepolls.com | Social polling network | Open | 1,204,376[318] | ||
Wer-kennt-wen | General | General | 2,147[319] | ||
weRead | Books | June 2007 | 4,000,000[citation needed] | Open | 305,720[320] |
Wiser.org | Online community space for the social justice and environmental movement[321] | April 2007 | 71,600[322] | Open to people 16 and older | 239,901[323] |
Wooxie | Blogging and micro-blogging | Open | 111,538[324] | ||
WriteAPrisoner.com | Site networking inmates, friends, family | September 2000 | 66,000[325] | Open to people 18 years and older | 228,915[326] |
Xanga | Blogs and "metro" areas | Unknown | 27,000,000[327] | Open | 3,943[328] |
Business (primarily Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)) | 11,100,000[329] | Open | 270[330] | ||
Xt3 | Catholic social networking, created for World Youth Day 2008 | Open | 712,292[331] | ||
Yammer | Social networking for office colleagues | 2008 | Must have company email | 3,622[332] | |
Yelp, Inc. | Local Business Review and Talk | Open | 186[333] | ||
Zoo.gr | Greek Web Meeting point | 2004 | 890,000[334] | Open | 34,577[335] |
Zooppa | Online Community for Creative Talent (host of brand sponsored advertising contests) | 60,000[336] | Open to people 14 and older[337] | 36,373[338 |
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