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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 24 December 2007 |
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Social Networking is a big Deal. Designing it does not have to be. Business Networking websites, Social Networking Websites, Sites Like YouTube, Facebook, and MySpace area all designed with one thing in mind - to bring people together.
A “social networking website” is one that allows Internet users have the ability to add user-generated content such as: comments, reviews, feedback, ratings, or their own dedicated pages.
A social networking site can also be a “social search engine” if it has a site-level search capability that allows visitors to query the user generated content within the site. Most all of these solial networking sites have site-level search capabilities and are therefore considered social search engines allowing their user-generated content to be indexed by at least some search engine spiders, so that their content can also be found through the use of traditional search engines. So, the terms “social networking site” and “social search engine” are used interchangeably.
Why Social Networking?
Through social networking, people can use networks of online friends and group memberships to create real–life friendships or start a romance. Besides establishing important social relationships, social networking members can share their interests with other like–minded members by joining groups and forums. Networking can also help members find a job or establish business contacts.
Most social networking websites also offer extra features. In addition to blogs and forums, members can express themselves by designing their profile page to reflect their personality. The most popular extra features include music and video sections. Members can read bios of their favorite music artists from the artist's profile page as well as listen to their favorite songs and watch music videos. The video section can include everything from member–generated videos from hundreds of subjects to TV clips and movie trailers.
What to Look for in Social Networking
The recent phenomenon of online social networking—made extremely popular by MySpace.com, has evolved to include more than the teenage stereotype looking to expand his/her network of online friends. People of all ages and backgrounds have discovered that they can enrich their lives through the contacts they make on a social networking website.
Below are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Social Networking websites.
* Networking Features – These features help members connect with other members such as a featured member section, photo galleries and a search function that allows searches by criteria such as gender, age, location and relationship status.
Clicking on a member’s photo or name should link directly to their profile page; then you can post comments and invite them into your network of friends. Most sites allow members to make their profiles public, private or semi–private.
A profile page should be a reflection of a member’s personality. You can post background information like your name, age, gender, physical description, likes and dislikes. Many sites also allow members to upload multiple photos, videos and music. The best social networking websites also allow members to customize their profile skins.
* Extra Features – Most social networking websites provide extra features—music, videos, blogs, forums and groups, to enhance the networking experience and keep members coming back for more.
The music section may consist of Internet radio or a large database of music and music videos. An exceptional music section allows members to browse or search for music by artist, album, track or genre. Clicking on an artist’s name or photo will give you access to the artist’s profile page. From there you can read the artist’s bio, related news, listen to complete songs (not samples) and watch their music videos.
Videos are generally member’s home videos of various subjects or member–generated compliations of their favorite movies and TV shows—some are quite impressive. Some videos also include commercials, clips from TV shows and movie trailers.
Blogs and Forums provide extra avenues for members to express themselves; they can access other member’s opinions and post their own comments.
* Groups – Members who want to connect with people who share their interests can join groups. Many sites have regional groups so members can join groups close to where they live. Members usually have a wide variety of groups to choose from like Romance & Relationships, Entertainment & Arts, Hobbies & Crafts, H
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 December 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
Facebook is a free social networking website made up of hundreds of separate networks based around schools, business and region. The minimum age to join is 13. Facebook is strictly for connecting with people online; they don’t have extras like music, videos, games, classifieds, etc.
The website design is straightforward; it has few graphics or decoration, but they have a good variety of networking features.Register for Facebook with your name, birthday, school (if applicable) and an email address. Once you’re registered, you can start customizing your profile. You can upload unlimited photos, news feeds and videos from other sources.We were a little concerned about the security of personal information; when we registered, a dialog box popped up indicating that the page contained both secure and non secure items.You must join at least one network to browse or search for people. Click on “Join a Network” and choose a network based on your location or school affiliation. Click on “browse” and a list of random members within your new network are displayed. You can also see a list of groups within your network.Once you’ve found someone you want to connect with, send them a message, see a list of their friends and invite them into your network of friends. Share photos, notes and news feeds. Your friends can also post comments on your profile.Only people within your network have access to your profile, but you can limit your profile and block individual members.In their Terms of Service agreement, Facebook states that they do not allow offensive content such as sexually charged language and explicit photos; however, they also state that it is not their responsibility to closely monitor the content on their website. To encourage members to report content they find offensive, Facebook provides a “report this person” link on all profile pages.We conducted a test search for offensive language and photos; however, we only found one curse word.Facebook is a good social networking website that doesn’t waste time with extras and eye candy, so if you’re looking for a no–nonsense site with plenty of networking features, Facebook is the site for you.For the best social networking website we could find with plenty of networking features and extras, see MySpace.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 December 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
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AOL People Connection Reviewer's Comments
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TopTenREVIEWS - Bronze Award - Awarded for excellence in design, useability and feature set
Liven up your social life with AOL People Connection and AIM, “TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award” winning social networking website.
AOL People Connection and AOL’s instant messaging service, AIM combine to create an exciting social networking experience. Join chat rooms, IM your friends, browse member’s profiles and watch user–generated videos.
Although AOL People Connection and AIM have more features than our #2 product, the integration of the two services is not compelete and navigating between the two sites can be frustrating.
AOL People Connection Screenshots. Click to Enlarge
AOL People Connection Screenshot1 AOL People Connection Screenshot2
Networking Features:
You can register with AOL and setup your AIM profile page. Then post information such as your background, interests and whom you’re looking to meet then upload photos and use AIM’s modules to customize your profile skin or upload your own.
Download free AIM software to instant message your friends; if you’re not at your computer, you can still IM from any Internet browser using AIM Express. You can also join public and private chat rooms. AOL People Connection and AIM make a good social networking package.
Access blogs, photo galleries, friends & flirts, expressions and pets on AOL People Connection or search AIM members’ profiles by keywords, gender, age and location. Click on a member’s picture to see his/her profile and post comments or invite them to join your group of friends.
You can block your AIM page from searches by other AIM users, but you cannot make your page private.
Extra Features:
You can join music message boards and listen to Internet radio on AIM, but you cannot listen to specific songs or watch music videos. From People Connection’s Uncut Video you can search user–generated videos by criteria such as keyword, category, location and event.
Groups:
AOL People Connection has a long list of message board categories (similar to Groups) such as Entertainment, Romance & Relationships, Sports, Lifestyles, News and Travel. Read comments posted on boards or post your own comments.
Monitored Content/Security:
Moderators monitor all message boards and underneath each posted message is a link to report objectionable content. Photos submitted for AOL’s gallery are subject to approval before they are posted. We conducted a test search for objectionable content—we did not find anything more objectionable than what can be found on primetime TV.
Ease of Use:
A permanent menu toolbar located at the top of each page make AOL People Connection and AIM easy to navigate. Although AOL People Connection and AIM are two separate sites, there is a direct link from the People Connection page to AIM, but once you are logged onto AIM, there is not a direct link back to People Connection. We recommend that you bookmark the People Connection page.
We had trouble logging onto AIM because of the pop–up blocking function on our browser. However, simply turning off the pop–up blocker may not be enough; we had to add AIM’s URL to our browser’s pop–up blocker exceptions list. We used Internet Explorer 6.0 and Mozilla Firefox 1.5. Newer versions may work better with the blocking functions.
Help/Support:
AOL has a few FAQs pages, but you have to sign up to access them and wading through the categories is time consuming. In addition, we could not find any contact information.
Summary:
AOL People Connection and AIM make a good social networking package. You can join message boards, access photo galleries, browse user profiles and view videos from People Connection. With AIM, you can create and customize your profile, join chat rooms and IM your friends. Switching back and forth between People Connection and AIM can be frustrating; it would be nice if AOL better integrated the two. Furthermore, there is no music section or contact information.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 December 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
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hi5 Reviewer's Comments
Click to learn more...
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Give yourself a virtual high–five when you join the global social networking website hi5.
Don’t limit your circle of friends to people you know from school or your neighborhood; with 50 million members, explore the unlimited possibilities of connecting with people all over the world for free.
Hi5 offers excellent networking features and they were in the running for our #2 spot; however, we found several sexually explicit photos on their website. Although the minimum age to join is 13, hi5 states in their Terms of Service agreement that they are not responsible for monitoring their content.
Networking Features:
Hi5 provides an abundance of networking features. On your profile page, post details about yourself such as your physical description, who you are looking to network with, where you are from, your birthday, education and occupation.
Personalize your profile—write journal entries, upload photos, music and videos. Add existing friends from Yahoo, AOL or Hotmail accounts and join Groups. Search user’s profiles by keywords, gender, relationship status and location. Click on a member’s photo to view their profile, post comments and invite them into your network of friends.
Use your privacy settings to allow everyone to view your profile or just the people in your network. You can also see who has viewed your profile in the last 30 days.
Hi5 doesn’t have blogs, forums and instant messaging.
Extra Features:
You can search through thousands of user–generated videos by keyword or category like comedy, animation, movies, music, sports and commercials.
Hi5 has a Google search box so you can type in keywords to search for other hi5 members, videos or anything on the Web.
Search for your favorite music by artist, track or genre; or browse through featured artists for new music. Click on an album cover to access an artist’s profile page where you can read the artist’s bio, listen to songs and post comments. You can also download your favorite songs to your profile page.
Although Zorpia's extra features are excellent, they don't have as many as our top three products.
Groups:
Hi5 has a wide variety of Groups such as Romance & Relationships, Games, Entertainment & Arts, Pets & Animals, Fashion & Style or you can create your own Group.
Browse Groups or search Group categories by keyword. A number next to each Group category indicates the number of existing Groups within that category.
Monitored Content/Security:
We found sexually explicit photos during a test search. These photos were posted in a public Group under Entertainment & Arts. There were no restrictions to enter the Group and view the photos. We also found sexually explicit music videos. The minimum age for members of hi5 is 13. In their Terms of Service agreement, hi5 prohibits posting sexually offensive content, but they also indicate that they are not obligated to monitor the content posted on their website. We feel a social networking website that caters to minors should monitor their content more closely.
Ease of Use:
All the major categories of hi5’s website appear at the top of each page and a tab highlights the category of the current page (Messages, Video, Music, etc.) so you can easily navigate the website. A Google search box is available to search the Web or you can search for people and videos on the hi5 website. You can also view the website in seven languages.
You need macromedia Flash to join chat rooms that are based on shared interests and to connect with people in your area.
Help/Support:
Hi5 provides a long comprehensive list of FAQs to answer account questions or how to use the various features of the website. If you do not find answers to your questions, you can contact them by email.
Summary:
Hi5 has a variety of features such as chat rooms, groups, videos and music. You can customize your profile page by posting comments and uploading videos, music and photos. Overall, hi5 is a good social networking website; however, if the minimum age to join is 13, we feel hi5 needs to actively monitor their content.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 December 2007 )
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
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Friendster Reviewer's Comments
Networking Features:
Friendster has an assortment of features to customize your profile page. Upload photos, graphics, music, videos and choose from over 40 skins to make your profile unique.
Privacy settings allow only your friends to view your full profile while a limited profile is still accessible to other Friendster members. You can see the last 100 people who have viewed your profile and if necessary, you can block individual members.
Ads appear around the periphery of profile pages, which some members may find annoying but they are not obtrusive.
Click on a member’s photo or name to view their profile page. View their photos and videos; read their personal blog, post comments and invite them into your network of friends. Narrow your member search to specific criteria like gender, age, relationship status and location.
Extra Features:
From Friendster’s homepage, browse through the top ten network searches for links to websites of interest or search the web with keywords.
Browse through videos from YouTube, Grouper and Sharkle; watch the latest movie trailers from Video Detective and music videos from Singing Fool. Only ten videos at a time are available from each site.
Friendster’s Love section contains articles and advice about dating and relationships. In addition, a direct link to the dating site True.com allows you to search for and chat with people looking for romance.
Pandora and Friendster have teamed up to provide members with an online radio station. Enter your favorite artist or song and Pandora will customize your station with similar music. The music section doesn’t provide profile pages for artists and you can’t listen to specific songs or watch music videos.
Groups:
Post comments and connect with like–minded people through Friendster’s Groups. Choose Groups by region or from over 30 categories like Sports & Recreation, Games, Entertainment & Arts, Hobbies & Crafts, Fashion & Style and Pets & Animals.
Anyone can browse and join public groups; however, access for private groups is restricted and to join you must ask permission from the group creator.
Monitored Content/Security:
The minimum age to join Friendster is 16. Friendster’s Terms of Service states that they do not allow sexually offensive content on member’s profiles, messages boards and Groups.
Members are encouraged to report offensive content to Friendster customer service. There is a direct link at the bottom of profile pages and a “Report Abuse” button on Group pages.
We conducted a test search for offensive content and found a sexually explicit photo in an Entertainment group. We reported the photo to Friendster; however, at the writing of this review, the photograph still has not been removed.
Ease of Use:
A permanent menu toolbar at the top of each page, extra links on individual pages and links on profile pages make it easy to navigate Friendster. You can search for other Friendster members by keyword or other criteria such as gender, age, and relationship status.
Help/Support:
Friendster has 12 pages of FAQs and a search function to find answers for specific questions. We used several search terms but had a hard time finding a FAQ that would answer our question. If you can’t find an answers, you can contact them by email or try Friendster’s user forum.
Summary:
Overall, Friendster is an excellent social networking site. They provide plenty of networking features. You can customize your profile page with skins, photos, music and videos. Extra features include groups, blogs, forums and the Love section specializing in romance and relationships. Friendster does a good job of providing links for members to report offensive content, but since the minimum age is 16, they should make a better effort to monitor their site instead of relying on Friendster members.
Click to learn more...
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Connect with friends, old and new; share your thoughts and ideas and express your creativity on the free social networking website, Friendster.
Friendster provides plenty of networking features to customize your personal profile and to get you on your way to establishing a large network of friends. Discover other avenues of expression by posting blogs and joining forums. Choose from a variety of extra features like Internet radio, videos and groups.
Friendster would have been awarded our #2 spot if they were more diligent about monitoring their content.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 December 2007 )
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Website Design 
