Social network

Alternatively referred to as a virtual community or profile site, a social network is a website that brings people together to talk, share ideas and interests, or make new friends. This type of collaboration and sharing is known as social media. Unlike traditional media that is typically created by no more than ten people, social media sites contain content created by hundreds or even millions of different people. Below is a small list of some of the biggest social networks used today.

Examples of social networks

• Bebo ( http://www.bebo.com/ ) - A popular social networking site where users can share photo's, stories, their journal, and more with friends and family privately or publicly on the Internet.
• Classmates ( http://www.classmates.com/ ) - One of the largest and most used websites for connecting people who graduated from a high school and allows you to keep in touch with them and any future reunions.
• Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/ ) - The most popular social networking websites on the Internet. Facebook is a popular destination for users to set up personal space and connect with friends, share pictures, share movies, talk about what you're doing, etc.
• Friendster ( http://www.friendster.com/ ) - A popular social network that brings together friends, family, and allows you to meet new people who share similar interests to you from all over the world.
• Google+ (http://plus.google.com/) - The latest social networking service from Google.
• Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/ ) - A mobile photo sharing service and application available for the iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone platforms.
• LinkedIn ( http://www.linkedin.com/ ) - One of the best if not the best locations to connect with current and past co-workers and potentially future employers.
• MySpace ( http://www.myspace.com/ ) - Once one of the most popular social networks and viewed website on the Internet. See the MySpace definition for further information about this service.
• Orkut ( http://www.orkut.com/ ) - A popular service from Google that provides you a location to socialize with your friends and family, and meet new acquaintances from all around the world.
• Path ( http://path.com/ ) - A mobile-only social network that allows you to keep in contact with your closest friends and family.
• Pinterest ( http://www.pinterest.com/ ) - A popular picture and sharing service that allows anyone to share pictures, create collections, and more.
• Reddit ( http://www.reddit.com/ ) - Community of registered users (redditors) submits content that is upvoted by the community. Reddit has a subreddit (board) for almost every category.
• StumbleUpon ( http://www.stumbleupon.com/ ) - Another very popular community of Internet users who vote for web pages they like and dislike and allows users to create their own personal page of interesting sites they come across. See the StumbleUpon definition for additional information about this service.
• Tumblr ( https://www.tumblr.com/ ) - A microblogging platform with social networking capabilities.
• Twitter ( http://www.twitter.com/ ) - Another fantastic service that allows users to post 140 character long posts from their phones and on the Internet. A fantastic way to get the pulse of what's going on around the world.
• Yik Yak - Smartphone social network that connects users who are in close to each other.
• YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/ ) - An excellent network of users posting video blogs or Vlog's and other fun and exciting videos.

Warn: Due to their increased popularity amongst children and teenagers, some social networking sites have become a popular location for online predators. Parents should always be active with their children and aware of what they are doing while online.

Why do people use social networks?

Social networks help people keep connected with their friends and family and are an easy way to find what everyone is up to each day in your social circle. Social networks can also be used to find fun and interesting things on the Internet since often your friends and family will share many of the same interests as you.

What is the most popular social network today?

Today, Facebook is still the largest and the most popular social network with over one billion users.