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2007-12-24 16:50:26
Social networking sites could eventually eliminate entirely the need for the
offline socialising that has become the cornerstone of the festive season.
Most people have heard of Facebook but there are plenty of rivals vying for its
crown. The BBC News website dips into some of the more interesting alternatives
in a bid to make sure that no-one need be lonely this Christmas.
HABBO
A good one for the teenagers as this virtual environment was created
specifically for that age group.
The community was launched back in 2000 and combined the idea of a chatroom
with an online game. It has recently had a makeover to improve access to
personal pages, friends and groups and bring it more up to date for the
generation most at home on social networking sites.
It allows users to create their own personalised Habbo character and dress it
with accessories, including hats, belts, jewellery and facial hair, as well as
gas masks, paper bags and hairstyles.
Users can also buy furniture to put in the various rooms it creates within the
virtual hotel using credits bought with real-life currency
Earlier this month it teamed up with Greenpeace to see what its members thought
about global warming.
Some 50,000 teenagers filled in the survey and 74% rated global warming as
their biggest concern, ahead of drugs, war or violence.
The site now has, of July this year, more than 82m registered characters.
According to Nielsen/NetRatings Habbo attracted an audience of 292,000 from the
UK during the month of October.
PERFSPOT
Perfspot is a social networking site geared toward university students and
young professionals, and its ethos is based on the desire to obtain a "perf"
life.
It offers most of the usual features of social networking, including newsfeeds,
customisable profile options and the option of linking photos to other users'
profiles plus unlimited space to upload images and videos.
It hit the headlines in the late summer, becoming the fastest growing social
networking site. In the months April to August 2007 it grew a massive 756%,
compared to Facebook's 541% growth.
As the UK's fastest growing brand this year it is a good illustration of how
social networks can come out of nowhere if they hit the right note with users.
FREECYCLE
If you have an interest in the environment and like the idea of reusing other
people's junk, or have unwanted Christmas presents that you want to recycle
then Freecycle could be for you.
The non-profit network is based on the premise that "one man's trash is another
man's treasure" and is about harnessing the power of the internet to connect
communities and 'gift' each other everyday objects that they no longer want.
It is a global network made up of over 4,000 groups. It now has in excess of
four million members, and is adding 25,000 new members each week.
Each group is moderated by a local volunteer and the main thrust of it is to
"reuse and keep good stuff out of landfills".
Each city has a unique e-mail group and anyone living in the area is welcome to
post items to be given away or seek items that they want.
WEBJAM
A UK site that allows users to aggregate the best of the web in one central
location.
A cross between a blog and a social networking site, Webjam allows novices to
create webpages for a particular interest or hobby - say a bookclub.
It also allows people to keep all their social media, from Flickr photos to
newsfeeds, in one place. This blend of aggregating, blogging and social
networking has led to it being described as "the Swiss Army knife of the
internet user".
It is particularly useful for those who want to create a webpage for a society,
club or hobby but don't know how to do it as it allows you to 'copy' an
existing group and personalise it.
According to chief executive Yann Motte, one-stop shops like Webjam are the way
forward.
"Going forward it won't be possible for people to manage lots of different
accounts," he said.
CAPAZOO
This is a Canadian site which is interesting because of its business model.
Like other social networking sites it includes a variety of functions,
including blogging and photo and video uploads but it also offers something
unique - it pays users for the time spent on the site and the activities they
do.
So for example members can get points for inviting friends and posting content.
Users can offer the points - known as Zoops - as gifts to other members.
The points accumulated by users can be redeemed for cash although to do this
users must sign up to a membership program which costs either $24.95 or $34.95
per year.
It is a service that more social networking sites are likely to experiment with
although the jury remains out on whether it will be a selling point for
customers.
WAYN
WAYN networking sites catering for a specialised audience - in this case
travellers from around the world.
It was the brainchild of three friends - Pete Ward, Jerome Touze and Mike
Lines, who came up with the idea to connect people based on their location.
Since its inception in 2002 it has grown and is now the UK's 10th most popular
social network, growing from 45,000 users in March 2005 to over 10 million
today.
It has recently announced partnerships with Lastminute.com to integrate their
hotel content and booking service and with Hostelworld.com to search for and
book budget accommodation.
WAYN was initially launched as a paid service but in April 2007, it became
free, though some functions remain available only to those willing to pay - for
example, turning off advertising.
Like Capazoo it has begun offering users the chance to earn money. Members use
a wizard to create wish lists of products they would like to own or recommend
to others which are then displayed in their profile. When contacts or random
browsers buy from their web shop the members receive commission from WAYN.
Alex Burmaster, analyst at research firm Nielsen Online believes that sites
catering to specialist interests could be the future of social networking as
they seek to distinguish themselves from the competition.
REALBUZZ
Realbuzz is a social networking site aimed at those interested in sports and
outdoor pursuits. It is keen not to operate entirely in the online world and
encourages members to meet up offline at sporting events.
"Realbuzz is not about people sitting behind their computers, it's all about
them getting out into the physical world and experiencing something new," said
a spokesman for the firm.
It has around 100,000 active users in the UK and has strong links to the London
Marathon.
Chief executive Tim Rogers is himself a veteran of more than 60 marathons.
Posted: 2007978@712.23
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stranger
IT IS WAY MUCH BETTER TO SOCIAL OFFLINE !