Are you using the right social networks?

A look at the top 15 Social Media Resources ranked by Website Magazine.

With so many social networks popping up, how do you know which one is the best for you, your brand or your business? I remember when I first got my feet wet into social networking, I signed up for any and everything thinking that was the best way to get my name out there. Of course a couple of weeks later I found it impossible to keep up with ALL of them and eventually I was neglecting most of them.  Today I’ve decided to focus on a handful of social networks and build quality relationships and as a result I hope to create a stronger brand.

Facebook.com
Of course Facebook would be number one. Facebook is a social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.[1] Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.

YouTube.com
YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. I just recently created my youtube channel and plan on posting videos regularly.

Myspace.com
MySpace is one of the earlier social networks that became hugely popular in 2006, however has since been overtaken by its largest competitor, facebook.com

Twitter.com
Twitter is a highly addictive free social networking and mircoblogging service that enables users to send and read messages known as tweets.

Flickr.com
Flickr is my personal favorite image and video hosting website and online community. Not only is flickr hugely popular for users to share personal photographs, but it’s also widely used amongst bloggers to host images they embed on their blogs and social media. Get the pro version which allows you to upload an unlimited amount of photos.

Photobucket.com
Photobucket is another popular image hosting, video hosting, and photo sharing website.

Linkedin.com
LinkedIn is a busines-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking. I have a linkedin.com account but have yet to use it to its full potential.

Digg.com
Digg is a social news websits made for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories, as well as voting and commenting on submitted links and stories.

Ning.com
Ning is an online service to create, customize and share a social network. Ning’s popularity has grown within the last couple of years.  You are sure to find a network that meets your interests and passions, if you don’t it is very easy to start one on your own.

Yelp.com
Yelp.com is a company that operates a social network, user review, and local search website.

Tagged.com
Tagged is one of the networks I’ve actually never used. It is one of the largest social networking sites consistently ranking in the top 150 global web sites. Users can build and customize profiles, play online social games, visit chat rooms and so much more.

Squiddo.com
Squiddo is a popular publishing platform and community that makes it easy for you to create content lenses or pages online. It’s a fun and powerful way to share your interests, build your online identity and credibility as well as connect with new readers and friends.

Scribd.com
Scribd is a document-sharing website that allows users to post documents of various formats, and embed them into a web page using its iPaper format.

Stubleupon.com
StumbleUpon is an online community that allows its users to discover and rate web pages, photos, and videos.

Hi5.com
Hi5 is an international social network with local flair. It enables member to stay connected, share their lives, and learn what’s happening around them.

How many social networks are you signed up with? How often do you update your status? Which social networks do you find the most useful for you, your brand and/or your business?

Did I leave any off that you think should be included in the list?

This is just a partial list of Social Media Resources found in the February issue of Website Magazine, to get the complete list of Top 50 Social Media Resources, visit www.websitemagazine.com.

Tagged as: social networks