Enter RealSocial Community & Professional Network Blog

 

How Does It Work?

Each social networking service differs, but in general you can either just join a site or can join after receiving an invitation from a member, such as at LinkedIn.com. Once you join, you create a profile and invite your list of contacts to join. Then, you can search contacts for a specific type of employee, for instance, and contact that person through an intermediary or chain of contacts (for instance, if the person you want to contact is a colleague of someone you already know, the colleague would intermediate to help you contact the person you're trying to reach). The intermediary may decide not to forward your contact information, however, or the person you want to contact simply may not want to be contacted. On Ryze.com, you set up your own networking homepage, and you can contact other members directly. At Tribe.net, you can join a public "tribe" or be invited to join a private "tribe." At Monster Networking, simply fill in a profile with your job title and personal information and start networking.

Most social networking websites allow you to build your network of contacts manually, but a few will also mine your information and that of other members to automatically create networks of people with similar connections. Spoke, for example, searches other websites for information about you once you join their service, in an effort to create contact networks with high relevance, accuracy, and timeliness. Privacy is an immediate concern here, but most (but not all) social networking websites offer several options to ensure your level of privacy.

Prospects & Potential Uses

Social networking is proving successful in the consumer world, but for business the technology is in its infancy. Everyone seems to agree that it is hot and innovative, with much potential, but many are still trying to figure out how, exactly, to use it in practical day-to-day business. Social networking for business could be the best thing to come around since sliced bread -- or it could be just a fad. Social networking websites can be an innovative way to expand your pool of clients, future employees, suppliers and useful contacts in other industries. It can be a money- and time-saver, since you don't have to drive to a networking event during the day or after work, and no fees are paid for most social websites. If you are job hunting, social networking can be useful for getting your foot in the door at a company or in a new city, find a mentor or explore a new career.

Drawbacks

Once you are linked into a network, you may be overwhelmed by e-mails from network members -- "snam" instead of spam. It can also be frustrating if you don't have an invitation to join an exclusive social network, such as LinkedIn or Itsnotwhatyouknow. And once you're in a social networking site, taking the time to enter all of your details and contacts can be a hassle. A couple of sites allow users to upload information from Outlook and other e-mail address book software, but for the most part you'll have to take the time to do it manually.

Most important, an instant online relationship is different from a personal relationship, built up over time, with a supplier or customer, for instance. Some miss the personal, face-to-face interaction with people.

Impacts on REALTORS® & the Real Estate Industry

For the technologically adventurous REALTOR®, using a social networking website to help generate contacts can be a cutting-edge marketing technique. For now, commercial practitioners might find social networking most useful; a broker trying to sell a unique property could search profiles in LinkedIn or another service to target contacts in industries that might be in the market for just such a property. Association staff, too, could use social networking websites to acquire contacts in other businesses, expanding their potential lists of education providers, issue experts, and other partnerships. Eventually, once social networking becomes more standardized and its uses have been proven, networking websites could be set up to help generate referrals betweens buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals. Such a site might, for example, connect the seller of a Sears kit home with a buyer looking for one, or help a REALTOR® locate a lender experienced in certain financing techniques.
 

MoSoSo sites

ActiveMatch
AirCQ
asphaltgames
awaRE
BEDD
Beliefnet Mobile
BusyThumbs*
BuZZone
CrowdSurfer
Dodgeball
Encounter Bubbles
Flickr
Fluidtime
Hocman*
IcyPole
ImaHima
Jabberwocky
JAMDAT
Jukola*
Mamjam
MeetingPoint*
Meetup
MobiLuck
mobster
Mooble
modus
MTONE
nTAG*
PeepsNation
Playtxt.net*
Plink Mobile
Plazes*
Pocketster
Portabible*
proxidating
Proxpro
PurpleAce*
Saw-You
Serendipity
socialight
Socializer
SoundPryer*
Speck
TagText*
Traces of Fire
tunA
TxtMob*
Urban Plexus*
Wavemarket
weemee
WhoAt
WiFi.Bedouin.

Special niche social networks

Activism: Care2, TakingITGlobal
Art & Design: Amateur Illustrator, Stuart, Teapotters
Auctions: biddingBuddies
Books: LibraryThing, Shelfari, Tagabook
Cars: CarDomain, CarSpace, Carster, Motortopia
Clubbing: AfterTheClub, DontStayIn
Comics: BitStrip, ComicSpace, Hypercomics
Cooking: BakeSpace, Group Recipes, Open Source Food
Cycling: BikeSpace.net, velospace
DIY: Curbly
Ethnicity: BlackPlanet, Koolanoo, Quespasa, WorldLounge
Fashion: ShareYourLook, Shoutfit, Trendmill
Fitness: ontri, PlayLocal, Traineo, We Endure
Film: Flixster, Yamji
Football (soccer): Joga
Gambling: Gaambol, Gottabet
Health: DailyStrength, OrganizedWisdom, RealMentalHealth
Hunting: TheHuntZone.com
Intelligence: intellectConnect
Motherhood: ConnectingMoms, MommyBuzz, MothersClick
Music: Hip-Hop.net, IndieMV, Linked Musicians, MakeOutClub, MusicHawk
Neighborhood: ((echo))MyPlace, My Neighbourhoods
Outdoor activities: MyOutdoors.net, Outdoorzy.com, thoos
Parenting: GotKidsNetwork, Minti
Pets: Animal Buds, Catster, Dogster, Fuzzster, HAMSTERster, Petster
Photography: The Black Stripe
Politics: essembly, HOTSOUP.com, My.BarackObama.com
Religion: MuslimSpace, MyChurch, OakTreeIdea, ShoutLife, Xianz
Rugby: RuggerSpace.com
Smoking: Smoking Passions
Sports: FanPage, FanNation, FanSpot, Takkle, SportsMates, Ultrafan
Trainers: CriticalSole, Sneakerplay
Travel: Couchsurfing, TravBuddy, Travellerspoint, TripConnect, TripUp, WAYN
Video games: Gamervision, The Great Games Experiment
Wine: Bottletalk, Cork'd, Vinorati

Video Content:

Paul Terry Walhus interviews Aaron Marcus at SXSW
Blip.tv, Veoh and Viddler

face-to-face meeting facilitation sites

8minuteDating
Evite
First Tuesday
Food and Friends*
GeekDinner
HurryDate
The Lunch Club NYC
Lunch Partners
MeetUp
MixerMixer
Netparty
new-in-town
Social Circles
WhizSpark