Introduction to Social Networking Sites

In this book, you’ll see several different types of social media marketing channels, from social networks to social bookmarking sites and social news sites. “Social networks” and “social networking sites” are generic terms for sites that are used to connect users with similar backgrounds and interests. Social networks are profile-based sites that encourage users with relatively comparable backgrounds to meet and initiate relationships with one another.

Social networks are some of the most popular sites on the Internet. For example, Facebook and MySpace are in the top 10, according to website statistic service Alexa. For some users, these social sites are an addiction. Employees have been criticized for spending too much time on the more popular social sites.^[67] This goes to show that while social networks may have initially appealed mainly to our youth, they are now becoming a key part of the livelihood of individuals in all demographics.