Thing 19 – Other Social Networks

Like I said in my last post about Thing 18 – Facebook and Myspace, I am not much of a social networker. The extent of my “social networking” basically extends to forums. Forums are an extension of old BBS boards which acted as communication hubs for its members. There were various topics that folks could make posts under, like say, movies, books, software, etc., and discussion would ensue.

These days, forums abound around the net and there are several boards I participate in. They run the gambit from MMOs, politics, to RC cars. One site in particular, Ultimate RC is very close to being a true social networking site. Members have profiles where they detail information about themselves and can post pictures. The site also supports IMing between members. The main portion of the site however is forums that cover all aspects of the RC car hobby. The site is a font of information and has been a source of great help with getting into the hobby.

I think that sites like Flixster, Project Playlist, and Whats on My Bookshelf are great ways of bringing people together that share a common interest. They are different from sites like Facebook and Myspace. Facebook and the like are great for networking and making connections and just staying in touch with friends and family. Sites like Flixster are fantastic for bringing people together and sharing a common interest, encouraging discussion, finding new movies (or music or books or whatever the site of your choice offers) in a semi closed environment. It’s like hanging out with friends and talking about really cool stuff that interests you. Myspace is just not that. Myspace is more of, “Hi! I signed your wall!!! Friend me! KTHXBAI!!!

So… even if Facebook and Myspace are your thing, there are countless other social networking sites that might have something that interests you. Google is you friend for searching out this info.