The concept of “social networking” has been around for a very long time. Meet your friends’ friends, and then their friends’ friends, and so on, to increase the number of people you know. Indeed, many of us now utilize social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to market our current and future ventures. Those who want to network with others in their field often visit LinkedIn, but it’s important to remember that social media is far broader than just those four platforms. By researching and analyzing hundreds of SNSs, I’ve compiled a list of the 40 most widely used SNSs worldwide.
45 Best Popular Social Networking Sites
Facebook requires users to sign up for an account before they can access the site. According to Facebook’s TOS, users must have a valid email address and be at least 13 years old to join. Your Facebook profile is produced after you’ve finished making changes to your information. Through Facebook.com, you may do the following:
- You may search for and join networks based on where you live, where you go to school, where you work, or where you went to high school.
- Import email contacts from an online service into your Facebook account.
- Use a search engine to hunt for a certain individual, among many other options, to find buddies.
- Facebook is the most widely used social networking site, recently surpassing 500 million members.
Despite its ease of use, Twitter has quickly risen to the top of the social networking service provider conversation. As an alternative to sending out mass emails, Twitter allows users to publish and receive messages to a network of connections. You may expand your sphere of influence by adding new followers and inviting others to see your Tweets. With Twitter, joining or leaving a network is a breeze. You may also unfollow a person’s feed if you no longer want to see their updates.
LinkedIn is a social networking site for business people that focuses on professional connections including job postings, sales leads, and new business contacts. LinkedIn is not a social network for meeting new friends or sharing personal material like photographs, movies, or music. Registration and profile creation are prerequisites for using LinkedIn. In order to join LinkedIn, you must first give certain identifying data. You may alter your summary, education, and employment information on your profile. Work colleagues and superiors may both suggest and endorse you. Almost seventy-five million people in the working world are connected via LinkedIn.
It’s a photo- and video-sharing social network that’s also owned by Facebook. Stories, pictures, reels, and videos may all be shared, liked, and commented on. Making a brand-specific Instagram account and using it to promote your product on a regular basis is another great way to increase awareness and sales.
Tumblr
It is a social networking platform where users may post short messages, share media, and connect with others. The distinctive feature of this platform is the opportunity to participate in cultural dialogues and join communities. You may also personalize everything to your liking and follow the topics you find interesting.
MySpace
Your MySpace friends list might begin expanding immediately. The first thing you do after joining MySpace is make yourself a profile. Your first Friend Space consists of the people you’ve invited to MySpace and found using the site’s search function. When you approve a friend’s request, you also have access to their whole Friend Space. Everyone on MySpace is essentially a part of your Extended Network in this regard. MySpace requires its users to be at least 14 years old as part of its Terms of Service.
It’s a visual search engine for finding new and interesting information, such as recipes, clothing styles, exercises, interior design ideas, and fashion trends. Pinterest is a widely used social bookmarking site for collecting and sharing visual content and ideas. You can pin just about anything that has a lot of pictures on it.
Bebo
Bebo is a close second among UK social media platforms. Users of Bebo may quickly and easily set up their own free social networking accounts. In many ways, it’s similar to other social networking sites. Bebo allows users to create an account for free and share media and information with one another. With the site’s one-of-a-kind interface, you may reunite with old friends and meet new people. Users come to the site from all over the world, and the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland, France, and Germany are just a few of the nations represented.
Friendster
One of the first websites to popularize it was Friendster. Its primary purpose is to facilitate online social interaction among existing contacts, as well as the making of new ones. But, there was more than just one-way communication involved. You may share your information with the online community, communicate with friends and family, locate individuals with similar interests, backgrounds, or location, and participate in activity, school, or interest-based groups via message posting, games, blogs, and application sharing on Friendster.
Hi5
Although Hi5 has many parallels to other social networking sites, it also offers some novel features that will appeal to those who like exploring other online communities. Unfortunately, it is not a top destination for Americans. Because to this foresight on the part of its founder, Hi5 now boasts users in excess of 60 million from more than 200 nations outside the United States. The inclusion of several forms of entertainment, including games, is one of the most noticeable changes to the site.
Habbo
Pixelated cartoon personas rule the Habbo online community. You may build public rooms (bars, restaurants, and stores) or invite just certain people to private rooms. With a large and loyal adolescent user base, Habbo relies largely on its staff to manage the service. The average age of a Habbo user is between 13 and 18 years old. Habbo is a popular social network not just in the United States but also in many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Finland, and many more besides.
NING
Ning is the best online platform for organizers, activists, and influential people to build communities that motivate others to take action. It allows you to establish a protected virtual community for others who share your interests. Ning revolutionizes the concept of online communities. Ning’s ability to let users build their own communities makes it a useful tool for groups and causes that want to fill a societal hole.
Classmates
Classmates.com is unique among social networking sites since its premium members get access to most of the site’s functions. Monthly premium membership fees increase for shorter-term contracts than longer ones. Classmates.com’s primary function is to facilitate communication amongst former students. You may find other alumni from your alma mater by using the site’s search function. Making a simple profile on Classmates.com is quick and painless. Nevertheless, Classmates.com’s premium services are reserved for paying customers exclusively.
Tagged
Tagged combines elements of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Tagged’s main purpose is to facilitate rapid, efficient, and meaningful connections between individuals who have common interests. You may join Tagged either independently or after being invited by a friend. See your friends’ recently posted Tagged picture album without having to pay anything on this free social network. Tagged’s users are encouraged to strike up conversations with complete strangers over common interests, with the goal of expanding their social circle.
myYearbook
The finest area to meet new people is on myYearbook, one of the top 25 most visited websites in the United States. Flash-based games are available on myYearbook, with some of them accepting Lunch Money as payment (the myYearbook virtual currency). There’s a simulated shop where users may buy each other digital presents to transmit over the network. Members also contribute their Lunch Money to a cause close to their hearts. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, myYearbook contributed to the Haiti Relief Fund.
Meetup
Meetup is a website that allows people to organize and attend in-person get-togethers in a wide variety of locations. It facilitates the formation of new groups and the discovery of current ones, with thousands of groups already meeting in person. Every day, people all around the world gather in over 2,000 different organizations with the shared purpose of bettering themselves and their communities.
MyLife
MyLife is a social networking website that was once known as Reunion.com. MyLife is capable of searching more than 60 different social networks and other online resources. MyLife conducts online searches and provides fast, relevant results. If you don’t locate the person you’re looking for right away, MyLife will keep looking and notify you with new information. Based on your profile and contact list, MyLife will propose people you may already know. When someone else is trying to locate you, it may be quite unsettling. MyLife provides an overview of 50 of the most prominent social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, and more.
Flixster
In other words, Flixster is Facebook for film buffs. Individual profiles may be made, friends can be invited, movies and actors can be rated, and reviews can be written. Moviegoers may find showtimes, images of their favorite stars, news about the newest releases in the film industry, and even snippets from their favorite series and movies to watch right on the site. Flixster.com also has top-rated movie apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
myHeritage
MyHeritage combines a social network with a genealogical database to serve families. Members may set up their own websites, upload photos and videos, plan gatherings, build family trees, and look for distant relatives. The website supports more than 35 languages, has more than 15 million family trees, and 91 million photographs.
Multiply
Multiply is a bustling, social shopping destination that is both quick and easy to use. A user’s network includes not just their first-degree ties, but also their acquaintances and coworkers. Relationship-based content sharing is made feasible when users are prompted to identify the nature of their connection to one another. The Multiply Marketplace is a popular choice for many consumers in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Orkut
Orkut is a free social networking service that allows users to establish profiles, add friends, keep online scrapbooks, discuss hobbies through the site’s features and apps, and meet new people via these means. If you want to use Orkut, you need to prove that you’re at least 18 years old. Orkut now has the largest user base in Brazil. Orkut has almost as many users in India as it has in the United States, where it was first launched.
Sonico
Sonico is a no-cost social networking platform designed specifically for users in Latin America. Search for and add new friends, chat through instant messaging, edit your profile and privacy settings, share pictures and videos, create and attend group events, and play games with other users are just some of the many activities you may partake in on this site. In addition, Sonico gives its users greater freedom to manage their online personas by separating their public, private, and professional lives into separate sections. Latin America and other Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions frequent this website.
Badoo
Badoo is a social networking platform available in several languages. It is becoming more well-liked in developing economies such as Russia and Brazil. Free of charge, members may set up accounts, communicate with one another, and grade one another’s profile images. Nevertheless, there is a fee associated with using the features that boost a user’s profile’s exposure to other members of the site. One of Badoo’s features is the ability to pinpoint a user’s location through an examination of their Internet protocol (IP) address. Users may find out whether there are potential meet-up partners in their immediate vicinity.
Wer-kennt-wen
In Germany, Wer-kennt-wen is among the most visited social networks. This social media platform is invite-only and restricted to users aged 14 and above. The website allows visitors to post blogs, have conversations with other users, and sign a guestbook. Users are given access to a social network where they may communicate with anybody they want.
Gaia Online
Gaia Online is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) with social networking features. With everything from completely editable profiles and avatars to discussion forums and virtual cities, it is the go-to social networking site for teenagers and young adults. It’s a great place to hang out with friends and meet new people that share your passions for things like video games, art, and anime.
BlackPlanet
BlackPlanet was originally conceived as a platform for African-American businesspeople to connect with one another. Since then, it has developed into a more fully functional Web 2.0 site. Members may check out one other’s blogs, see music videos, engage in real-time conversation, post job listings, and share and debate current events. While BlackPlanet is open to everybody, people of African descent seem to use the site the most. Around 200,000 prospective Obama backers were brought together using this site.
iWiW
International Who is Who, or iWiW for short, is a popular Hungarian social networking website. Personal information is collected on this invitation-only website. Users may use the built-in search function to look for familiar faces. Users may access other websites using their iWiW credentials. The iPone and Android versions of iWiW are both accessible.
Cyworld
The Cyworld social network was developed in South Korea. It has greatly influenced Koreans’ online lifestyle. Many well-known Korean socialites and celebrities maintain profiles, where they announce planned appearances and releases. Cyword is gaining traction in countries all around Asia and the Pacific, including South Korea, China, and Vietnam, where it has established network presences. Users may create a profile, add photographs, drawings, and graphics, customize an avatar, join communities, and participate in clubs.
Hyves.nl
Pronounced “hives” (after beehives), Hyves is the most popular social network in the Netherlands. Using Hyves Payments and Hyves Games, you can send money to pals on the platform and play games together. Hyves has all the standard features of a social media platform, such as user profiles, blogs, picture galleries, etc. The term “Hyven” (Hyving) has entered the Dutch lexicon and is gaining use elsewhere in Europe.
Millat Facebook
MillatFacebook is a social network that focuses on the Muslim community. While it first appeared in Pakistan, its popularity has spread to other Arab countries. As Facebook was blocked in Pakistan, this alternative platform began to take shape. A user’s profile on Millatfacebook may be personalized and enhanced with video chat, bulletin boards, blogs, polls, a shout box, and more. Page CSS and design are completely up to the discretion of the members.
Ibibo
iBuild, iBond is the acronym for “ibibo.” It’s an online community for people in India. It’s a social networking hub that houses several sub-sites for various purposes. Games, blogs, limitless picture storage, email, instant messaging, videos, free short message service (SMS), email, polls, and surveys are all part of the package.
Mixi
Mixi is a Japanese-only app. Mixi allows users to create and join groups, as well as invite their friends, as well as meet new people and exchange messages, write in a journal, read and comment on the diaries of others, and more. Non-Japanese residents are unable to access the site since they do not have a Japanese mobile phone.
SkyRock
Members of SkyRock.com, a social networking service, may make use of free web space to start blogs, fill up personal profiles, and communicate with other users. Members may also showcase their unique musical creations in a dedicated blog area. France and other French-speaking countries like Switzerland and Belgium are major consumers of SkyRock. The website may be seen in not only English, but also German, Dutch, and Spanish. In the European Union, it has widespread acclaim.
PerfSpot
With PerfSpot, individuals of all ages, genders, and walks of life can come together to talk about the things they love on the internet. PerfSpot is now available in 37 languages, and a staff of moderators in the United States and the Philippines reviews a million photos every day.
Nasza-Klasa.pl
In Poland, nasza-klasapl is among the most popular social media platforms. The primary attendees are current and former pupils. Due of its inaccessibility to anybody outside of Poland and the Polish-speaking world, the site is only available im that language. Yet, it asserts itself as Poland’s most visited social networking site, and has therefore established a foothold in a crowded market. This is a site where new and old collide; it has the interactivity of a social network like Facebook but the structure of older forums.
IRC-Galleria
For more than a decade, IRC Gallery has been one of Finland’s most popular social networking sites, with more than 5.5 million registered members, 90% of whom use the site on a regular basis. The 18-22 demographic is the most active on IRC-Galleria. The administrator must approve of at least one of your submitted photographs before you can proceed with creating an account. Although standard users are limited to uploading just 60 viewable photographs at a time, you may pay to become a VIP and have access to uploading up to 10,000 images. You may talk to other people, comment on photographs, and sign up for more than a hundred different communities all via this one website.
StudiVZ
When it comes to German social networks, StudiVZ is by far the most popular. The German-speaking nations of Switzerland and Austria also enjoy its widespread popularity. This website serves as a student directory, especially for those enrolled in higher education throughout Europe. Students may create a profile on the site with information about themselves, such as their name, age, major, hobbies, classes, and group affiliations (within StudiVZ).
Xing, formerly openBC/Open Business Club, is a platform for business networking. Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France are just a few of the nations where it is widely consumed. Xing is an alternative to LinkedIn that boasts members from over 200 different countries. Users may choose between Xing’s free Basic plan and the paid Premium plan, based on their preferences. English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Dutch, Chinese, Finnish, Swedish, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, and Hungarian are just some of the languages that you may find it in.
Renren
One of the major social networking sites in China, Renren (previously Xiaonei Network) is mostly used by persons of Chinese ancestry. The majority of college students read it. Mobile phone users may also access Renren through the WAP version. It provides its users with a way to communicate in real time. The Renren and Kaixin login processes use the same username. Both Renren and Kaixin001 are popular in China, although Renren is more popular among college students who frequent internet cafés.
Kaixin001
In China, many businesspeople use Kaixin001 to connect with one another. White-collar middle-class people who live in a first-tier city are the usual consumers of Kaixin’s. Workers in MNCs, ad agencies, and other “white collar” businesses in China go to this site in droves. As a result of the Chinese government’s 2009 ban on prominent social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, the popularity of Kaixin001 has skyrocketed.
Zorpia
Zorpia.com has a sizable and diverse user base from all over the world. Zorpia allows users to tailor their profiles, make connections, and do exhaustive searches. Popular singers such as Ashlee Simpson, Vanessa Hudgens, Alanis Morissette, and more may be found in Zorpia’s extensive music library. A Royal Membership is $10 a month and includes ad-free access, premium profile editing tools, and unlimited private messaging.
Netlog
Belgian social networking site Netlog (previously Facebox and Bingbox) caters to young people throughout Europe. You may make your own website on Netlog and share it with your friends by adding a blog, images, videos, events, and more. In terms of pageviews, Netlog dominates the markets in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, and Turkey. Netlog has the number two spot in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Portugal. Netlog dominates the European market. In order to accommodate users from all around the globe, Netlog has been translated into more than 25 different languages.
Tuenti
Tuenti is a closed social networking platform accessible only via invitation. Several people who keep tabs on social networks have started referring to it as the “Spanish Facebook.” In Spain, it is among the most popular social media platforms. You may create a profile, add pictures and videos, share links, and communicate with friends. The ability to create events is only one of several tools available. In 2009, Tuenti added a straightforward interface that allowed users to choose between Catalán, Basque, Galician, and English. There is also an iPhone app for Tuenti.
This list is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive. You might provide your ideas to the same. In the space provided below, I invite you to express your thoughts. Soon, I will update the list while keeping your comments in mind.
