Alternatively known as a virtual community or profile site, a social network is a website that brings people together to talk, share ideas and interests, or make new friends. This type of collaboration and sharing is known as social media. Unlike traditional media, created by no more than ten people, social media sites contain content created by hundreds or millions of different people. Below is a small list of social networks used today.

Examples of social networks

  • BeReal ( https://bereal.com ) - The first social network that helps show the real you by randomly prompting you to get real and post a photo of what you’re doing at that random time.
  • Classmates ( https://www.classmates.com ) - One of the largest websites for connecting high school friends and keeping in touch with them and future reunions.
  • DeviantArt ( https://www.deviantart.com ) - A social media platform for sharing original artwork.
  • Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com ) - The most popular social networking website on the Internet. Facebook is a popular destination for users to set up personal space and connect with friends, share pictures, share movies, talk about what you’re doing, etc.
  • Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com ) - A mobile photo-sharing service and application available for the iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone platforms.
  • LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com ) - One of the best, if not the best, locations to connect with current and past coworkers and potential future employers.
  • Mastodon ( https://joinmastodon.org ) - A free, federated, social microblogging service with over two million users. Any Mastodon user can operate a node (social subdomain) with its own theme and rules.
  • Mix ( https://mix.com ) - Another popular community of Internet users who vote for web pages they like and dislike. Mix also allows users to create personal pages of interesting sites. See the StumbleUpon definition for additional information about this social network.
  • MySpace ( https://myspace.com ) - Once one of the most popular social networks and viewed website on the Internet. See the MySpace definition for further information about this service.
  • Pinterest ( https://www.pinterest.com ) - A popular picture and sharing service that allows anyone to share pictures, create collections, and more.
  • Reddit ( https://www.reddit.com ) - Community of registered users (redditors) submits content that is upvoted by the community. Reddit has a subreddit (board) for almost every category.
  • Snapchat - A smartphone app that focuses on portrait photos and videos that disappear after being received.
  • Tumblr ( https://www.tumblr.com ) - A microblogging platform with social networking capabilities.
  • Twitter ( https://twitter.com ) - Another fantastic service that allows users to post 280-character long posts from their phones and on the Internet. A fantastic way to get the pulse of what’s happening worldwide.
  • Yik Yak - Smartphone social network that connects users that are physically close to each other.
  • YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com ) - An excellent network of users posting video blogs or vlogs and other fun and exciting videos.

Why do people use social networks?

Social networks help people stay connected with their friends and family and find what everyone is doing. Social networks can also be used to find interesting things on the Internet, as your friends and family likely share many of your interests.

  • Examples of social networks
  • Why do people use social networks?
  • What was the first social media website?
  • What is the most popular social network today?
  • How do I create an account on a social network?
  • What social networks does Computer Hope use?
  • Related information.

Due to their increased popularity amongst children and teenagers, some social networking sites have become a popular location for online predators. Parents should always be active with their children and aware of what they are doing while online.

What was the first social media website?

The Bolt.com social networking website was created in 1996 by Jane Mount and Dan Pelson. Although it is not considered the first true social media website, it technically was the first to be created. It was officially shut down in October 2008.

The first true social media website is considered to be SixDegrees.com, created in 1997 by Andrew Weinreich. SixDegrees.com is still in operation today and is available at http://sixdegrees.com.

Today, Facebook is still the largest and most popular social network, with over one billion users.

How do I create an account on a social network?

Creating a new account for a social network differs for each social network. In general, visit the social network website where you want an account and look for a “Sign Up” or “Create New Account” link.

Follow the account creation steps to create your new account. You will likely need to provide your name, age range, and e-mail address at a minimum. Additional information may be required, depending on the requirements of the social network.

What social networks does Computer Hope use?

We try to be as active as possible on the following social network pages.

  • Computer Hope on Facebook
  • Computer Hope on Twitter
  • Computer Hope on Pinterest
  • Computer Hope on YouTube

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