Think Beyond MySpace and Facebook.

Besides MySpace and Facebook, here are some other Web 2.0 social networking sites you should pay close attention to. This is from, Your Home Biz Partner, Cliff Teo.



BlackPlanet - It is the fifth highest trafficking
social-networking site, which is quite remarkable
considering that it primarily caters to the African American
community. The time spent by members on the website is 300%
more than the minutes spent on all its competitors combined!



Bebo - Although based in the US, Bebo has a stronger
following in the UK and virtually provides the same services
as MySpace.



Orkut - Most popular in India and Brazil, Orkut was initially
developed by Google as a by-invitation-only social networking
site. One of its unique features is letting users create their
own forums or what they refer to as "communities". Internet
research firm Alexa has however described Orkut as having
already reached its peak membership rate in 2006.



Hi5 - This social networking site is most popular in South and
Central America, excluding Brazil of course, and including a
few other countries like Romania and Mongolia. Some simply
think of Hi5 as the Latin version of MySpace. Being one of the
first few social networking sites to offer its services in
Spanish had greatly helped in establishing its name.



Skyrock Blog - Most popular with French-speaking communities,
this was formerly known as Skyblog. Unlike other social
networking sites, however, Skyrock Blog is primarily a
personal political forum and most of the content revolve on
social injustices and other dilemmas experienced by French
youth.



Friendster - This social networking website was what started
it all. Although based in the US, its user base lies however
in Southeast Asia or Philippines in particular. The LA Times
had reported that approximately 87% Filipinos were users of
Friendster. With the addition of other languages, it is also
the second most visited website in Malaysia, Indonesia, and
Singapore.



Cyworld - Dubbed as the future of social networking, this
South Korea based website utilizes a game-like social network
that lets you pay for clothes, furniture, and accessories. Its
Karmic elements also let you know what the "world" thinks of
you.



XuQa - This is what Facebook could be if it were allowed to be
even slightly "racier". It focuses on recruiting college
students and also uses a game-like social network. Although its
current membership is about 1/7th of Facebook, this website
definitely shows a lot of promise!



Choosing a Web 2.0 Social Networking Site


If ever you're placed in the position to choose the ideal social
networking site, just focus on looking for Web 2.0
characteristics such as excellent networking features,
user-friendliness and functionality of API's, and flexibility in
creation, management, and usage of content.