Reverse Social Networking
Blogs and Social Networks Move Over MySpace and Facbook
Move over MySpace and Facebook, people are starting to lose the “taste” for the really big Social Networks and want to “Have it Their Way”, you know, hold the pickle, a bit more ketchup, but in this case… Lets turn a “Huge Group” from MySpace or Facebook into a Social Network! Instead of visiting a Mass Social Network to find your group, you will either create your own Group Social Network or join an existing one centered around your interest!
Sort of “Reverse Social Networking” but if you give it some thought, it is really the way it was going in the beginning. Take a look at how Forum sites got started, by topic, by a group of like minded individuals, seekers of conversation :)
The Forum would usually cover a broad topic and each conversation or “thread” would then funnel the topic down to a more specific conversation title. Well, thats whats happening and with a Bang at the Blog Social Networks like Ning and Wetpaint!
People are gathering all of their chosen “colored blocks” from the Internet bin and putting them all in a handy sorting tank set up as a Blog Social Network. What am I saying about these bin blocks? Each category or “color” block, sorted out into music, sports, business, photography, art, beach lovers, snowmen, or any topic really is either kept as a large category or narrowed down even further into sub categories. All blue blocks for instance, or all sky blue blocks. Sub categories could include things like a specific band or music style, a type of health and wellness business, a site for marketing or a site for marketing home based businesses, computer software or software specific to learning.
Blog Social Networks or group topic Social Networks are growing by leaps and bounds and are quite on fire these days, where about a year or so ago they were usually smaller sites interactive with existing reality groups, meaning teachers and their students, sports teams, hobbyists in the here and now who get together regularly to meet but needed a site to communicate through when they were apart.
The Wikis at Wetpaint and the Group Social Ning Networks are varied and cover many topics. Over one million Wetpaint Wikis today and growing and many Ning sites as well. Most sites like this have a discussion or forum area, messaging between members, friending capabilities, a personal profile area, community home page, a page to keep you up to date with the sites “Whats New”, pretty much the same sorts of set ups as the MySpace and Facebook mega sites.
The drawbacks are minimal at this point, but some of these drawbacks to the “Minor” Social Networks can be devastating. What if the owner of the site suddenly decides to shut it down? Yes, delete it off the Internet. Well, it happens but this leaves you with the choice to then create your own. This particular drawback does not and will not readily happen with the MySpaces and Facebooks of the net.
The “Have It Your Way” Blog Social Networks are cool to join because you are focused upon attendance. For instance, at a “Major” Social Network like MySpace, you are generally on different discussion topics with many different types of friends. Some may be business type friends, some are in the gardening group you belong to, some talk to you about photography, others you met through Twitter or through blogging. So, you are faced with many topics and many people all at the same time instead of talking about only one or two subjects and focusing on the issues. After about an hour or so (maybe less), you may feel a bit scattered with the larger Social Networks.
With the smaller “Have It Your Way” Blog Social Networks, there is a given discussion line. You visit these sites to see whats happening on that particular topic, not scattered through a realm of topical discussion at a “Major” Social Network. Are you planning to visit New York, New York City, or Central Park? Are you going to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida or the Magic Kingdom? A much more narrow spectrum where you can usually find the information you seek quite readily with the Blog Social Networks.
I have found a few very good ones that I will list below:
http://www.LearnMarketingSuccess.ning.com
http://www.GenericMLM.info
http://www.SantaLiveNow.ning.com
Blog Nut Community
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CU At The Beach!
Stephanie Haile aka Wavecritter Google Me ;)
