Social networking sites can be a lot of fun. College students like to use Facebook.com to connect and build relationships. Teenagers and young college students think Myspace.com is the place to be. Networking sites can also put you in contact with people who share similar interests or who are just plain interesting.
But, as with all great things, there is a darker, more sinister side. Predators lurk, hidden on these sites, ready to lure in unwitting teenagers. Content is posted that is inappropriate. Danger is around every corner?
However, some sites ARE trying to clean up social networking, while keeping it fun.
Facebook requires a school ID to peruse the profiles. You can't even get on the site without this ID. Supersafe!
Mooble.com offers free memberships to their social networking website for adults AND teens. But, the fast growing site has the added benefit of protecting minors from material aimed only at adults.
They've taken a novel approach to adult content. Access to the adults-only material costs a small fee.
?a small price to pay to know that you don't have to worry about whether or not the person you just met is really the age claimed. Besides, the annual access fee is quite small, considering it pays for a live person to view ALL submitted content for inappropriate content.
The effort that Mooble has put into making sure that kids are safe from inappropriate content, and that you are safe from an unpleasant surprise, is remarkable. In order to pay the fee for access to the adult content, the credit card used must be in the member's name.
This is great because most kids under 18 do not have their own credit cards. Plus, there are many teens that would hesitate to take their parent's credit card and then set up a profile in that parent's name.
And, really, most of the time kids just happen upon adult content without meaning to do so. With a site like this, kids are protected, and you can still browse what you want to browse.
Another great thing about this whole Mooble idea is that it keeps kids safe from sexual predators. Social networking sites like myspace.com require that you be at least 16 to sign up. All the kids have to do is list their ages as 16 or older, even if they are not. There are literally thousands of teens and pre-teens that do not meet the My Space age requirements.
But they are on there, regardless, fudging their ages and are vulnerable to perverts who are out there looking for them. In fact, most pedophiles know, all they have to do to search for someone listing their age as 100, and nine times out of ten, it's a youth.
Mooble does not have the same sort of problems because it actively tries to make it difficult for kids to have access to material suitable only for adults.
Keeping kids safe should be a high priority, and sites like Mooble and Facebook, that choose to draw the line between approved and unapproved use of adult content, provide an array of choices that can benefit both adults and kids.
With so many new social networking sites, you may be tempted to overlook the older groups and forums that first started this trend online. Don't! These are a goldmine of targeted traffic that usually attracts people who are webmasters, entrepreneurs, and other people who are technically involved in spreading information on the World Wide Web. So, while joining social networks increases your exposure to the ordinary folk, you can usually find some heavy duty movers and shakers on groups. And, that's where you should be too to gather some of that influence for yourself.
Not only that, but groups are exquisitely narrowed to specific topics and concerns. Where else can you go to a group that is involved solely in the pursuit of all things that deal with Keanu Reeves, or some other film star? Where else will you find an area solely devoted to composting or raising worms? The number of groups on the web is astounding as so is the degree to which they specialize. Since they are so specialized, they make the perfect petri dish to grow exactly the type of connection that brings people who are interested in your products back to your website.
Finally, it's far easier to be noticed in a small group of a few hundred people than it is to be noticed on a social networking site with millions of people. Obviously, the more you participate in a group and contribute to the conversation intelligently, the higher your reputation in that group. Eventually, if you maintain a presence in a group long enough, people start to remember who you are from your older posts and they will start to see you as more of an expert in the topic that the group is discussing. This not only increases your influence in the group, but eventually it increases your influence with the people who are going to be your customers. They will land on your website from links placed in your signature when you posted and they will be more apt to buy from you because they trust you. Groups Galore
So, where are these groups and how do you find them? Groups can be set up by anyone, a major portal online, or even non-profits or other social entrepreneur sites. There are even groups on Facebook that you can join that will allow you to network outside your profile and connected friends. Some groups are started by website owners who offer a membership that includes access to special groups. These aren't free like the others, but if they are highly popular can lead to getting good traffic if you contribute within them content that people admire. If you want to find groups by plugging into a search engine, just add the following into the search box "keyword+groups" to find more groups.
Both Robyn Tippins & Garey Simmons are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Robyn Tippins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parenting, RSS. Robyn Tippins is a freelance writer. See her blog at sleepyblogger.com.. Robyn Tippins's top article generates over 720 views. to your Favourites.
Garey Simmons has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Site promotion and Skin Care. Garey Simmons writes about from his personal experience and from what his. Garey Simmons's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.