Social Networking websites can be found on every corner of the internet. Virtual communities, offering community software to help people to keep in touch with each other, have been popular since the first networking website was developed in 1995. From Classmates, LiveJournal to MySpace, social networking software is available to anyone who has access to the World Wide Web.

Online social networking began to grow in 1995, following the development of Classmates. This virtual community was designed to give members the community software tools they need in order to network with old friends they went to high school with. Classmates set the way for many other social network software providers to create web communities, to help people network with groups of people of their choice. Some popular online networking communities include:

1. MySpace

2. Blogger

3. MSN Groups

Social networking, in basic terms, is one way for a person to easily keep in touch with a group of people. With online social networking, community software is often available for any registered member of the virtual community. Most social network software will include:

1. an email box

2. a place to set up a user profile

3. instant message capabilities

4. photo sharing

5. public message sharing

6. private message sharing

These are not the only features included with some social networking software, but they are the most common features offered.

A major factor that contributes greatly to the growth of social networking online is the convenience and ease that the community software provides. It has never been easier to leave messages for a group of people, or locating people with the same interests and overall goals. Community software tools also enable picture and file sharing with ease. Private messages, as well as public messages, can be left with a few clicks of the mouse! Convenience and ease are proven factors that are aiding in the growth of online social interaction, as well as the increased use of social networking software.

The increased use of the internet is a contributing factor to the popularity growth of social network software. A great number of households have a least one personal computer, pocket computers, and cell phones with internet access as well. This is not to mention that almost every business has a website, and offer their products and services online. The popularity of the internet itself is helping the popularity growth of online social networking, as well as the software, that these virtual communities offer to their registered members.

MySpace is currently ranked the most popular website offering social networking software with membership, with over 38 million registered users who are unique. This means that MySpace has over 38 million "different" users, as opposed to having many of the same users creating different accounts. Although MySpace has come under scrutiny on many news stations, the popularity of the social networking software they offer continues to grow at a very high rate.

Blogger is another very popular social networking community with over 18 million registered unique users. Social network software on this website enables the member to publish entries in his or her "blog" as often as desired. This is only one feature included with the community software tools available with membership to this website. With an 80 percent year to year growth statistic, it is predicted that the popularity of Blogger will continue to rise.

Finally, Facbebook took the college demographic by storm, growing the site into a billion-dollar company in just a few years. The site, originally developed by a student from Harvard, catered to individual colleges. It has since expanded to high schools, and other networks, and has added many new features including classifieds, games, and a developer tools.

In recent years, social network software has begun making its way in an affordable form to the average small business or individual. These powerful and low cost solutions allow individuals to start their own social networking site, with the potential of becoming a huge success. What used to cost tens of thousands of dollars to develop in the early 2000s, now costs only a few hundred dollars, with setup being done in a matter of days. The rise of these sites run by individuals will cause a huge influx in the number of people running and accessing the various types of social networking sites out there today.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that social networking software will continue to grow in popularity. Because of the ease and convenience of community software offered by different virtual communities, many people will continue to take advantage of their use.