There are numerable social networks out there. Some have profiles and some don't. Facebook and MySpace are very similar except that Facebook has a wider appeal to professionals. LinkedIn is strictly for connecting via business profiles. Twitter is a social networking site that is unlike the others so deserves a special mention.

Facebook

This social network began as a way for college students to connect with other college students in their university network. It took its name from the black book that many college students used to keep track of each other. Now, this has outgrown its original roots and allows anyone in, whether you are in a University or not. However, you only have access to the collegiate networks if you are a student attending that particular college or university.

Facebook follows the pattern of profile, friends, and community groups. It's main advantage is that it also has a marketplace where you can sell your products and places to buy advertisement to widen your audience. It is free to set up the profile and to use the marketplace for classified ads. There is a way to list links to your websites and RSS feeds on your profile page. Also, using regular updates from your blog or newsfeed can pull people off Facebook to you blog and eventually to the products on your site. Be sure to check out the applications that are installed separately. There are many there that can help you connect more or create better business opportunities.

LinkedIn, This social networking site has a far more business-like and professional flavor. It is noted for helping people network to find new jobs or business opportunities. You will find industry experts and business partners here. There is far less of a capacity to market, but it still is a tremendous place to network with other influential players in your industry. It is well-known and used quite widely.

Twitter, One of the ways to build a network is to constantly stay in touch with people. As your network increase from less than 50 to over hundreds, this task may seem harder and harder to do if you are a member of multiple social networks. That's where Twitter comes in. You can update people on multiple networking sites all about your moment-to-moment activities, if that's what you want.

There have been people who used this site when they were getting fired or laid off, giving blow by blow details of the termination process, and through the power of social networking had a job again only a few hours later. Why? The people on the social networking sites found their story so compelling it created a vortex of energy to try to help this individual. Twitter has a way of hooking people in to a constant stream of news, much like a soap-opera.