Social networking is a phenomenon that seems recent on the internet with sites likie ecademy, linkedin, ryze, openbc, orkut, craigslist, friendster, and of course myspace. But the nature of networking with others has been around for thousands of years as individuals gathered in communities and expanded their base of friends. It's through the technology advancements, though, that worldwide networking with people you choose is being made easier every day.

The website MySpace is a community that has arisen in the last few years as a result of a need in the marketplace for an easy to use, customizable, fluid, multimedia rich, and fun place to hang out. Preteens, teens, and college age students have flocked to MySpace in droves, with the intent of creating a space for themselves on the web, expanding their network for social purposes, and being entertained along the way.

The MySpace platform is now used by tens of thousands of young adults daily, has a high ranking in sites like Alexa, and has retained a very loyalty effect, meaning that users frequently come back to the platform to add to their sites and connect or reconnect with those who also gather there.

One of the most useful features of MySpace is the ability to add in skins and overlays to add flavor to your site. There are many individuals and websites out there that enable easy customization of this online community. Along with visual customization of your site, it's also useful to include audio. This audio can be in the form of a message you leave for visitors or by adding in clips from your favorite music. Another great way to add flavor to your site is through the addition of content that reflects your personality, interests, thoughts, and basic views on the world. And by searching for users with similar interests and developing a connection with them, you can expand your networking.

In order to develop a connection with those you network with, it's best to keep in mind how to add value to the relationship you have with them. In other words, how can you benefit them or their site? Perhaps you know of someone they should meet and you want to make an introuction, or you know of other music similar to what they've posted on their site, or you have a perspective on some content they've included. It's through these sharings that you could not only increase the quantity of networking, but also the quality of networking that you're doing.

The skills in networking that young adults gain by using a site like MySpace are ones that will stay with them their whole life, enabling them eventually to maybe meet a mate, develop a fulfilling career, or establish lifelong friends.

By keeping in mind the principles of customizing content and developing a unique persona, focusing on adding value to relationships established online through speaking to what benefits them, and networking with a long-term view in mind for creating connecxtioins both with those you have a lot in common with and those you may not at first glance, the investment of time and effort you put into MySpace can pay off for the future as well.