Social networking is one of the most prominent activities people engage in when they log onto the Internet. What started off years ago as bulletin boards and other styles of message boards, initiated in the early platforms of networks such as America Online, has evolved and developed into so much more.

Today's social networks extend far beyond simple messages being exchanged back and forth between members.

In modern online social networks people have the ability to share photos, videos, websites, play interactive games, private message one another and much more, all done from one interface. There is no more navigating between different applications in order to share information.

Not only is the ease of sharing more efficient, but networking entails the ability to interact with many different people at once. In this day and age there are a multitude of social networks to choose from. Some people focus on one network and get to know their network intimately, while others join multiple networks.

What often lures people into the social networks of their choosing are the features offered and the type of niche interests that the website focuses on that brings people of like minds together. Here are some of the most popular social networking digs on the net:

*Facebook

In 2009 Facebook is on its way to surpassing MySpace as the most popular and highest ranked social network. Just a mere few years ago Facebook was a little known site that catered to colleges where only a few niche groups of the Internet community visited.

In 2006 membership was opened to the general public and popularity began to soar. Suddenly in the last two years from 2008-09, Facebook began more than a serious major player, it began to dominate the social networking scene.

All of a sudden people began opening Facebook accounts, but still very much participating in both MySpace. Over the course of time people began to abandon their MySpace accounts in favor of Facebook which is likely one of the reasons why Facebook is now positioned to become the most popular social networking website.

Facebook's popularity continues to explode and significant growth in membership continues to occur.

*MySpace

Still hanging in the top three most popular social networks, and to date still the most popular social networking site in the U.S., statistics suggest that 2009 is going to be MySpace's last year at the top of the social networking trend.

MySpace has been fighting a tough competition with Facebook in recent years and the way things look is going to topple to #2, but still manages to stay a major player, and #2 is not too shabby considering the number of different social networking websites on the Internet.

*Friendster

Once a lot more prominent as a social network, Friendster is still in the top 5, despite Facebook and MySpace's popularity, Friendster is not down and out just yet. The site is still tremendously popular in Asia and only in mid-2009 did statistics begin to show Facebook edging in on its territory.

Many people in the U.S. still connect through Friendster and chances are this site will still be around for a while if it comes up with some new ways to reinvent itself to become more competitive with Facebook.

*Twitter

Twitter is currently taking the Internet community by storm. While Twitter is not structured the same as other social networking sites, it is bringing many people together in droves who are looking to make connections.

Celebrities use it, friends use it and even businesses are beginning to use 'tweets' as a tool to advertise and promote their products and services. Twitter seems to follow its own set of rules and is a very different model that breaks away from the traditional mold of social networking sites; it will be interesting to see how Twitter evolves as more time passes.

*LinkedIn

What started off as a business networking since has over time evolved into so much more. While LinkedIn's primary focus is still on making business and job related connections, throughout 2008-09 the site began to add many new features to help customize and personalize the user experience to bring it to become a bit more aligned like other social networking sites.

Today's LinkedIn is still very much a professional website, but does have a lot more features that encourage interaction and engaging between members who have connected with one another. LinkedIn is definitely a major player in social networking, even if it isn't necessarily categorized as a "social network".

*Bebo

This social network was purchased by AOL and while not as well known as the some of the other social networks, it has made inroads due to its connection with die-hard AOL members who still tend to use AIM. AOL/AIM member profiles are now linked to Bebo which has given this website a whole new demographic as a part of its overall network.

There are countless of other social networking sites, if you dig around online and perform a few searches, chances are you'll find every kind of niche area you can think of. There's Classmates for those looking to reconnect with their high school, college or military days, Theotaku for those enthralled with animation and Manga or sites like Blogged for those who like to blog and want to have more interaction with other bloggers much like themselves.

Even scholarship sites such as CollegeNET have evolved into a social network of sorts. This site doesn't offer the tools of the traditional network because of the need to keep integrity in the scholarship competition, but the members tend to stick around and support one another to help other students win scholarships and promote ongoing discussions.

Social networks are firmly established as a huge component of the online world and if statistics and percentages of people who enjoy social networks are any indicator, the social networking trend is not likely to end anytime soon.

The above websites are really only a handful of what's out there, and currently MySpace, Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn and Bebo are in the class of some of the most popular social networking sites.

Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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