Social Networking

The 21^st Century seems to be dominated by `Social Networking Sites` doesn`t it? If you haven`t heard of that phrase yet, you can bet your life you will over the coming months.

The three biggest Websites that I would like to introduce to you are Facebook, YouTube and Squidoo.

The problem with these Websites are that they are targeted at the younger generation, despite the fact they can be used with as much reward, if not more, by the elder (and smarter!) generation. That`s why I have provided a brief introduction to each of them below, I hope they are easily understandable and will get you involved in the `Networking-Scene`.

First off, I will speak about possibly the most popular networking Websites (alongside MySpace.com), Facebook.com. Facebook is designed to enable you to keep in touch with friends from all over the world, and make many new ones at the same time! When you first visit the site, you can follow the simple instructions to set up an account, enter as much or as little information about yourself as you want, then all you need to do is search for people you know using the search bar. Once you have added someone as your `Friend` you can leave messages on their virtual wall, share things like pictures and music with them and much more.

This site has been criticised in the media for ruining peoples real life social lives, but if used in moderation it can be a handy tool for keeping in touch with family and friends, showing off your latest holiday snaps and getting to know like-minded people from across the globe!

The general stigma and stereotype that surrounds Facebook is that it should only be used by the younger generation, the older people cannot get to grips with a PC and should stay away from such things. This of course, is a load of nonsense, many people over 50 can use a PC and if there is a Website that enables simple communication all over the world, then why shouldn`t you get involved?

Next is YouTube.com, it`s possible you`ve heard of YouTube either on the TV or in the newspaper, probably related to some scandal such as the demise of the music industry. YouTube is basically a Website that allows its users to upload (post) videos that anyone with an internet connection can see. It also includes a comment section beneath each video encouraging its users to get involved in a discussion regarding its content. The problems that do occur with YouTube are when illegal content is uploaded, such as copyrighted music, although recently the majority of this has been taken down and is now under control (unless it`s of benefit to the artist who gets publicity and album sales through links in the video).

Why would you want to use it? Think of all those programmes on TV you used to watch but can`t get hold of, there`s a good chance they are on YouTube. How about them old classics, Elvis and The Beatles – it`s a certainty that you will be able to find videos on YouTube with some of your old favourites. Another useful reason for using YouTube could be that you have some old (or new) videos of holiday`s etc. that you could upload to the Website, and show to the rest of your family (wherever they may be). Don`t be afraid to use YouTube because of the copyright problem, just make sure you don`t upload any of it yourself!

Squidoo is the third and final Social Networking Website I`m going to introduce you to. Squidoo is basically a collection of almost a million pages built by literally anyone! It`s completely free,the same as Facebook and YouTube, and allows you to search through pages of information to find something or someone you might be interested in. When you `Join the Community` as they put it, you can set up your own page with absolutely anything you want displaying on it, it might be your love of horses, or your love of photography, it can be absolutely anything you want it to be.

If you`re interested in setting up a page to make money for charity, teach guitar lessons or show off a passion of yours then Squidoo is for you. It doesn`t stop with 1 page, you can create as many as you like, and is a very easy and rewarding substitute for creating your own website.