What defines a social networking site?

If you've shared a Facebook status update, uploaded party photos on Flickr for friends, or made a professional connection through LinkedIn, you've interacted with a social networking site. But what exactly constitutes a social networking site? What are the features that differentiate it from other types of websites? How do these platforms foster online communities and facilitate social networking exchanges?

Some of the first websites resembling today's social networking platforms emerged in the mid-1990s, a time when the Internet was becoming increasingly popular. These early platforms aimed to help users reconnect with old acquaintances or discover connections between themselves and other members.

Friendster emerged in 2002, following a model similar to earlier platforms but adding features such as photo sharing. It quickly became the leading social networking site at the time. However, Friendster's popularity has significantly waned, and it no longer ranks among the top 20 social networking platforms in the United States according to Hitwise. Following Friendster's rise, other platforms like MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Orkut, and Yahoo! 360 appeared, and many other niche social networks targeting specific interests or regions have since been developed.

The concept of online communities predates the 1990s. Early forms of the Internet were used to connect people, with the first online communities being dial-up bulletin-board systems (BBSes), such as The Well and other regional systems. While these initial communities lacked the modern features we associate with social networking sites, they fundamentally revolved around the same idea of bringing together individuals with shared interests.

What Social Networking Sites Do

The distinction between what qualifies as a social networking site and what doesn't can sometimes be unclear. For example, internet message boards enable the creation of online communities, but they typically lack the extensive 'friends list' features typical of true social networking platforms. Some websites may not have social networking as their primary purpose but still fulfill this role. A case in point is Last.fm, a site for tracking music preferences, rating songs, and creating custom music stations. However, since it also allows users to compare tastes, create profiles, and build friends lists, it functions as a social network as well.

To be classified as a social networking site, a website must possess two essential features:

1). The option for users to create personal profile pages, where they can share any information they wish about themselves.

2). The feature that allows users to connect with one another, creating a network of 'friends' or 'contacts' who can access each other's profiles and exchange social networking details.

Many social networking platforms go beyond basic features, offering specialized tools depending on the type of network they serve. For instance, business-focused networks might enable users to upload resumes or provide recommendations. Photo-sharing sites typically include advanced image galleries, alongside features for rating or commenting on others' photos. A site centered on music could automatically sync with users' media players, sharing lists of songs they listen to. With new applications continuously being developed, the capabilities of social networking sites are expanding, providing more ways to interact—and, some argue, less space to escape from them.

What makes some sites more popular than others, and why do some fade over time? If anyone can answer that definitively, they're well on their way to becoming a millionaire. The popularity of a site depends on many complex factors and can vary by demographic. Some platforms thrive with younger users, while others, though lesser-known in the U.S., are popular in different parts of the world.

A decline in popularity can sometimes be linked to a new platform offering better or more appealing features. It can also be tied to shifts within the social networks themselves. For instance, a single user or a group with extensive networks may move to a new site, bringing their entire network along. Since every 'friend' has their own network, the ripple effect can grow exponentially. As an example, while Friendster saw a drop in American users, it gained tremendous popularity in the Philippines. Friendster traced this shift to a user on the west coast of the U.S. who had many contacts in the Philippines [source: Woodard Maderazo].