Social Networking: orkut, Facebook...And More

23 February, 2009. It's precisely 3 years I've been on orkut. Now how on earth did I get that??? See, I've this penchant for remembering dates - significant, insignificant, altogether! :-P Even my previous post ably supports this, doesn't it? :-) For the last post, I can proudly and surely say, it was 'significant'! Coming to the topic of the post, the impact of Social Networking websites cannot be exaggerated. There are orkut and Facebook (really, the more popular ones in the “jungle" out there!) which are pure play Social Networking websites. I hear LinkedIn has a rather professional feel to it and the layout of the site itself is resume-like. Also, it includes a feature which enables your present/past colleagues to recommend you and talk about how the experience of working with you was. And if this wasn't enough, to my utter amazement, I came across this blog-post which talked about Professional Networking sites where even your “friends” can write recommendations for you. Hmm…would that be “Socio-Professional” networking?! :D Anyway, for the inquisitive minds, the site in question is Doostang.com (Yes, the “Socio-Professional” networking website!). A friend of mine, who has this habit of signing-up on all possible networking websites, had mailed me this comment he read on the above mentioned website - "I want a program for managing my profiles on Social Networks!" :O Okay, I hope my geekier buddies are reading this; unless there are some that have already been created. Networking, I agree, is a must. I can vouch for that personally, as it has helped me a lot with all the new friends and the social contacts. And by friends, I really mean by the term. Not those who click on any random profile for a 'Friend Request' just to make his/her 'Friends list' swell :-( Weird it may seem, but a couple of my good-friends are those who I haven't met in person - fellow Tennis/Roger freaks, music aficionados, Quizzers etc. the common thread among us. On the other hand, many of my contacts say that they are bored with orkut or rather with the Networking websites. "Do nothing but 'orkutting' (eavesdropping included) for better part of the day and the boredom is bound to set-in guys" :-X Then I've heard some complaining that - "I meet all those in my 'friends list' daily, so what more do I chat while on orkut?" Sorry, I don't know. I was quite content with orkut until I joined Facebook and realized that it offers a lot more than orkut. What my 'blogger-friends' liked best was that you could integrate your WordPress blog into Facebook so your posts and comments can pretty much be on your Profile page on Facebook. Besides, there are a lot of other nice applications and widgets that you can drag-and-drop onto your profile — including integration with del.icio.us - a Social Bookmarking website. (Those interested can visit my Facebook profile :-P ) With all this, I realise that very soon we need a new Lexicon with some 100 new terms starting with the word 'Social'! Amen to that! So, eventually the point after all this blabbering is that I'm pretty much happy and satisfied with this entire "Social Networking" thingy! :D Though, I'm not really sure, whether to term this date as 'significant' or insignificant; unlike the previous one :-S