The Top 10 Websites like Facebook

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Social media is infiltrating the planet. Facebook has been the leader in this industry for almost a decade; but what if your relationship has soured with the platform? The company has made many changes over the years regarding security and advertising that have frankly, miffed a lot of people. Many have even quit the program due to this, but slowly find themselves trickling back for lack of a good alternative. Where can you turn for your newsfeed fixes, see what your friends ate for breakfast, or post about your break up? There are plenty of other websites like Facebook. However, there are approximately ten that truly stand out. #1) Google+ This application is considered the front runner in competitors for Facebook, and is owned and operated by Google, Inc. In January 2013, they surpassed Twitter as the second largest social networking site in the world. The invite only site has amassed over 350 million active users since its inception in 2011. Amongst other websites like Facebook, it stands out because it also combines aspects of Twitter. The social platform is the same in the sense that you can find your friends and family, share pictures, post videos and make comments. In addition, just like Twitter, you can follow people, including those you don’t know, like celebrities. Unlike Twitter, however, there are no word limits to your posts. The best part of all is that you can include different groups of family and friends, known as “circles” and post to them all separately. #2) Twitter Not only is Twitter a social network, but it is also a micro blogging service. This type of platform is particularly useful for individuals that lead very busy lives, but still want to update their friends, family, or fan base. People can choose to “follow” other users. This allows for someone to subscribe to a feed of tweets from individuals. Just as one can follow, they may also be followed. The site was established in 2006 and currently has over 500 million registered users. The posts are limited to 140 characters long and are called “Tweets.” Users can also group together posts by type or topic using what is known as a “Hash tag.” This is represented by a word (it can be a phrase with no spaces) with“#” in front of it. The “@” placed in front of a username can be used to mention and reply to other users. Common hash tags are often displayed on a feed to the left of the dashboard. When it comes to the top ten websites like Facebook, Twitter is great for a quick 2 cents. #3) LinkedIn This social platform is more specifically geared towards professionals and is used mainly for business networking. LinkedIn has acquired more than 225 million users in more than 200 countries and territories, and is available in 20 languages. One of the main features of the site is to allow users to keep a list of Connections with people whom they have had a past business relationship. Unlike the other sites, users can invite anyone, but if they get turned down with an “I don’t know” it counts against them. LinkedIn is also unique in that it is a job marketplace, and is often used as leverage in job interviews. It contains its own Q&A section that is supported by the community. The yolk of this platform, however, still involves social networking. #4) Pinterest Think of pinning a photo to a tack board. That is basically how this site operates. Of the top 10 websites like Facebook, this is by far the most visual. In fact, it is mostly comprised of photos that are shared across boards, with small captions underneath. Users can post or “pin” on each other’s board, much like the wall on Facebook. Images can also be categorized and users may follow one another. It also inspires a lot of shopping and provides more referral traffic to retailers than Google+, LinkedIn, or YouTube. #5) Instagram Much like Pinterest, Instagram is a platform to share photos. What differs, however, is that these are mostly candid, and not stock footage. It allows users to upload and edit pictures, as well as share them to other platforms on this list. The main feature of this social network is the extensive ability to edit and play with your pictures, unlike any other program involving a social platform. It saves people the time from having to download, edit, and then upload a picture. Started in 2010, by April of 2012, the site had over a 100 million active viewers. #6) Yelp This site is perhaps one of the only social networking sites that incorporates a sense of real life. Users log on to write reviews about any place they have eaten, travelled, slept, etc. These reviews show up in a main feed on the user’s profile, in which other people can privately comment, or reward you with a compliment. There are also statistics on the ratings for your reviews. This is entirely unique to Yelp. Like most other social media sites, people can also upload pictures, which they usually post with their reviews. Yelp is considered one of the top ten websites like Facebook due to the fact that they encourage users to display their real name, picture, and information. This simultaneously adds validity to any reviews posted. #7) MySpace Once the king of all social media, they have now rebranded themselves as strictly musical, and cater to a young audience. The site still has over 100 million users and contains features like: a streaming music player, personal radio stations, and even a tool to create animated gifs. Users can still “comment” to each other and much like Facebook, they can post to a “bulletin board” where all their friends and family can see it. #8) Tumblr This is considered one of the websites like Facebook in the sense that users can post multimedia content, in an open space that others may view. What differs, is that Tumblr is geared more toward writers and bloggers. Users post their content in a short form blog and may follow other’s as well. The features can be accessed in a main dashboard where people can also comment on the blogs that they follow. As of 2013, Tumblr hosts over 140 million blogs. #9) YouTube This is somewhat of a social media platform in disguise. Founded by three former employees of PayPal in 2005, and sold to Google the next year, the site has more than 800 million unique users a month. Users can upload videos, which others may comment on and interact in a thread. Uploaded videos are kept in a feed on the user’s profile, as well as a section for where and what they commented on. Users can create playlists of their favorite videos and even create channels that other users can subscribe to. Uploaded videos can be up to 15 minutes long, unless a person has a verified account then YouTube allows up to 12 hours. #10) Foursquare The newest in social networking, Foursquare is the only one of the websites like Facebook that is based off of a GPS system. Known as a “location-based” application, users can post their whereabouts at a venue and meet up with friends. It’s the latest technology in terms of reintegrating a physically social interaction, into how we relate in modern times. Users are encouraged to be highly specific about their check-ins, and can even post a floor level. Check-ins may then be shared across other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As of 2012, over 2 billion check-ins have been posted on Foursquare. Source - http://www.businessbiscotti.co.uk/forum/6-business-social-networking/1875-the-top-10-websites-like-facebook.html