Popular Social Media Websites
Social media managers create accounts on popular social media websites to interact with audience members, gain followers and study consumer behavior. Below is an overview of the popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare and Groupon.The main feature of Facebook is to allow users to exchange messages, make friends, stay connected and to become part of "like pages." Like pages, which were originally called "fan pages," are widely used by companies and organizations for advertising purposes.
Digg
Digg is a type of social bookmarking site, also called a social news site, created for people to share and explore the latest news from any site on the Web.Users can create profiles, submit links for stories and maintain bookmarks of specific topics. Members of Digg can vote on stories and have discussions. Many of the links come from major news sites as well as independent blogs.
Recently, Digg and Facebook launched "Facebook Connect" so that users of both social media sites can connect their accounts. This way, users can share Digg articles on their own Facebook pages.
Twitter members use the site to post personal status updates, links and news stories. The real-time feature of Twitter has been a groundbreaking means of advertising and news sharing.
LinkedIn is also used to find jobs, search for potential candidates, find new ways to connect with hiring managers through mutual contacts, research companies and finally bookmark possible jobs. LinkedIn is a tight network where contact with professionals is only possible through an established relationship or mutual contacts. The goal of the site is to build and maintain trust between members.
Flickr
Flickr is a photo sharing and video hosting site that promotes social networking. The site is primarily used to share personal photographs and promote professional photography. Flickr is also used by bloggers who want to share images they use in their blogs and social media sites.Members of Flickr can sign up for free or Pro accounts to post images and videos. Photos and videos are organized by tags, which allow people to search for and discover images related to specific categories.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing site that allows users to view, upload and share videos. The types of videos shared include user-generated clips, movie and TV clips, commercials, music videos and short videos.Anyone can watch videos on YouTube, but only members can upload and comment. The age requirement to watch potentially offensive videos is 18. Registered users can post comments and have discussions about specific videos. YouTube uses tags to organize videos and to target search queries.
Foursquare
Foursquare is a location sharing social network that can be used by members with GPS-enabled cell-phones. Users can connect with their friends and share where they are located. The key feature of this social media website is to update your location by "checking in." Users can check in by text messaging, applications and using a mobile website.Members of Foursquare can earn points or badges by checking into specific locations. Badges remain on user profiles forever and businesses can use the application for marketing campaigns.
Groupon
Groupon is a group shopping social media site that features worldwide deals every day. Groupon allows each participating market to use one group coupon per day.Once a certain number of Groupon users sign up for the offer, the manufacturer must release the deal to every member in the group. If the minimum requirement for sign-up is not met, the deal is not released to anyone.