Social Marketing – The Wave of the Future

As you have browsed the internet over the past few years you may have noticed a change in websites. Modern websites are making a shift to more user generated content, allowing users to connect in ways never before popular. Rather than going through the difficulties of producing original content that only has a chance of catching on, social sites allow users to select the very best of a large selection of content. Let’s take a look at some of the major types of social media sites.

Friend Sites

The most popular types of social media sites in modern times are those based upon the “friend” structure. Under this model users set up a profile page with basic information about themselves accompanied by photo galleries, songs, and other personal tidbits. Users can then browse the profiles of others, befriending real life friends in addition to those they have met online. Major examples of this type of site include Myspace and Facebook, the #6 and #8 most visited sites, respectively. Myspace currently has over 100 million users, with Facebook clocking in at just over 60 million. (Check all of these facts). To explore these types of sites futher be sure to check out our Facebook section and Myspace section.

Voting Sites

This type of site is fast gaining in popularity and is revolutionizing the way the younger generation reads news. With this model users upload items of interest, such as articles, videos and photographs, which other users then vote on. After an item receives a certain number of votes it moves to the front page of the website, making the item exponentially more popular. The majority of these sites also allow users to establish profiles and befriend others as well, but do not focus on user profiles. Major examples of this type of site include Digg, Reddit, and Fark. To learn more about these sites read our guide to social marketing.