Types of Social Media

There are several sorts of social media, and many services may fall into more than one category. Here are some examples of some of the most common categories.

Social Networks

Social networks are designed to connect and exchange ideas, thoughts, and material with other people using the network most likely frequently with others who have similar likes and interests. Two examples of Social networks are Facebook and Twitter. There is also LinkedIn which is a professional network that may also be considered a social network. Social networking sites allow you to connect with individuals who share your interests and background, three of the most popular social network websites are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We can connect with our friends, family, and even companies through these platforms. Users may express their ideas, upload images and videos, and join interest groups on most social networking sites.

Media Networks

Unlike social networks, which allow members to communicate by sharing ideas and thoughts, media networks focus on the distribution of material such as images and videos. Users can share several forms of media on media sharing websites, with picture sharing and video hosting services being the most popular.

The majority of these sites also have social aspects, such as the ability to establish profiles and the opportunity to comment on the photographs or videos that have been submitted. These platforms primarily promote user-generated content, in which anybody may produce, curate, and share original content that reflects their interests or sparks debate. Instagram, Vimeo and YouTube are good examples as a reference for media networks. For example, a YouTube user may submit a video, which other users might “like,” “dislike,” or remark on. A viewer may opt to “subscribe” to the creator if they appreciate or love the video content enough to get notified with new videos from that creator uploads by notifications in their feed.

“‘Microblogging’ is the general term for the concept of posting very short status updates as popularized by services like Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com). “(Fiander,2012)

“Microblogging is a form of blogging that limits the size of each post; for instance, Twitter updates can contain only 140 characters”(Saravanakumar & Suganthalakshmi, 2012). Twitter and Facebook are two good examples of microblogging. These are sites that allow users to contribute brief written articles that may include connections to product and service websites as well as links to other social media sites. Posts will then appear on the “walls” Or to anyone who has subscribed to that user’s account. Twitter is the most widely utilized microblogging platform.

Discussion Networks

Posts that can inspire in-depth conversation among users that suitable for discussion networks one can find networks such as Reddit. Users can post lengthy answers in the comment box, and other users may react directly to those remarks, allowing for organic dialogue growth. Although some consider blogging to be its sort of social media, blogging services such as WordPress may be included in the discussion network category.

Medium and Tumblr are two examples of community blogs platforms. Some people prefer to publish a single message, and since not everyone on the internet has the time and effort required to committing to run and maintain a blog on a self-hosted website, these people may express their views and voices on shared blogging sites like Medium.

Blog comments and forums

A website that allows users to participate in discussions by posting and replying to messages from the community is known to be an online forum is. A blog comment site is similar, although it’s a little more specialized. Comments are generally focused on the associated blog’s special topic. Blogger is Google’s popular blogging platform. Unlike typical social media sites, there seems to be an infinite number of blogging sites. This is because many of them are niche-based.

Review Networks

When you’re looking to buy a new product or visit a new restaurant, what’s one of the first things you notice? If you’re like me, the first thing you’ll do is look at the reviews. Examples: TripAdvisor, Yelp, FourSquare provide evaluations from members of the public for a wide range of destinations and experiences. This keeps individuals informed and helps them to make better plans or judgments while selecting a restaurant for their date.

Businesses may have a better understanding of the customer’s perspective, which is useful not just to normal users like you and me. This can assist them to recognize what’s working and where they may improve, both the good and the bad.

The networking sites mentioned above are examples of social networking elements that are specifically designed for customer reviews of items and services. Users, as well as the companies being evaluated, may communicate directly with people who leave reviews and comments.

Bookmarking Sites

Pinterest, Flipboard, and Diggs are some examples of bookmarking sites. Users may collect and organize connections to a variety of online resources and websites using bookmarking tools. One of these sites’ best features is the ability for users to “tag” links, making them simpler to find and, invariably, share with their followers.

This blog is a project for Study Unit DGA3008, University of Malta.

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