© Lina Fridrikaitė / PlanetNews.info

About one in four people around the world in 2013 had been using social networks – approximately 1.73 billion persons. Study shows that in 2017 social networks will be used by 2.55 billions people. Looking at the fast growing trends of using social networks, let’s see which ones are titled as the best in the world?

„TopTenReviews.com‟ made a list of top ten social networks this year using different criteria (security, search features, profiles, specific features and characteristics):

10. „Netlog‟. Belgian product which allows you to choose from more than 40 different languages. But it is difficult to make new friends, unless you are willing to pay for additional services. „Netlog‟ has strong personal profiles’ development and security but it cannot compete with the completely free social networks.

9. „Bebo‟. This social network was born in English-speaking countries, such as Ireland, England and New Zealand. „Bebo‟ has strong security settings but it does not provide opportunity to search for friends by name, learning institutions or cities. „Bebo‟ would be a good social network if it had more users around the world.

8. „Hi5‟. One of the main advantages – very easy to make new friends. „Hi5‟ is considered to be more of a dating social networking site and it sort of reduces site’s professionalism. „Hi5‟ is still trying to find out what is making it distinctive from other social networks. If you are looking for semi-dating, semi-social networking – this one interactive web site is exactly for you.

7. „Friendster‟. This website can be described as a social gaming site. „Friendster‟ gives you a choice of variety of different games. However, most of the emails which you will receive will be spam. If you are looking for a friendship which develops when playing your favourite games – „Friendster‟ matches your needs.

6. „Orkut‟. This online project was the first Google attempt to create a social network website. One of the „Orkut‟ advantages is that it sends all email messages in your „Gmail‟ account. But „Orkut‟ did not become very popular and customers’ base in the United States is relatively small. This social network redesigned its provided services, moved to the general public but it was too late to reach American social network users.

5. „Linkedln‟. Maybe it is not one of the social media sites that you visit every day but it can prove to be a lifesaver if you are looking for job. Search functions display the ideal results by which you are connected with other members of this online community. However, the paid upgrades are expensive. While this social media site is not designed for pleasure it can prove to be invaluable in your professional life.

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© Lina Fridrikaitė / PlanetNews.info

4. „MySpace‟. This one interactive website understood that in order to survive it needs to find a niche market. At the time, „MySpace‟ focused on the music industry. Here you can listen to and stream any song, as well as contact with the musicians. If you are an artist and belong to the music community – „MySpace‟ is just for you.

3. „Google+‟. This social media site is the most recent major entry into the competitive field of the top social networks. „Google+‟ has a very strong search system. The disadvantages include: profile/account page does not let to personalize the URL. „Google+‟ is an excellent social network, with nearly all of necessary functions for such type of services.

2. „Twitter‟. No other social network provides comprehensive advantages of using the services as quickly and directly as „Twitter‟. Uploading photos to „Twitter‟ is incredibly easy. But it is quite difficult to search for other members by name. With instant access to friend’s updates, „Twitter‟ is one of the best social networks.

1. „Facebook‟. When „Facebook‟ entered the market, it was meant to be the best way for college students to socialize and connect. Today it is considered to be the best social network. „Facebook” makes it easy to check the latest news and updates. The disadvantage – you cannot change the profile’s colour or add a modified style packages. „Facebook‟ is a great online environment to communicate with friends and family.

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