From St. Louis Post-Dispatch
July 29, 2008
Facebook vs. MySpace vs. upstarts
By Tim Barker
Social networks are the bars and nightclubs of the Internet.
Some cater to folks looking for a quiet evening on the town. Others offer a spot to share a quick story and a cold beer after a long day at work. And then there are those places where you can usually count on someone drinking too much and taking off their clothes.
Picking a social network, like choosing a favorite bar, isn't always easy. It's not enough to just like it. It also must appeal to the people you're trying to connect with.
"There's no point in being on a social networking site if none of your friends are there," said danah boyd, a researcher at the School of Information at the University of California Berkeley.