It took me a while before I grasped the whole concept of what social networking actually is. It’s not that I don’t understand how it works technically. It’s that I didn’t comprehend what it’s about. Said sincerely, it can get confusing.

First, let’s try to define it. We’ll use Google. Google’s best definition is:

…a phenomena defined by linking people to each other in some way.

Now if you take all the other definitions listed on the above linked page, all of them point back to that definition. It is a phenomena that links people together. As dry and non-descrip as that sounds, that’s what it is.

You might be asking yourself “So… social networking doesn’t necessarily mean to connect to people by means of the internet?” RIGHT. It means using any means to link to other human beings, electronic or otherwise.

But we’ll stave from that definition and stick to social networking by means of internet.

If one were to define internet social networking literally, it is any web site that allows you to create a public “shareable” identity and communicate with other human beings.

Do forums count as social networking?

If the forum is public, yes. The profile you create is your public identity which can be linked. The system allows you to post and reply to messages (that’s the communication part). Your profile can be updated whenever you want. So yes, forums can be considered social networking. Does this mean the PCMech forums could be considered a social networking site? Yes.

Mystery solved as to why forums will not die: Forums will not die and never will as long as the internet exists because they do an extremely effective job as a social communications medium.

Do blogs count as social networking?

No (or mostly no). Even though you can post commentary, you have limited profile creation abilities, and that profile cannot ordinarily be shared/linked.

Do microblogs counts as social networking?

Absolutely. Twitter is a good example. It’s a microblogging service that is tied to a public shareable profile and allows for easy access to connect with other humans.

Where does MySpace, Facebook and like sites fit into all this? Didn’t they start this whole social networking thing?

What makes MySpace, Facebook and sites of that ilk carry the banner as social networking web sites is the fact they allow the ability to create public editable shareable profile pages. That is your identity and can be shared with anyone. In addition, the ability to add “buddies” or “friends” is what makes it social by allowing you to connect to other humans.

Once you understand that social networking is people-powered, you “get it”.

It is at times difficult for people to understand that an internet social network absolutely does not work unless humans are there to keep it going. And I’m not talking about the administrators of whatever site it is. Rather, I’m talking about the users (like you).

When you grasp the concept of “Oh.. so the deal is to connect with people, share like interests and be… social?”

Yes. Now you understand it.

I’m not telling you to run out and get Twitter, MySpace and Facebook accounts. What I am saying is that if you decide to use it, you do actually have to put forth actual effort to receive the social benefits of participating. If you’re a lurker, social networking is not for you. But if you’re looking to expand your social circle, then yes - go for it.