What attracts you to social networking sites and what features are still missing?

Question

What motivates and attracts you most in social networking sites?
What kind of technological features are still missing?

Answer 1

You need to be unique or you are "just another one of those network sites".

Most people are attracted to a social networking site by referral from a friend, or they are looking for someone who hasn't been heard from. Social sites are not new so if someone invites me to a new one I usually just reply with the URL of my old one, without even visiting the site.

There is seldom anything unique or even different. If it requires a long registration then forget it. For security though, I do like the practice of some sites requiring that everyone phone or SMS a message in. Non-verified people should be restricted, but allowed to see how the site works. I also like the old Tribal Voice program where you could absolutely suspend, and ban Spammers and Stalkers.

More features are still missing, than exist today. What has been added in the last 10 years? Honestly, look at what the old Firefly network offered back in the early 1990's. You could use html tags, chat worked in a browser, and all private messages were saved in an archive, so you had an option to save on the web or to your desktop. Even the avatars that Yahoo are using now were already available 10 years ago.

Single people want to see actual, recent, photographs though. In the singles market you only need to market to the females, as the males will follow.

I am sure that you will get a lot of good suggestions here, but if you really don't know how much of a market you are missing here then I am not going to tell you for free.

Just look at the success or failures of such sites as:

myspace.com
classmates.com
friendster.com
tickle.com
belief.net
sherdog.com
ancestry.com
match.com
lonelyplanet.com

--and then get back to us about how your service is going to be any different and why it is even worth taking the time to fill out yet another registration, learn a new system, etc. The desire for social networking online is fast declining due to trolling, stalkers, and misrepresentation. Anyone who is going to operate this type of business better take a serious interest in security.

I am a businessman and an artist who would love to connect with other people who are genuinely looking to work on projects together. We used to do this 15 years ago and because so many qualified people were able to contribute, we could complete a 6 month project in 2-3 days. I would be interested in a site that could just use a solid verification process, and even a live customer support department with a feedback meter like they use on EBay. Security is the main deterrent to the explosion of E-commerce. I would even be interested in paying for such a service after a trial period to see if it was what it promised. We have learned to believe very little of what we read on the Internet.

We use the Internet as a tool for communication but we do not allow anyone who we haven't met into our circles. We did 15 years ago when most people had their name, address, and phone number on their page or profile. That was safe at that time. Now it isn't.

Answer 2

Features Of Social Networking Sites

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What attracts you to social networking sites and what features are still missing?
What motivates and attracts you most in social networking sites?
What kind of technological features are still missing?

Answer 4

The best thing about social networking sites is the ability to re-connect with old friends while meeting new ones. It's also a good way to find out about people that you are newly aquitanited with.

The most important technological feature that is missing is the quality control of these sites. There is way too much spammers and fakers on these sites. If only there were a way to limit one account per person... but that'd be too costly.

Answer 5

The sense of belonging. Becoming part of and interacting amongst a community of like-minded users that share common attributes as well as exploring new and fresh ideas with users who own unorthodox views and/or mind sets.

The prospect of meeting and developing relationships with people I would have been unlikely to have met otherwise is somewhat amusing and I find it especially intriguing to connect with people from various cultures and countries from around the globe.

No doubt, "share" technology continues to develop at a rapid pace enabling for more robust (and easier) communication applications. I am not sure if there are any technological features missing. Although it may exist, I haven't personally run up on instant messenger technology (and all it's bells and whistles) integrated directly into the user's page. It'd be kinda cool, think?

Obviously, security and privacy issues will continue to be of the utmost importance as the internet becomes even more volatile than it is today. Site developers must continue to give the user the tools to protect their turf.

Answer 6

Social Networking SItes are good places to keep in touch with Friends ;especially those whom we don't normally meet for days or even months.These sites also provide a forum to discuss or ask a number of topics ranging from Sports,Languages to Science & technology or even Politics and News.Yahoo Answers and Mylot.com fall in this category.Then there is Myspace.com where one can check out on a number of Albums or Videos .
Orkut and like forums provide Instant Communication with Friends (both Real and Online.) .
The features which I like these sites to add are :
1) Provide a user the facility of restricting the number of people who can send a Friend Request because as of now we receive too many friends' requests on these forums.
2) More security - I have heard tales of Individual Pictures being misused.That is why people are afraid of putting their own pictures many times .

Answer 7

What attracts me to a social networking website like Myspace is that you can find virtually any of your friends on there. You can also find and socialize with other people, search through music, and check out videos. A big plus with a website such as myspace is that they allow you to change the layout without much restriction from them.

However, what's missing from Myspace is security and stability. Millions of people log onto Myspace everyday and the system can sometimes fail and keep you from accessing the "home" page once you are logged in. Also, the threat of online offenders is ever present. Plus, there are currently too many scams that can easily fool you into giving up your password.

Answer 8

I wonder if we have enough local online groups to make local friends that we might actually spend face to face time with? If we had local online would we say all the things we say if we think they are total strangers and we might never see them again if we didn't mean what we said or we didn't like them?

I think that everyone is so busy, and the mass has people connected for reasons that keep them in and out of certain groups in many cases so it is the same old same old. So this keeps us engaged in mental activity and disengaged in physical activities, but I wonder if that is best or even good for us in some ways?

I get bored and wonder if others get bored as well, and yet I always seem to come back? I don't have the latest in technology so can't get into everyone of the latest sites, I think there are some that might be pretty good that I can't even reach.

Do we all actually realize that there are people on the other side of the screens typing in what is in their minds, it is not just a keyboard and a screen, these people have thoughts, emotions, needs, and wants too and they may be very different then they let on like and / or different then our own. Who helps them to get their real needs met if this is just computers and not hard bodies? It is confusing at points.

How are we going to make it work for all of us and if we spend to much time then they say something is wrong with that and if not enough something is wrong with that, let me ask who makes the determination for others what is enough or what is too much and why? Who has the right to do that?

Answer 9

Hopefully for some local F2F meetings based on common likes & interests.
Something, so far Zero.
Or those photos & profiles are Fake.
Om Myspace & have 91 friends., I know of 5, 6 personally.
The rest Id like to Meet.

Social Networking sites must have Local F2F events office for IT to work (assuming profiles are Genuine etc & site does Background checks on members).
Otherwise ANYONE CAN JOIN & thus the Myspace Child Predator Profiles stack up.
etc.
We all Lose.

Tech features missing:
Webcams for F2F chats.
EZ to download Photos.
PW with some fact known to User only (cant be faked).
Local Events planned
(by Niche, age etc).
For Over 40 singles.
For Non Marrieds.
Job seekers.
Career seekers.
Innovators.
etc.
By Niche,Status, Income, Livlihood, Lifestyle or combine into 1 site.

Clean up MYSPACE some.
Dump the garbage on Myspace.

Im single & looking to date women aged 25 Min to 48 yrs age.
Next age tier: 30 Yrs plus.
NO one under 18.
& Over 18 Yes.
(have never found on any social website).
Found some freaks & pervs though.
BUT No one worthwhile.
NOT Yet-------.
& You?

Answer 10

Social networks are considered for me as the best window on the whole world. Best thing in it is letting all cultures and extremely different way of thinking meet together and each and everyone finds a common point or at least cross roads with different ppl and various cultures. It breaks all the barriers and help nations/ generations to get closer despite all politicians' actions and all wars all over the world.. I'm sure u get What i mean..
what missing?? .. well i don't know .. for me .. as a simple end user .. so far so good.. just let us keep what we reached and benefit the most of it.. hoping for a better peaceful world.