Facebook and Twitter are huge, with millions of users each – but what if you want something different? Something a little more personalised. There are hundreds of social networks available, many of them catering to very specialised markets. We look at a few of these.<\/p>\n
Multiply<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Multiply has more than 4 million users and is owned by Naspers, South Africa’s media giant. Despite its ownership and its large userbase, Multiply is largely unknown but becoming popular among users feeling unhappy with Facebook. Multiply aims to be a safe, secure place for users to share photos and video with friends and favours small groups of core friends and family as opposed to the larger groups often found on Facebook. It’s also a good choice for users concerned about privacy.<\/p>\n Gaia<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Named after the Greek earth goddess, Gaia online is a social network for teens. It’s similar to Second Life and was started in 2003. Although relatively unknown the site claims more than 10 million members, each of which spend their time collecting Gaia Gold, a virtual currency they then use to buy homes and other virtual products. Although mostly on online virtual world, Gaia also has an extensive message board system which ranks among the most popular in the world and makes it a significant social network for this niche.<\/p>\n Jumo<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Launched late this year by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, Jumo is similar to Facebook but designed for users wanting to make a difference in the world. Users can connect with social and political projects that they support and keep up to date with their activities. Users can also donate to and promote their preferred causes or volunteer services through the platform. Jumo is still very new and in beta but claims to already have around 3 500 organisations involved in the network.<\/p>\n MyHeritage<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n MyHeritage is one of a number of niche social networks built around genealogy. With close on 5 million members, MyHeritage allows families to create their family tree and share photos with each other. MyHeritage is one of the largest sites focused on this niche but others include Famiva<\/a>, Geni<\/a> and MyFamily<\/a>.<\/p>\n Something for everyone<\/strong><\/p>\n Social networks are popping up everywhere, catering for every imaginable interest group. Among these are groups for bird watchers<\/a> wanting to share information in their recent bird finds, book lovers<\/a> looking to talk about books, and pet owners<\/a> eager to share stories and photos of their beloved pets.<\/p>\n So, if Facebook is not for you, don’t despair. There is a world of opportunity out there.<\/p>\n