You are right to identify that there are sub communities within the bigger platforms that may belong in different categories. However, examples listed to provide a “general” context for the concept, not the rule itself. And size (in my estimation) has nothing to do with categorizations.

Size metrics belong to “vibrancy”, not type.

…

As for your address book…. well…
I can’t predict the future, but I think facebook is going to be around for a long time… it is going to be hard to pull people out of it, there are already thousands of sites trying… however,

you never know….

thanks for the comments!
collin

Aren’t Facebook and MySpace really just ’sub-internets’; closed, owned, shrink-wrapped generalized social networking systems offering up ‘across the board’ social networking tools under their own umbrella?

Both FB and MS provide tools [albeit not quite as rich] that allow for the building of your three communities within their ‘closed’ systems…

I’m finding it both an interesting; and a frustrating time here on the internet. On one hand; I continue to maintain my “meta” online social network; i.e. my various email address books, my blogs, and now my photo and video sharing tools… On the other hand; I’m being forced, albeit by convenience, to generate versions of this old network within these, hmmm… “shrink wrapped” versions of… the internet.

I’ve pretty much migrated from MySpace to Facebook even though this has caused me to leave behind those who’ve not bothered…

I’m almost certain that within 18 months I’ll be tempted by yet another ’sub-internet’… OR perhaps, in the end my “social network” will have dissolved into the odd friend who [separately] still bothers with their MySpace or Facebook accounts; AND the old standbys, my email address book…

Are we there yet?

Social networking – from mainstream to ‘lame’stream.

The hardest part in the development of an online community is earning credibility. Credibility is the currency of social media and the most successful platforms employed a humble-beginnings approach, maturing slowly to its tipping point. Some communiti…