Last week, MTV debuted its reality dating show “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” featuring the bisexual cyber-babe “Tila Tequila,” who boasts to have more than 2 million MySpace friends but says she still can’t find “the one.”
If it’s love that Tila Tequila is looking for, maybe it’s time for her to graduate from MySpace and move on to a different networking site, one that better fits her needs.
There are so many profile-based Internet communities available that it’s tough to distinguish which one is best-suited for you and your needs. Here’s a look at some popular sites.
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Livejournal.com
14 million users, according to LiveJournal spokeswoman JoAnn Peach
Target user: Bloggers and social networkers. Most users fall between the ages of 17 and 22, according to LiveJournal.
Pros: Customized privacy options, customized layout designs, voice posts. Meet that special someone: One international couple who met through the site got engaged, him in England and her in the U.S., Peach said.
Cons: Unpaid accounts have limited features; some accounts have membership fees up to $25 per year.
What’s new? Customized journal area; voice posting allows users to send audio recordings to profiles, Peach said.
Linkedin.com
14 million users reported in September, according to LinkedIn.com
Target user: Employees and employers looking to make connections in the workforce.
Pros: Find a job opening without having to search through the classifieds; ability to post and receive posts of job openings.
Cons: Those annoying e-mails from users inviting you to join; basic accounts are free (which have limited reference searches), and upgrades range from $60 per year for a personal-plus account to $2,000 per year for a pro account (which includes access to all users and ability to send more than 40 introductions at a time), according to site.
What’s new? Photo feature lets users add a head shot to profiles for face recognition.
Myspace.com
110 million visitors each month, 300,000 new sign-ups per day, according to MySpace statistics
Target user: People 14 and older who want to blog and network. In August, 85 percent of users were 18 or older, according to MySpace.
Pros: If you get enough friends, you could be as famous as Tila Tequila; free membership; option to receive notification via text message with recent profile activity; customized profiles; can add music to profile; personalized privacy options.
Cons: Repeated friend requests from creepy old men; users can spam other users; pop-up ads.
What’s new? Video uploading feature; MySpace/MTV presidential dialogue initiates conversations between users and presidential candidates.
Twitter.com
Twitter would not reveal the number of users
Target user: Bloggers 13 and older looking to send/receive updates of friends through SMS messaging either directly to users’ cell phones or through Web site.
Pros: Updates of juicy gossip; friend finding; eyewitness updates of events.
Cons: A dull friend’s continuous notification of his poodle’s eating habits; only 140 characters per post; fake users, such as “David Hasselhoff,” whose updates say “deciding which leather jacket to wear” or “scheduling more plastic surgery.”
What’s new? Users can send a message such as “track Chicago,” and whenever there’s an update referring to Chicago, they will receive the message, said Biz Stone, co-founder.
Classmates.com
More than 40 million users, according to Classmates spokesman John Uppendahl
Target user: People 18 and older looking to reunite; 79 percent of users are 35 or older, according to Uppendahl.
Pros: Ability to secretly spy on the prom queen; plan reunions or parties (for a fee); double-blind e-mail system so neither sender knows the other’s contact information; specified interest groups, Uppendahl said.
Cons: Finding that no one you want to reconnect with is a member; Gold membership is $39 per year, and free membership benefits are limited.
What’s new? Map shows satellite images of friends’ locations based on ZIP codes; dating feature; digital guest book, Uppendahl said.
Friendster.com
50 million users worldwide in August, according to Friendster
Target user: People 18 and older who want to blog, join interest groups and social network.
Pros: Ability to customize profile, blog, find friends, make friends.
Cons: Ads inserted throughout page, including on blogs; getting friend requests from strangers.
What’s new? Now available in traditional Chinese; “Fan Profiles” to promote musicians, models, events, artists.
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ashipley@tribune.com
