Social networking is a new buzzword in the internet marketing circles. The term is used to describe online interaction and communication that are done through social networks, or social media.

Social networking is nothing more than web browsing and chatting that takes place over the internet. Social media are more sophisticated online computer-mediated technologies that facilitate sharing or generation of communication through online networks and virtual communities. Most people are familiar with these networking tools, including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and others.

What is a social networking website? Some people call them "MySpace for business"Facebook for personal use." There are many websites that host a variety of social networking services, including Twitter, Yahoo! 360, Foursquare, Mixx and many more.

These social networks are similar in purpose to online forums. Forums provide the means of communication and interaction between users, whereas social networking websites allow users to create their own profiles and interact with other members.

You will find that there are various types of social networking websites available today. These include:

Free sites: Free sites such as Facebook are very popular because they are free. They also tend to be quite simple to use and maintain. Facebook's free applications allow you to share photos, videos, music, videos, and more.

Pay sites: Free sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Yahoo! 360 are fine but they lack one critical ingredient that many paying sites possess: privacy. Paying sites usually have some type of privacy policy, or privacy control panel, that allows you to select who has access to what you post.

Other websites: Sites such as Twitter, Squidoo, Linkedln, Digg and StumbleUpon are great for building an online community. These types of sites allow you to join a social media network, or social media community, like a social media promotion networking site or online forum.

Some social sites offer free services for new members and they are worth exploring. Other social sites charge a monthly fee, such as Google+ and Facebook, and some charge a one time membership fee.

Once you become a member of any social networking site, it is important to start building up your online presence. Many people spend hours on end building up a large social network. Once they have built a good number of followers, it is time to start building a relationship with other members.

One of the best ways to build a relationship is to join groups where people are already making friends and discussing topics with others. A few minutes on these groups can lead to thousands of new relationships.

Some people build their online community by creating their own message boards on the social networking site, but this can be time-consuming. If you don't have a lot of time to set up and manage your own community, there are other online communities that allow you to create your own message board.

Some of the great places for building a social networking community include MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, but both of these sites offer online communities called social networks. There are also many other communities that provide free message boards.

Social networks are also excellent for expanding your customer base and gaining new customers. Social networks help you build your reputation and brand image.

Message boards allow you to create an online community where you can interact with other people and build relationships. It can be useful to get feedback from other people, because you will find it helpful to make changes to your online business.

Message boards also allow you to advertise your business through profiles or comments. This can give your business exposure and allow you to increase your website traffic.

Social media sites are becoming very popular in today's society and with the ability to communicate with others online, you can have a great impact on your online business. With a little work you can easily create your own social network.