What are the best social networking sites?

What are the problems one would face by not being on Facebook, Linkedin and other social networking sites?

• When a person is not on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking websites, would he/she face problems? If yes, what are they? And have these sites, in a way, become necessary whether you like them or not? Are these sites being desperately promoted as innovative money-making ventures by silicon valley folks for lack of better ideas in the last decade or are they really financially viable ones in the long run?

• Answer:

  This is a very interesting question. Pre-social media invention, the world turned, people interacted via email, phone and in person and networked without the Internet and social media networks. These networks didn't necessarily solve any "problems," they just created an entirely new way to research, communicate and connect. But your question is specific- what problems would you encounter by a lack of presence on the sites? In terms of personal use, if you're job searching you'd missing out on a vast network of opportunities and missed connections by not using Linkedin. Sans Facebook, you'll miss an easy record of birthdays, weddings, babies and photos upon photos to revel in these moments with your family and friends. Without Twitter, you'll miss breaking news, a chance to communicate directly to a politician, celebrity or restaurant regarding your opinions or experiences and know there's a good chance they'll see it at some point (although a bit relative). In my opinion, I truly believe these sites are necessary for the personal reasons listed above and even more so for companies. Social networks have extended a conversation that previously occurred between two people and amplified it to every connection online. I think each network has changed and developed to become more intuitive and useful since its inception. Regarding the long run and revenue, that's something that users will dictate. As long as advertising stays at a tolerable level, I think there will be a happy relationship.