Community & Social Networking

Do you like the idea of building your own penguin avatar and interacting with other penguins on a virtual iceberg? You're not alone. In fact, millions of users do just that on Disney's Club Penguin.

By John Fuller

There are lots of places to look at photos online, but if you're an artist who wants to work in a community of fellow artists, where do you go? For many, it's deviantART.

By Nathan Chandler

Everyone's using social networking these days, including mom and dad. In fact, there's a whole category of social networking sites devoted to parenting.

By Josh Briggs

People talk about Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, but those are only a few of the social networking sites on the Web. What makes a social networking site?

By Ed Grabianowski

Still on the fence about joining the social networking revolution? We might be able to help you figure out which side you'd rather come down on.

By Jonathan Strickland

Millions of people are using social networking sites to meet others, play games and find jobs. But if all these sites are free, how do they pay the bills?

By Jonathan Strickland

People share embarrassing information online for a variety of reasons -- narcissism, naivitity, just because everyone else is doing it -- but the fact remains that people from all walks of life reveal too much on the Internet.

By Victoria Vogt

The Internet's a good place to project a false image of yourself. It's also a good place to message out your truest innermost thoughts as if no one is listening. Which happens more on social networking sites?

By Charles W. Bryant

At 9:30 a.m., your friend updated her Facebook status with, "got the job!" which triggered five thumbs ups and a "w00t!" Does the fact that you know this make you a distracted or productive employee?

By Sarah Winkler

How many of your Facebook friends and Twitter followers would you invite to your birthday party or wedding, or call for a ride when your car breaks down? Are these online connections any good to you in real life?

By Debra Ronca

If you're looking to waste some time while you're at work or school, Facebook has a game to help you with that endeavor. Which is your favorite? Poker? Scrabble? Mafia Wars?

By Debra Ronca

Shopaholics, crocheters and music addicts meet up at these online spots to discuss their hobbies with other equally obsessed junkies. What are the five most intriguing niche networks?

By Debra Ronca

If your Facebook status update reads, "Leaving for France!" you're not just gloating about your trip. You're letting everyone know that your house will be empty for about 10 days. Bad idea.

By Charles W. Bryant

Web sites like Facebook and Twitter are designed to keep reeling users back into their realms. And it works. How bad are our addictions to these online social scenes?

By Debra Ronca

Digital photography has made it inexpensive and fun for people to document their lives. How does Photobucket store and show so many photos and videos?

By Jonathan Strickland

Have you ever stumbled upon a cool Web site and shared it with your friends? StumbleUpon.com is an online social network that allows you to do just that with millions of users.

By Jessika Toothman

Chat rooms give us the chance to discuss anything and everything with people around the world. How do you get started, and what do you need to watch out for?

By Dave Roos

The online social network Friendster connects you to your friends and your friends of friends. Can Friendster help you to find a job or to reconnect with that special someone?

By Leah Lerner

If you've got something you can say in just a few characters, you can reach lots of people with a single Tweet. How has Twitter changed social networking?

By Jonathan Strickland & Nathan Chandler

LinkedIn is a social networking site geared toward professionals where you can look for a job, find sales leads or connect with colleagues. So how is it different than all the other networking sites?

By Dave Roos

A social networking site originally created for Harvard students, Facebook is now open for anyone to join -- and it currently has 750 million active users. What features have made it such a big success?

By Jonathan Strickland

Yes, it's still around. Second Life is a 3D virtual world where you can live in a castle, fly to dance clubs and change your appearance with a click of your mouse. So what's up with it now?

By Jonathan Strickland & Chris Pollette

Online social networks are a great way to meet people and keep in touch with friends. Learn more about online social networks in this article.

By Dave Roos

Can Facebook get you $10 million? It can if you're a software developer who's generous with his ideas. The fbFund is offering grants to creative developers, but how do you get one? And if you're not a developer, how else can you make money on the Web

By Josh Clark

One of Web's most explosive phenomena, MySpace grew to 54 million profiles seemingly overnight. Find out what MySpace really is, how it blew past the competition and why Rupert Murdoch thought it was worth $580 million.

By Julia Layton & Patrick Brothers