Social networking is a huge phenomenon that became well-known with the popularity of My Space. Once known as a means for teenagers to connect and communicate with other teens, social networking has become popular with numerous people who belong to various niches, or groups.
Some social media websites have a wide variety of people who participate, such as Twitter. On Twitter you can find family and friends as well as famous celebs, mommy bloggers, or internet marketing gurus. The same holds true for Facebook and LinkedIn, although they tend to be more business-oriented.
However, even smaller groups of people from remote corners of the earth or who share a passionate interest in a unique hobby have social networking groups available to them. Here is a small sampling of some niche social networking sites that I found doing a recent Google search.
Social Networks in Education – this is a huge list of educational social media groups. There are hundreds of groups listed on this website, many of which have sub-categories which cover just about every aspect of education you can think of.
Meet Up – this website has many categories from which you can choose to join which span a wide range of interests. Everything from hiking to Spanish language to dog rescue. Not only can you talk online with these groups of people but they will put you in touch with others from your area so you can actually “meet up” in person.
Group Recipes – if you have a love of food and cooking, meet others with your same interest. Check out the recipes, join a group (Death by Chocolate is calling my name!), or share your own recipe.
America’s Bookshelf - meet other avid readers who enjoy the same genres or authors as you. For a fee you can buy a membership which allows you to order used books from other members as well as ship your books to other members.
Art Break – an online community for artists to share and sell their work.
Bottle Talk – share your love of wine with other enthusiasts.
My Cat Space – for those who love cats and want to share their stories about their feline friends. (yes, there’s also My Dog Space for our canine friends!)
Travel Together – share travel plans, experiences, and deals with fellow travelers around the world.
Coastr – connecting beer lovers with each other
Now, I can’t be sure that all of these groups are very active. That’s up to you to do some research and determine if it’s worth your time to visit these groups. You might question why someone would join some of these social networking groups but the fact is that everybody falls into a labeled group of some kind so why not connect with others who have similar interests.
Researching niche social networking groups is very advantageous to small business owners who cater to these groups. If you have a special item that cat lovers would adore, check out the cat lovers’ social networks and start making some friends. Just be sure you don’t spam these groups with your offering. Networking involves some giving on your part.
For a longer list of niche social networking sites, visit Mashable.
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