Many freelance article writers would like to use social networking sites to develop their business, but find the whole reasoning behind social networking a little overwhelming (or even daunting! ).

As a starting point to using social networking sites for business, let's establish what all the sites are, what they offer, and how they differ:

Facebook- A free social networking site where users can create a profile, add friends, send them messages, and also post their random news, opinions and ideas on their Facebook 'wall': a newsfeed which works like a kind of shared noticeboard comprised of wall posts, photos and even videos from the connected members. With all this and more, it's no wonder that Facebook has over 350 million active users worldwide, making it one of the most used social networking sites.

Twitter- A free social networking site and microblogging service that allows users to send and read text-based messages (up to at most one hundred and forty characters). The messages are called twitting. Through posting twitting you can let others know what what you are doing or thinking at any time, day or night. In turn, you can keep track of the alternative people are up to, by keeping an eye on their updates, or by receiving their updates right to your phone in the form of TXT texting.

LinkedIn- A free business-orientated social networking site with over 50 million registered members worldwide. Mainly used for professional networking, LinkedIn is in fact the No. 1 business social networking website in the world. Members post their profile, photograph and information about their qualifications, skills and services they can provide. After 'connecting' with others in the business world (trusted contacts), members can then exchange ideas, current information, useful knowledge, and opportunities with a bigger network of professionals onlyfans. LinkedIn also allows members to stay in touch with fellow workers and friends, find experts in a whole choice of professional fields, and also to explore work-related opportunities that they might otherwise don’t you have known about (had they not be a LinkedIn member).

MySpace- For a long time Myspace was realised as the world's No. 1 free social networking site, until it was eventually eclipsed by Facebook. It gives similar functions to Facebook (profile creation, messaging, wall posting and photo/video sharing).

YouTube- Youtube is a video sharing website on which users can distribute and share videos for free. As well as user-generated videos, Youtube now offers music videos, videos from film and TV, and tutorial videos and video blogs.

• Jaiku- Like Twitter, Jaiku is a free social networking, micro-blogging and lifestreaming service. Lifestreaming? This is where registered Jaiku members connect with friends sharing short messages. You can have a 'stream' of messages on your Jaiku page or sent from your phone to others in the form of a text message (standard owner charges apply). Although Jaiku does not enjoy the same visible or popularity as Twitter, it is none-the-less an easy-to-use micro-blogging site that provides exciting functionality and applications.