Typical structure of a social networking service
Basics
In general, social networking services, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, allow users to create a profile for themselves. Users can upload a picture of themselves and can often be "friends" with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. For example, if Alice lists Bob as a friend, then Bob would have to approve Alice's friend request before they are listed as friends. Some social networking sites have a "favorites" feature that does not need approval from the other user. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allows the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them, etc.
Additional features
Some social networks have additional features, such as the ability to create groups that share common interests or affiliations, upload videos, and hold discussions in forums. Geosocial networking co-opts internet mapping services to organize user participation around geographic features and their attributes.
Business model
Currently, almost no social networks charge money for membership. In part, this may be because social networking is a relatively new service, and the value of using them has not been firmly established in customers' minds. Instead, companies like MySpace and Facebook sell online advertising on their site. Some believe that the deeper information that the sites have on each user will allow much better targeted advertising than any other site can currently provide.] Sites are also seeking other ways to make money, such as by creating an online marketplace (Facebook's Marketplace) or by selling professional information and social connections to businesses: such as LinkedIn.
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