A wise person once said that human beings are social animals. This axiom surely rings true for those who have integrated information technology into their lives and are forever online. Now, with the advent of cyber networking, the term socialisation is taking on a whole new meaning.

Internet marketers say that social networking is one of the fastest growing online trends. The number of social networking sites seems to be growing daily. Nielson/NetRatings reported some figures in May this year showing that the “top 10 social networking sites saw traffic grow 47 per cent over the last year, with MySpace seeing the biggest growth (367 per cent increase) and MSN Spaces (286 per cent) being second on the list. Hosted blogging systems were included in the study”.

So how does it work? Social networking sites allow users to create free online profiles where they can display biographical information, photos, hobbies, interests, swap information, throw trolls and flames, and much more. After completing an online profile, users can connect or network with other users’ profiles. As they connect with more and more people, their network keeps expanding. By adding just a few friends to their network, users can end up being connected to thousands of other people across different cultures and societies. These networks can then be used for fun, for bringing together specific groups and arranging activities, and also for serious business networking.

The social networking trend through technology started back in 1998 when Amazon.com acquired PlanetAll. That was a pioneer site, providing the foundation of sharing contact information, basic biographies, and expanding networks through friends’ networks. This was followed by a mushrooming growth of social sites. Now social networking websites claim to have attracted millions of registered users across the globe. That is one reason marketers are looking at these sites with interest.

Like many others, I have been paying attention to social networking on three different sites - Orkut, Facebook, and Gather - in the past couple of weeks. I have answered more requests to be “friends” than I ever did in the past and I have been looking at other people’s friends to see if I know anyone. I have also asked a few to join my network of friends. Who does not need more friends? In addition to this activity, I have been reading about other people’s experiences.

Orkut is still an invitation-only website popular among Pakistani students and young people in general. Facebook has been opened to common users only recently and is not yet well-known in this part of the world. Previously, Facebook was for students of educational institutions that were registered with the service. Gather is more erudite and a newer launch.

Orkut does a few things in different ways by trying to deal with different human emotions. It is faster than other similar social networking sites. Unlike most services focusing on promoting a single type of social connection, Orkut allows three aspects of users’ lives: personal, social, and professional. Killers like karma ratings, communities or flagging through “hot” and “crush” lists make it different (call it cool). Everything else is almost the same: the user interface with photo thumbnails and many other features are similar to that of Friendster and its predecessors.