It is common to compare social networking sites based on features, attributes, and the sort of support each provides for different aspects of networking. As a general class, social networking includes online and offline networking for either or both of social or business purposes. This article informally explores one such feature - the ability of a site member to create publically displayable lists of links to other members' profile pages.
The hypothesis is that as a member's understanding of the site and it's features matures with time and training, the use put to the publically displayable contact list portion of their own profile will tranisition over time. The article looks at two stages of membership, newbie and experienced, and the 6 phases of use that publically displayable contact lists are put to. The article provides a rating of several social networking sites. This is a 5 level scale rating ease by that member of use at each stage, and the ease that a maturing member will have in switching uses of the publically displayable contact list. While some sites are easier for newbies to expand a contact list rapidly, other networks focus on ensuring high quality of referrals between more experienced members. It is recommended that a survey of multiple members of multiple be run to include real user opinion in the ratings table.
Of note is that there are two strongly determining factors which help determine the dominate use a publically displayable contact list will be put too on a site. These are the support of technology features or lack, and the presence of other member rating systems. In effect, although most uses can be carried out on each site, each site has a strength and that is based on the existence or absense of these two factors.
| Ryze | Orkut | Ecademy | Tribe | ||||||||||||||
| Value | Transition | Value | Transition | Value | Transition | Value | Transition | Value | Transition | ||||||||
| Public Contact Lists Uses | |||||||||||||||||
| A | Popularity | Very Easy | Impossible | Very Easy | Impossible | * | Difficult | Impossible | * | Difficult | Impossible | Very Easy | Impossible | ||||
| B | The Collecting Game | Very Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Fairly Easy | * | Difficult | Difficult | Very Easy | Very Easy | |||||
| C | First Contact Tracking | * | Easy | Easy | * | Fairly Easy | Easy | Difficult | Difficult | Very Easy | Very Easy | * | Difficult | Difficult | |||
| D | Quality, not Quantity | * | Difficult | Fairly Easy | ^ | Fairly Easy | Easy | ^ | Easy | Easy | Easy | Difficult | * | Difficult | Difficult | ||
| E | Network of Trust | * | Difficult | Fairly Easy | ^ | Fairly Easy | Fairly Easy | ^ | Easy | Very Easy | * | Fairly Easy | Fairly Easy | * | Difficult | Difficult | |
| F | Referrals | Impossible | Difficult | ^ | Impossible | Fairly Easy | ^ | Very Easy | Very Easy | * | Difficult | Difficult | * | Difficult | Difficult | ||
| LEGEND | |||||||||||||||||
| Very Easy | |||||||||||||||||
| Easy | |||||||||||||||||
| Fairly Easy | |||||||||||||||||
| Difficult | |||||||||||||||||
| Impossible | |||||||||||||||||
| * | Not Technology Based | ||||||||||||||||
| ^ | Ratings System Based | ||||||||||||||||