Check Out Social Networking Sites

All social networking sites are my worst dream come true - in terms of navigation and content! But I will still try to convey my feelings in the best possible way here. I have accounts with MySpace, Facebook & LinkedIn. I had stopped using MySpace a long time ago (too many junk friends requests) and had a hard time resetting my password to get info for this article.

Navigation:
It is a nightmare for me to navigate on either one of these sites with all the apps lurking around in the sentences/posts. So many people are into so many things - reading the wall posts makes me dizzy. Browsing through the information posted on the wall (some times about 50 of them), I come across maybe one item that will catch my eye - an old photo of the school cricket team. I guess that is time well spent dodging the bullets of people's rants and raves. This happens more on Facebook than MySpace. Not many people I know are on MySpace so it is quite alien to me (and everyone else). But I believe same things can be done there too.

Information:
I realize there is so much information on one page that it is quite cumbersome to decide what to do or get a good idea of the application until you spend some time on it. I compared the 'Events' pages of MySpace and Facebook. Facebook has quite a good layout of the events and seems to be more popular than MySpace. Event listing on both sites were more commercial in nature than an actual group event set up by an actual person, although Facebook seemed to have more of a personal touch to it.
One thing missing from both sites was the ability to find local events. I believe that means you can RSVP in an event happening on the other side of the world, but cannot get any clue as to what is happening locally.

Ad or App?:
I sometimes cannot tell if a certain thing is an ad or an app. I usually realize after clicking it and when 3 other windows open or I lose sight of the main page. My life is not that complicated and hence, all these apps or ads on one page make things more cumbersome than necessary. But it seems many of my friends/acquaintances are actively involved in these Apps. For example, I get requests for becoming a neighbor on 'Farmville' (an app that creates virtual farms). With some apps I had to sign up for something using my phone number. Then I got a $9.99 charge on my bill next month for some service - not by Facebook. I wonder if these ads or apps just present their catch phrases in a way that appears to have been send by your friend! Whatever maybe the case, I stopped clicking and signing any of them from that point on. I had a hard time getting that $9.99 removed from my bill.

Contents:
Without going too deep, my first impression of MySpace was that it seems to gear more towards dating and that sort of thing. Facebook however focuses on connecting and that seems to work more for a social network rather than a dating network. I have received more junk friend requests on MySpace than Facebook - be it when I actually online or offline by email. I understand you can set your preferences but then what is the point of social network if you are going to keep the door closed. I know it does not work that way, but I would rather be friends with a stranger I have met than a stranger on Facebook or MySpace. I believe in eye-contact more than wall-posts.

What do I like?
I like something professional and something that can create value. I do like the fact that many companies have their Facebook page. That is a great way to keep a following, inform the followers of the most current news or promotions, and more importantly gain feedback on a personalized basis. I like LinkedIn for my professional side. But I do feel some restraint when 'connecting' to the superiors on LinkedIn. If I am unable to connect in real life, I might not be able to connect online. Call me old school, but that is how it works for me! From personal experience, I have gained more knowledge from connections on LinkedIn than MySpace and Facebook combined.