Social networking sites have changed the rules

Posted By Afif Fattouh on September 29th, 2009

The heart and soul of social networking sites are user’s profiles. It’s like their own Internet sanctuary, a place where they can express their thoughts and feelings, post photographs and show off their network of friends. Such sites are becoming astonishingly popular, introducing new forms of addictions, creating all sorts of addicts such as Facebook addicts, Twitter addicts, YouTube addicts.. well you get the picture!

Statistics shows that a third of the online population is using some kind of social networking site, adhering to the new-born rule: “If you’re not networking, then you’re out of touch!”. Little do we know that in the process, online identities are being compiled and stored away in multiple databases across the web. Check this out, type in your name in Google search, chances are that you’ll turn up in top search results showing personal information about yourself, whether your profile on MySpace, or your Wish List on Amazon. It’s all there for everyone to find.

Online tracking is at its peak in this age, where browsing habits are tracked and recorded. Intelius, a leading iCommerce company that empowers consumers and businesses with information to make intelligent decisions about personal safety and security, has developed a new mobile application called Date Check. With only a name or cell phone number, the Date Check mobile application searches publicly available information to instantly provide an on-the-go background profile of new acquaintances. In addition to basic information like name, age and address, Date Check can be used to check popular social networking sites like LinkedIn for data on employment history and education records. The Sleaze Detector feature scans criminal records to determine if anyone matching that name has been charged with offenses such as drug possession, assault and battery, sex crimes and DUI, among others.

I have one word for you: Exposure! Looking at the bright side of things, building an identity online can be an overlooked advantage. Most businesses now use social networking sites to reach more potential customers. It’s a massive exposure boost. On the other hand, individuals can benefit from such activity by expanding their circle of friends on a professional level, for instance taking advantage of LinkedIn, a social networking site for professionals.

What’s in it for the websites we spent the last 4 paragraphs talking about? Here it is, Money! Targeted advertising is getting more and more sophisticated, giving advertisers the power to place ads so as to reach consumers based on various traits such as demographics, purchase history, or observed behavior. For instance, if you surf technology-related websites looking for digital cameras specifically, online tracking websites record your activity and as a result they will deliver adverts showing the latest Nikon cam. This is relevant because such websites collect information about your preferences and interests, giving them the ability to place targeted adverts according to what they have on you. The chances that you will click the adverts are considerably higher, which means more PPCs.