Social Networking Site (SNS)

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1. What was the target audience for this social networking site (SNS)? The target audience seems to be anyone interested in building a social network. It also caters to “artists, brands, and organizations to simplify and control their online presence with their own unique social network that beautifully integrates with other social media services while providing the most direct, unique and lucrative relationship with fans, consumers, and members.” http://about.ning.com/.
2. How long was the site in existence? Ning began in 2005 and is still actively growing today.
3. Why was it popular? “Millions of people everyday are coming together across Ning Networks to explore and express their interests, discover new passions, and meet new people around shared pursuits.” http://about.ning.com/. What was its demise? So far so good.
4. Is/was there another competitor in the same market that was more popular? Of the alternative SNS competitors, I would say that MySpace and Facebook are more popular. These tend to attract more teenagers and college students respectively. Ning is still a growing marketplace that has largely been untapped. I believe that MySpace attraction to bands and teenagers had made it a nearly instant phenomenon. Facebook became popularized with the initially exclusive college student availability. Once students make an account, they tend to stay with it. Older adults and high school students later gained access to Facebook, and at that point it seemed “academic” or “safe” to join this network over MySpace or others that were not as well known.
5. Would you ever consider creating an account and using it? Explain your reason using a personal experience as an example. Last summer my son and his wife got married in Chicago. I realized that they were posting their engagement and wedding pictures online in Facebook. That was my draw to get online. I felt that I would have a better chance to stay up with my son when I had access to Facebook. And now my other son in the military is also actively using this SNS as well.