The Top Social Networking Services

In today’s world, it is an almost inconceivable thought to live without the solace of social networking sites. That is not surprising as almost all urban youngsters are hooked-on on one or more social networking service – depending on what their group of friends use.

Over the past few years, social networking has been on the rise, and that too rapidly. In actuality, the purpose of a social network service is to focus on building and reflecting social networks and social relations among people, which is essentially done via the representation of a user through his or her profile.

Social network services also help to establish an online community – sometimes consisting entirely of total strangers unbeknown to one another. These social network services provide modes of interaction between one another through the Internet using instant messages, forums or e-mails.

Inevitably, the mushrooming of social network services has led to a direct impact to the lives of youths. They see it as an avenue to stray beyond the social borders that have been imposed on them by either the society or their parents, for social network services are basically devoid of any hard and fast rules.

Demographers have come about the conclusion that there is still more to come from social network services. Areas that can still be tapped into include using social network services to do social good, such as hosting online fundraisers for earthquake hit regions.

Here, I have featured five of the top social network services in the world. As it is, every few years, we would witness the emergence of a new social service whilst older ones would die. Therefore, this list could look very much different in a couple of year’s time.

Facebook

This is unquestionably the leading social network service that is around in the world for the time being. Boasting around 350 million users, Facebook has been in operation since 2006. Interestingly, the concept and name of Facebook derives from the colloquial name of books that are given to undergraduates at the start of their terms in the US to get to know one another better.

MySpace

Once the premier social network service, MySpace was overtaken by Facebook in 2008. It is owned by Fox Interactive Media and it copied the Friendster concept. After mimicking its more prominent features, MySpace came to being in the year 2003. MySpace has some unique features such as a TV, news stream and forums. It is still very much popular in the US.

Twitter

Twitter differs from its fellow social networking services – it is a microblogging service with a maximum cap of 140 characters. These messages are known as ‘tweets’. Twitter was created in 2006 and it has been popularly referred to as the ‘SMS of the Internet’. Users can follow influential figures as well as their friends, and also send out their own ‘tweets’ to let the world know what they are up to.

Hi5

This is not the most popular of social network services, but it has a commendable user base of over 60 million people since its inception since 2003. There isn’t much to talk about Hi5, as it functions on basically the same concept as Facebook and MySpace. Users can upload pictures, host a music player on their site and also comment on their friends’ profiles.

Friendster

Initially one of the leading social network services, Friendster has seen its stock fall as it has failed to keep up with the pace of its competitors. Although it is the fifth most popular social network service currently, it is expected to fall even lower, with it presently depending heavily on traffic from Asia. However, unlike Facebook, users can heavily customise their Friendster profiles.

So, which is your preferred destination for social networking? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

A Delve Into Search Engines

In this present age of information technology, the Internet is practically the gateway to paradise. Without the Internet, so many things would seem impossible – no chatting on MSN, no Facebook, no You Tube, no Wikipedia and the list can go on.

Not only that, but without the Internet, there would be no need for search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Today, these search engines play an integral role in helping people to navigate to a desired website, blog or anything for that matter by just typing in the keywords of what they are searching for.

The being of search engines has benefited many people, me and you included. Say, for example, we need to find some information regarding our school history project, or want to do a research for our university thesis, or even want to find a job, all we have to do is go to any given search engine and there we are.

But no, it’s not magic! Search engines operate mainly on complex algorithms, supported by human input at times. First, the ‘spiders’ will crawl through web pages and store the information that it has picked up. Then, after analysing these pieces of information, the search engines will index the web pages. Only after that would we be able to search for those web pages.

To cut the long story short, I have compiled the three most common search engine operators of today below. Have a read and let me know which search engine do you primarily use by leaving a comment below. If you are wondering which is mine, it's Google. And of course, these are not the only Search Engines out there, but they are generally the more popular ones.

Google Search

I guess Google needs no introduction. I mean, it is the most-used search engine, amassing 86% of all search queries made on the Web. Founded in the year 1997 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google has now become more than just a search engine – it is an icon, a brand, a global phenomenon.

Something elusive about Google is that it indexes its search results based on the Google Page Rank. In simple terms, the higher the Page Rank of a webpage, the higher it’s listing on the search results, with the maximum Page Rank attainable being 10. The Page Rank of this blog is currently 2, which is not bad actually.

Yahoo! Search

In terms of the percentage of the total search queries made on the Web, Yahoo!, which was launched in 1995, ranks second to Google at around 6%. Currently, Yahoo! is powered by Bing, which means it doesn’t really have its own system to index web pages among others. Once upon a time, Yahoo! was widely used by many, but the rise of Google just knocked it off its perch.

Now, Yahoo! is mainly used as an alternative mode of searching for information on the Web. However, there are certain quality features of Yahoo!, such as the selection-based search called Yahoo! Shortcuts and the search scan which alerts users of unsafe search results that might contain viruses and bring harm to your computer.

Bing

Formerly known as MSN Search, Bing was launched by Microsoft in 2009 to keep the domination of Google in particular in check. It acted as a rebranding exercise to give Bing a new look to challenge the superiority of Google. Plus, with the experience of the Microsoft intellects at Bing’s disposal, it has much to offer.

Some notable features of Bing include the picturesque backgrounds that always complement its search box on its homepage, and a 'related searches' tab on the left of the list of search results. Currently, Bing is ranked third behind Yahoo! and Google, but I believe that in time to come, the ultimate motive of displacing Google as the top search engine provider will drive Bing to success.

Survey

I decided to do a survey in conjunction with this blog post. Therefore, I asked 26 of my friends and family members the following question: "Which search engine do you usually use - Yahoo!, Google or Bing?" The result of my survey is presented above.

-The End-

7 and a Half Reasons to be on Facebook

*Tom(Green)

*Tom's Mother(Orange)

*Narration(Blue)

“Hey Tom, get off the computer at this instant, or I shall pull the wire out of its socket!”

“Give me one more second mom, I am busy.”

Tom’s mom walks to the computer table.

“Ooh, so this is what you do on the computer?”

“Yes mom, I am ‘facebooking’”

“Ok, if you can give me just seven reasons as to why you should be spending your time ‘facebooking’, I shall let you off the hook.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I will give you seven and a half reasons, half more than you require me to give.”

“So you are trying to act smart? Never mind, go ahead, I am all ears.”

“Firstly, I can connect with all my friends; past and present, as well as making new friends. We can regularly keep in touch by sending posts to one another’s profile, and also chat at the same time.”

“Next, I can share pictures of our dog Johnny, the pictures we took at Australia last year, and also view my friends’ pictures. With that, I can explore places that I haven’t been to via the pictures that my friends’ post.”

“What on earth! You share our family photos with your friends? Don’t you have any sense of privacy?”

“I think privacy has been grossly misinterpreted by you guys from the Stone Age. In this age, the being of the Internet makes the presence of privacy almost negligible.”

“Anyways, getting on with my story, I can upload a funny video, or just share a video that I find unique and worth sharing with my contacts.”

“Well, that is good. That means you would have caught the hottest stuff from the sports and entertainment world?”

“Yeah, sort of. Then, I can fan my favourite football team, my dream car company and my favourite artist. And the coolest part is I can leave a comment on their posts and also leave a message on their profile, all for the world to see.”

“Which means that you would have gone to Manchester United’s page and left a comment there?”

“I did that. And guess what, Alex Ferguson commented on my post!”

“I don’t buy that for some reason or another my dear Tommy.”

“Alright. Sleep on it. The fifth reason to be on facebook is that I can play interesting and fun flash games. They are not entirely cool or bombastic games, but they are for sure addictive. Add that to the incentive of playing with friends only makes it better.”

“So, that’s why I see you on Mafia Games now? All this nonsense?”

“You should play it mom. Be you would be tempted to be here all day long.”

“That is very humorous of you.”

“Not humour – it is a fact. Anyways, moving on, I can share any thought that comes to my mind – be it happy, sad, angry, emotional or inspirational. And then, people comment on it, giving sort of some feedback.”

“Means that you post up there every time I scold you off? Wow. That sounds really bad.”

“No offence okay mom.”

“None taken.”

“The seventh and last complete reason is that there are a whooping 300 million folks on Facebook. Chances are your office colleagues and long lost school friends are on Facebook too.”

“I will ponder on the prospects of the pro’s and con’s or creating a Facebook account. But you are missing something Tommy.”

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“You have 7 reasons. What about the last half reason?”

“Glad you asked for that. It is just because I use Facebook. I am your son you know. That should be reason enough for you to use Facebook – at least half a reason.”

Two hours later, Tommy’s mother was on Facebook with 72 friends busy playing Farmville!

Building Links, Building Bridges

Fancy having your link listed on this blog?  Just leave a comment including your link.

Even if you may not no me, or even if you are from a faraway land, this links will build bridges amongst us.

So, I hope you are looking forward to having your link on this site and don't forget to link me up on your site too.

**Blog not updated for a period of two weeks will be deleted immediately.

Year-End Cinema Frenzy

It is December, the height of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the time of the year whereby many Christians await Christmas. It is the time when Asian school children relish their holiday season and last but not least, it is also the time of the year when Hollywood giants release blobkbuster movies.

Here, I have compiled 5 great movies that are bound to make headlines, together with renditions of the movie synopsis from official sources - movies that I think are deemed worthy a trip to the cinema.

Avatar

In the epic action adventure fantasy "Avatar", James Cameron, the director of "Titanic", takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love - as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.

Sherlock Holmes

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

The Princess and the Frog

When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town a deal with a shady voodoo doctor goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana, takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

The comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" follows a highly successful Manhattan couple, Meryl and Paul Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant), whose almost-perfect lives have only one notable failure – their dissolving marriage. But the turmoil of their romantic lives is nothing compared to what they are about to experience: they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

In the "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel", pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville’s twenty-something nephew Toby (Zachary Levi). The boys must put aside music superstardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school’s music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands.

10 Ways to Spend the Holidays

Holidays loom on the horizon. Some of us have already taken a pre-holiday holiday, so to say. There would be ample time to spare in the holidays, and therefore spend your time wisely. Well, here are 10 worthwhile as well as cool and fun ways you could spend the long break:

• Create your own blog. Many youngsters have started blogging as an avenue to express their thoughts. Not only that, but via blogging, you can improve your writing skills too.

• Pick up a new skill such as swimming, singing or dancing. These will help to broaden your general talent base. It might also come in handy one fine day in your life.

• Go on a journey of soul-searching. Spend more time with yourself by communicating with your conscience and you would be surprised to know how close you could get to your inner self.

• Grab a pack of popcorns and head to the cinemas. Holidays pave the way for youngsters to indulge in the seemingly endless influx of Hollywood blockbusters.

• Enjoy by living healthily. Sweat it out by regularly playing sports such as football and badminton. At the same time, you would have plentiful of fun with your peers.

• Attend character building camps. Not only do these sort of camps offer the chance to learn a thing or two about yourself, but you would make new friends too.

• Pick a couple of novels from the nearest bookstore. If you are one who rarely reads, take this opportunity to read. Thriller genred books are the best ones to be read as they are action-packed and suited to a teens flavour.

• Test your Intelligence Quotient (IQ). This would be an indicator of your real intelligence based on common logic and requires no textbook knowledge. Many IQ tests are offered online for free.

• Design a trip to an attractive tourist spot. It is time to rewind and relax after a hectic year of studying. It doesn’t necessarily have to be somewhere far-fetched. Places such as Langkawi and Tioman will do the trick.

• Identify a role model. This is to give you the impetus to want to be someone successful in life. Your role model should be someone who is a leading figure in his/her field and relevant to whom you want to be in future.

*This is an article that I had written for New Straits Times and a revised version of this has been published in the Niexter pullout dated 19th Nov. 2009