There are various social media channels available, each with its own specific purpose and target. Determining which one is right for you is the key to successful learning.
Communication Channel
- Blogging: WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, LiveJournal, Xanga, Open Diary, Vox,ExpressionEngine
- Microblogging: Twitter, FMyLife, Tumblr, Jaiku, Plurk, Posterous, Yammer
- Social Networking: LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Bebo, BigTent, Elgg, Geni,GovLoop, hi5, Orcut, Skyrock
- Social Network Aggregation: FriendFeed, NutshellMail
- Events: Meetup, Yahoo! Upcoming, Eventful
Collaboration Channel
- Wikis: Wikipedia, PBworks, Wetpaint
- Social Bookmarking/Tagging: StumbleUpon, Delicious, Google Reader, CiteULike
- Social News: Digg, Mixx, reddit, NowPublic
Multimedia Channel
- Photo Sharing: Flickr, Zooomr, Photobucket, SmugMug, Google Picasa
- Video Sharing: YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler, sevenload
- Audio/Music Sharing: MySpace Music, The Hype Machine, Last.fm, ccMixter,ShareTheMusic
- Livecasting: Skype, USTREAM, Justin.tv, Stickam
Reviews/Opinions Channel
- Product Reviews: Epinions, MouthShut
- Business Reviews: Yelp, Customer Lobby
- Community Q&A: Yahoo! Answers, WikiAnswers, Askville
Entertainment Channel
- Media/Entertainment Platforms: Cisco Eos
- Game Sharing: Miniclip, Kongregate
- Virtual Worlds: Second Life, The Sims, Forterra Systems
Miscellaneous Channel