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When we talk about Social Messenger Platforms to Consider for Your Business we usually think about them. We tend to think of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and a few others. Probably, when reading the title you have thought, where have you got all these networks, platforms and social applications? However, there are many more social networks than you think, and these are changing their popularity due to certain factors, which are, for example, trends, the whims of the market, the evolution of technology, consumer tastes, and a long etc.
However, a social network is an organized set of people in which two elements come together. The first, the people, obviously, and the second, the connections between them. Social networks are created and evolve completely naturally since people have a great need to create relationships with each other. In recent years, virtual networks have become very popular, which are nothing other than social networks like the ones we have talked about before but in a virtual way. They have not contributed any element that they did not already have on social networks, although they have modified the way in which people act. We could say that there is almost an infinite number of social media, although we will only see the most important and used in the world.
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents}QQ is not well known in the Philippines and other countries, but it is a Chinese messaging service that has replaced WhatsApp due to the number of active users. This is developed by the Chinese tech giant Tencent. Although it was created in 1999, it was not until 2013 when it was available for smartphones and tablets. Now includes free VoIP calls, email, network games, blogs, online shopping, microblog, virtual hard drive, and file transmission both online and offline.
Our way of communicating has changed since it is in our lives. Now we write more and call less. Mark Zuckerberg himself acquired it in February 2014 and in early 2015 the web version came out. This messaging app is available for Android and other smartphones.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger, Facebook's messaging application. At first, it was included within the same Facebook application but all Facebook users who wanted to continue sending and receiving messages from their smartphone need to download 10 years ago. It allows you to share your location, take photos and record videos instantly, send audio notes, and make calls using a data connection.
Qzone
QZone is China's leading social network. It belongs to the same company as QQ and is quite similar to Facebook, although most of its users are Chinese and it is only in that language. From there, it is possible to write blogs and upload and send photos. Most of its services are paid and do not require users to use their real names.
WeChat is also another Chinese instant messaging app. The developer of this messaging app is the same as QQ and Qzone. It allows you to make voice calls, share games, photos and videos and invite friends to a group through a QR code, and among other functions.
Google+
Google + is Google's social network. It was created in June 2011 and since then it has not left anyone indifferent. Either s(he) likes it a lot, or s(he) doesn't like anything. Although it still does not convince many, it is well designed and gives the possibility that both individuals and companies can interact with each other. The contacts are classified in circles. However, Google shut down the consumer (personal) and brand accounts version on April 2, 2019 and make it only available for G Suite customers.
Skype
Skype is a communication software. It is evident that it could not be missing from this list since it allows to send instant messages in 46 different languages, make good quality calls and video calls over VoIP, and share files for free from your computer, smartphone, or TV.
Twitter is one of the most used social networks, like Facebook. Its main feature is that you have to send plain text messages, known as tweets, with a maximum length of 34, 140, now 280 characters. Although it is very simple, it allows you to share photos and videos, as well as using emoticons and hashtags.
Viber
Viber is another free mobile and web application that offers the possibility to send text messages, share photos, videos, and make calls and video calls to other users of the application on any device or network. Viber is not positioned as an instant messaging application such as WhatsApp, but is considered an IP telephony service, similar to Skype, but with lower quality.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a very easy to use and highly customizable microblogging platform that offers users the possibility to post text, quotes, gifs, images, videos, links, and audio. This platform offers a very particular feature and is that it allows you to share short phrases or words from other bloggers on the network, in addition to posting content from your website or content from other users.
Snapchat
Snapchat is another instant messaging application, although quite different from the rest we have already seen. It is informal, ephemeral and quite visual. Videos, photos, texts, and even drawings can be sent from this application, but these are destroyed in a maximum time of 10 seconds. Snaps can be sent to all contacts at once, or only to one, and can be edited before being published, for example, being able to write or draw on them.
Line
The Line is another instant messaging application, which has the particularity of including stickers instead of the classic emoticons. Like other applications in the same category, it allows you to send text messages, photos, videos, and make VoIP calls. It is available for both mobile, PC and Mac. Another of its features is that it has a large catalog of related applications, such as, for example, games, online stores, stickers, etc.
Sina Weibo
Sina Weibo is a microblogging platform that is very similar to Twitter, also having Facebook features. This platform is mostly used in China. It is known as the Chinese Twitter since it is very similar. It has a limit of 140 characters per message, @ is used to mention users, tags and hashtags # are used, messages can be republished (retweets), save favorites... in addition to text, it allows publishing videos and images.
Foursquare
Foursquare is a social network based on location services. It gives the possibility of locating a fixed or mobile device in a certain geographical location. It is used to recommend places, say where a user is, make lists of favorite places, or interact with other users.
Telegram
Telegram is another cross-platform instant messaging application. Like the others that we have already talked about before, it gives the possibility of sending text messages, videos, images, documents, gifts, geolocations... However, it has other characteristics that the others do not have, such as the editor of photos integrated, the service in the cloud, the encryption of the messages and the gratuitousness and absence of publicity.
Meetup
Meet up is a social network that helps users find people with common interests and facilitate meetings. You have to put the postal code, what interests you, and Meetup itself is responsible for organizing a meeting. WeWork acquired this in 2017.
beBee
beBee is a mix of professional and leisure social network. It is competing strongly with LinkedIn because it is very comprehensive, although it has not yet reached its number of users. It is an open model social network, like Twitter, which means that users' information can be viewed without having to send a friend request, which makes communication between unknown people with common interests easier.
MySpace
MySpace is a social network that was created in 2003 in The United States. It makes a personalized website available to its users so that they can offer personal information and create a blog.
In 2009, MySpace officially launched MySpaceIM as the official instant messaging client for MySpace.19. Ning
Ning is a very original online social platform since it allows you to create your own social network for your product, brand, service or anything else you can think of. In addition, you can interact with all users.
Meetme
Meetme is another social network geared toward teens. Users interact with each other and play games with each other. It has its own virtual currency, called the social network itself, which is used so that users can send each other virtual gifts.
Stickam
Stickam is another of the social networks in which video prevails. Users can share videos with each other. In addition, it includes an instant messaging service and has many other functions. It was launched in 2005 and since then it has not stopped growing.
MyLife
MyLife is a social network that was created so that users could find their old friends and be able to interact with them, with former colleagues at work, with their relatives, etc. and it offers the ability to see who has been searching for you. This network was born from the merger of Reunion.com and Wink.
Buzznet
Buzznet is a social lifestyle network where users can participate in virtual communities that have been created around events, ideas or interests. It is closely related to music and pop culture.
Multiply
Multiply is the largest social store in the Southeast of the Asian continent. More than 125,000 stores are part of it and it has more than 20 million visitors every month.
Instagram is a social network that allows you to share both photos and short videos. It is widely used around the world and is growing daily. It has a very special feature that sets it apart from other applications where photos are shared. Filters can be applied to your photos and hashtags are often used.
Flickr
Flickr is one of the favorite websites for photographers, be they professionals or amateurs, to store their photos. It also has a mobile application and in 2005 Yahoo acquired it. It offers the possibility to create albums, includes tags and shares them on other social networks, such as Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook.
LinkedIn is a social network aimed at professionals and businesses. It is the only one currently focused on this sector since although there have been attempts by others, they have not managed to gain the trust of users and investors and to position themselves. Here people seeking active employment and companies seeking professionals meet. It has a professional feature called InMail that allows you to directly message another LinkedIn member that you're not connected to.
Conclusion
The above platforms became the favorite platforms for millions of people around the world, and are now part of the marketing plan for thousands of brands that want to improve their relationship with their customers, and who want to increase their sales, and meet their goals.
These platforms help thousands of people to be more connected despite the distance, and to interact more each day. There are thousands of options in which we can take advantage of the proper use of social networks, but let us take into account that there are also dangers and disadvantages that could affect our personal integrity.
If you are interested in mastering all social networks, with a Diploma in Social Media Ads you will know the characteristics of different social networks to develop quality content that generates engagement to increase your sales. Making your advertising costs cheaper.
