Facebook may be the most popular social network, but there are a list of social networks that are a pleasant change from the Facebook rut and cater to your special hobbies and interests. For instance, Respectance.com, a social tribute network offers people the opportunity to honour the lives of their deceased loved ones. Another
one is WeeWorld, an avatar-based community for teens that allows them to create their own virtual versions. Looking beyond Facebook and Twitter, these volley of wacky social networks are catching the fancy of youngsters, which gives them a chance to join a fun community.
A die-hard fan of Robert Pattinson and his Vampire series Twilight, Guncha Dua, a college student, is an avid user of VampireFreaks, a social network that is about Gothic culture. “It’s a fun network for Gothic lovers, where one can post stuff about gothic music, bands and vampire icons. It not only helped me follow up on Robert Pattinson and the Twilight series, but I also got to know about Gothic lifestyle, its culture and funky Gothic haircuts,” she quips.
Share your dreams with he world or make points to get an entry in heaven, are other social networks which teens are hooked on to. Shares Shreyashish Sengupta, who is addicted to Line for Heaven, a social community that welcomes anyone who wants to get into heaven. “It’s an interesting one, where users just have to acquire ‘Karma’ points based on their interactions with one another. Every seven days, users with the most points are awarded the title of ‘Angel’, so I keep trying.”
And many love to follow these networks to make new friends. Shilpa Arora, a follower of REMcloud, a forum, where one can share snippets from last night’s dreams and also know its meaning says, “As I’m always keen to know the meaning of dreams I joined this network. Through this you may even find new characteristics and facts about other people. But here I don’t want to invite any of my FB friends. I want to make new friends and hope to share my dreams with people who don’t know me.”
Although these social networks are still to grow in popularity among Indian netizens, many want to follow them in the future. Says Natasha Singh about StarDoll, an online community, which she is really keen to join. “My friend told me about it. Here girls can create their own virtual paper doll and shop for accessories with digital credits. Users can also use the site to play games and create their own fashion items to sell to other users.”