Social networking, it seems, came out of thin air one day and took the world by storm. A few years later and social networks like Facebook and Twitter have become a staple, almost as important as breakfast, lunch & dinner. It didn’t take long for people, businesses and even governments to see the host of marketing, researching and networking opportunities that social media provided and the whole idea of ‘staying in touch with people’ got lost somewhere in between.
You might set up a profile with the objective of connecting with friends and family but in reality, it’s more like connecting with friends, family, friends of friends, family of friends, friends of the family… you get the drift. Posts from your favourite band’s Facebook page that you actually want to see are drowned out by the numerous selfies and oh-so-thought-provoking posts from people you added out of politeness. If endless Candy Crush requests and spam tweets have you contemplating isolation, fret not, just read on to discover a few social networks that offer more of what you want.
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For Reel, though?
Makers of Letterboxd wanted to discover an appropriate platform for keeping track of their favourite movies, write about their love or hate for particular ones and associate personal memories with movies rather than the number of stars they received from a professional critic. They couldn’t find a venue like this so, in true movie buff fashion, they created one.
Letterboxd describes itself as ‘a single place to showcase your life in film’ and we couldn’t have phrased it any better. As a member (free registration, woohoo!), you can jot down your thoughts about movies new and old, feature your favourite films on your page, make a wishlist (or ‘watchlist’ as Letterboxd calls it) of movies you want to see and of course, interact with fellow lovers of motion pictures.
Image source—Letterboxd’s Facebook page
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The Niche for Knit
If your mind instantly went to Christmas sweaters when you read the word ‘knit’, then hold on, because your outlook is about to change. There’s more to yarn than that and Ravelry is just the place to prove it. A social network of knitters, spinners, crocheters, weavers, dyers and designers, Ravelry is completely user-driven and user-oriented.
It enables members to keep notes about their projects, connect with other creators, see what they’re making and exchange ideas. Anybody with a love of yarn can sign up to become Raveler for free and explore this network of creativity and utility mashed together.
Image source—Ravelry
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Chirp on your shoulder
Bird-watchers are often worshippers of solitude and the peace that accompanies it. While they may not want to share the actual experience of bird-watching with anyone, they definitely enjoy sharing tips, maps and stories with fellow enthusiasts as we’ve seen in the case of Birdpost. Once you sign up, you can maintain an online list of your bird sightings, explore nearby sightings of other birders on a map and connect with watchers from all over the world.
Their search engine allows users to enter bird name, region, physical characteristics or any combination of these and presents comprehensive results. Birdpost also alerts you if a rare bird has been spotted in your area and with their satellite mapping technology, you can keep track of your sightings as well as those of others. Birdpost also has an iPhone app. With a social network as amazing as this, the sky is the limit for bird-watchers. All they need to do is spread their wings and fly (okay, we’ll stop now).
Image courtesy—Birdpost
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Are you game?
If stereotypes are to be believed, social interaction isn’t a top priority for most gamers but we’re sure they would make an exception for Dpadd. Started as an online journal and social network for gamers, Dpadd enables users to record games, rate & review them and maintain a to-play list. You can add your Twitch, Xbox LIVE, Playstation Network and Steam accounts to your profile and connect with gamers all over the globe.
While it was private, invite-only earlier, Dpadd is now open to all gamers. There are separate pages for each game so you can also check ratings, compare scores and get in touch with players for a little healthy competition. After all, like we’ve said before, videogames are a form of art and like artists, gamers need a platform for expression too.
Image courtesy—Dpadd
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A spooky kind of love
For lovers of the supernatural (phenomena, not the TV show), word of mouth has always been a favourite medium but with Supernatural Connections, enthusiasts can now indulge in type-of-keyboard (see what we did there?) sharing too. To join this online community of paranormal fans, all you need to do is sign up and you can make a profile, share experiences, upload photos and videos— all with open-minded people who not only understand your passion, but they share it.
There are also polls and classifieds on the website which members can access. Users can also join groups and make new friends or connect with old ones. All things considered, this is an impressive social network for supernatural buffs investigating unusual earthly phenomena. There’s only one thing that could make it better—internet in afterlife.
Image courtesy—Supernatural Connections, Picki
After hitchhiking through the various galaxies of social media, there comes a time when every weary traveller must pick a planet and settle down. If you aren’t keen on general ‘connecting with people’, then niche networks are the way to go because of their exclusivity, focus and general awesomeness. The ones mentioned above are just a few options available but from what we’ve seen, the limit does not exist when it comes to networking with people who share the same passion.
