Online Social Community Networking

By Author: Val McCleery
Total Articles: 1
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Social networking is the latest trend in publishing your opinions, expressions, ideas, and comments on the World Wide Web. As the popularity of online social networking grows, the question then becomes, Which social community network is right for me? Although there are a number of social networks that allow you to find people you know and even meet some new ones based on common interests, the interaction is often hollow and superficial, as the social network provides little structure or purpose for the interaction. It was not until recently that a social network was created with the intent of starting a global social revolution - a social network with a mission statement and a purpose. Global Comrades is a global online community or online social community with social networking services tied to a variety of the following categories (i.e. international TV, online forum, green social network, internet TV, online audio, featured videos, and international social network services).

Global Comrades Mission Statement:

Global ...
... Comrades is an online community that will let you introduce yourself to the world.

In a world of ever-increasing conflict, Global Comrades was created to allow people from around the world to get to know each other in an environment of friendship and tolerance - an environment free of government influence and persuasion.

By providing globally conscious individuals the opportunity to interact directly, we hope to bring down barriers created by borders and opposing beliefs - to unite our collective voice for the greater good of humankind.

To help accomplish the goal of direct interaction, Global Comrades and Skype have joined forces to offer an integrated IM client and free calls for all Global Comrades users. With Skype, you can talk to anyone, anywhere free. When viewing a member's profile, you can see their current online status and initiate chat or call with the click of a button.

Because Global Comrades is focused on meaningful interaction, all of the website content is interactive:

RSS News Feeds: each website category has RSS news feeds specific to that category. For example, the homepage has world news RSS feeds from the BBC and The Independent; the Religion category has an RSS feed from Pew Forum, etc. Users can discuss each of the RSS feed articles, thus providing a global perspective on global events and news as they transpire.
Polls: The website has polls specific to each category - registered users can discuss the polls and poll results with other registered users. Again, this provides a global perspective on the polling topics.
Personal Profile: All personal profile content can be discussed and rated (i.e. blogs, photos, podcasts, proprietary music recordings, and videos).

Where the vast majority of social networks were designed for young adults to socialize, Global Comrades was created for a more mature and globally conscious end user. This is quickly evident when reviewing the content of the major website categories:

Blogs: The Blog category displays user blogs according to criteria of interest (highest rated, most viewed, etc.). Moreover, when uploading blogs, users are required to categorize the blog according to its category/sub-category. For example, if you choose to blog about military affairs, you can categorize the blog in the Military category and in the appropriate sub-category (Army, Navy, etc.). There are endless blogging opportunities within this online blogging community.
Forum: Within the Global Comrades website is a fully functioning forum (an internet version of a bulletin board). Registered users can post new topics and other users can comment, creating an open discussion for all to view and contribute to the discussion.
GCTV (Global Comrades Television): GCTV is International TV for Comrades, by Comrades. GCTV is a fully functioning video website within Global Comrades. GCTV has all of the functionality of a YouTube type website, but with more structured content and international appeal.
Culture: The Culture category has a number of related subcategories: Art & Architecture, Books & Poetry, Film, Music, Performing Arts, Photography, Travel, TV & Radio. When uploading blogs, audio, photos, or video, the user has the ability to categorize the content so that it appears in the appropriate category. For example, if you go to Culture / Food & Wine, you will see blogs, photos, and videos related to that subcategory, thus allowing users to focus on the categories of greatest interest.
Green: The Green category is focused on environmental issues and has a number of related subcategories: Climate Change, Conservation, Green Building, Green Energy, Green Technology, Recycling, and Water. The Green tab displays green user submitted audio, video, blogs, and RSS feeds.
Audio: In addition to podcasts, users can submit their proprietary music recordings to a global audience. Moreover, audio files can be categorized according to a vast number of subcategories.
Military: The Military category is focused on global military affairs and has a number of related subcategories: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Military/Other, Navy, and Special Forces.
Politik (Politics): The Politik category includes the following subcategories: Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Politik/Other, South Asia, UK, US, and World.
Religion: The Religion category is focused on religious affairs and has a number of related subcategories: Agnosticism/Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Religion/Other, Sikhism, and Spirituality.

As outlined above, there is much more to do in Global Comrades than just catch up with old friends. If you are ready to graduate to the next generation of social networks, check out Global Comrades (http://www.globalcomrades.com) and introduce yourself to the world. At last, a social network that was created for everyone in the world - I predict that it will be the next popular online community.