World's 21 Most Important Social
Media Sites and Apps in 2015
April 13, 2015 Randy Milanovic
The concepts behind “social networking” aren’t
anything new – ever since there have been humans, we
have been looking for ways to connect, network, and
promote with one another – but they’ve taken on an
entirely new meaning (and momentum) in the digital
age. Where we used to have handshakes, word-of-
mouth referrals, and stamped letters, today’s
relationships are often begun and developed on
LinkedIn, Google +, and Facebook.
That means savvy business owners have to know and
use a variety of social platforms to stay relevant, not to
mention take advantage of emerging opportunities.
Below, you’ll find what I consider to be the 21 most
important channels and tools you need to be aware of.
1. Twitter. Perhaps the simplest of all social media
platforms, Twitter also just happens to be one of the
most fun and interesting. Messages are limited to 140
characters or less, but that’s more than enough to post
a link, share an image, or even trade thoughts with your
favorite celebrity or influencer. Twitter’s interface is
easy to learn and use, and setting up a new profile only
takes minutes.
2. Facebook. Considered to be synonymous with “social
media” by some, Facebook is the one site where you’re
likely to find friends, colleagues, and relatives all
floating around. Although Facebook is mainly
centered around sharing photos, links, and quick
thoughts of a personal nature, individuals can also
show their support to brands or organizations by
becoming fans.
3. LinkedIn. One of the only mainstream social media
sites that’s actually geared towards business, LinkedIn
is to cyberspace what networking groups once were to
local business communities. It’s great for meeting
customers, getting in touch with vendors, recruiting
new employees, and keeping up with the latest in
business or industry news. If it matters to your
company or career, you can probably do it on LinkedIn.
4. Xing. Another professional networking and
recruitment site, Xing has the global presence and
focus that LinkedIn lacks. Although it can be mistaken
for a job search portal, the site actually has a number of
features and communities that make it easy to develop
relationships with suppliers, colleagues and even
thought leaders within industry.
5. Renren . Literally translating into “everyone’s
website,” Renren is China’s largest social platform.
Hugely popular with the younger crowd, it works in a
way similar to Facebook, allowing users to share quick
thoughts, update their moods, connect with others, and
add posts or ideas to a blog-like stream.
6. Google+ . Social media’s big up-and-comer has really
arrived over the past few years. By combining the best
of Facebook and Twitter into one site – and backing it
by the power of the world’s largest search engine,
Google has given users a social site that has a little
something for everyone. You can add new content,
highlight topics with hashtags, and even separate
contacts into circles. And, a G+ profile only takes a few
minutes to get set up.
7. Disqus. Disqus isn’t actually a social media platform
so much as a social engagement platform, but it can
definitely help you improve your social engagement. As
a tool for commenting, managing feedback on your own
website (or other Disqus-enabled websites), and
managing spam/troll type messages, it’s invaluable.
Advanced features allow for social monitoring
and upvoting.
8. LinkedIn Pulse . Even though Pulse is technically a
part of LinkedIn, it’s big and important enough to
deserve its own entry. Serving as something between a
blog and “best of” outlet, it’s the perfect medium
sharing new ideas and keeping up on the thought
leaders in your industry.
9. Snapchat . This surprisingly-addictive app gives you
the ability to take a picture, add art and text if you’d
like, and then send it to recipients for a set amount of
time (after which the photo will delete itself and be
removed from the company’s servers). Lots of fun, and
potentially a good way to stay in touch with friends.
10. Tumblr . This platform is different form many others
in that it essentially hosts microblogs for its users.
Individuals and companies, in turn, can fill their blogs
with multimedia (like images and short video clips).
The fast-paced nature of Tumblr makes it ideal for
memes, GIF’s, and other forms of fun or viral content.
11. Pinterest . Serving as a giant virtual idea and
inspiration board, Pinterest has made a huge impact on
social media in the last few years. Especially popular
with women and the do-it-yourself crowd, it lets you
share pictures, creative thoughts, or (especially)
before-and-after pictures of projects that others can
pin, save, or duplicate.
12. Twoo . This Belgian social network site is geared for
the 25 and under crowd all over the world. Alongside
normal social features like posts, updates, and photo
sharing, it also boasts online games and chat features
that make it popular with younger users who want to
stay entertained while connecting with each other.
13. MyMFB. Created as a Muslim alternative to Facebook
(it was previously called MillatFacebook), this site aims
to connect the faith’s 1.5+ billion followers into a single
social platform. While that might sound ambitious, it’s
growing quickly and offers many of the same post,
update, and sharing features as the original Facebook,
and is already immensely popular in some parts of the
world.
14. YouTube. As a video sharing service, YouTube has
become so popular that its catalog of billions and
billions of videos has become known as “the world’s
second-largest search engine” in some circles. The site
has everything from first-person product reviews to
promotional clips and “how-two” instruction on
virtually any topic or discipline. Users have the ability
to share, rate, and comment on what they see.
15. Instagram. If you’re looking for a quick, convenient
connection between the camera feature on your smart
phone and all your social profiles, then Instagram is the
answer. Not only will allow you to share via Twitter,
Facebook, and the Instagram website, you can choose
from a variety of photo filters and invite friends to
comment on your photos or ideas.
16. Vine. This site (also available as an app) offers
users the chance to share and view brief video
clips. While that theoretically offers a virtually endless
range of uses, most of Vine’s content is entertainment-
focused, with a heavy preference towards “viral” and
“meme” clips that are easy to share.
17. WhatsApp . The WhatsApp concept is simple: send
text-style messages to anyone else using the platform,
but without paying data charges. That straightforward
idea has already gathered more than 700 million fans,
making the app the world’s most popular messaging
platform.
18. vk.com . Promoting itself as Europe’s largest social
media site, vk.com is essentially the Russian version of
Facebook, with the same kinds of profiles, messaging,
and games you would expect. Like Facebook, vk.com
allows users to enter both personal and professional
information about themselves, and to follow or show
support for organizations and businesses.
19. Meetup . Meetup is a perfectly-named platform,
because it’s perfect for organizing local groups around
specific interests. There are meetups centered on just
about everything, from music to hobbies, and get-
togethers are almost always open to newcomers. That
makes it perfect for exploring an interest and making
new friends at the same time.
20. Secret. This might be the best social media app
most people haven’t tried. The premise is simple: join
into a group of friends (or create your own), and then
share an anonymous message. It’s great for fun
interactions, idea starters, or just finally getting
something off your chest. (Editor's note, 5/13/2015:
Secret has folded. Co-founder David Byttow writes:
"After a lot of thought and consultation with our board,
I’ve decided to shut down Secret. Over time, I plan to
publish postmortems so that others can learn from the
unique mistakes and challenges we faced and the
wisdom gained from such an incredible 16 months.")
21. Medium. If you’ve ever wished that social
engagement could come with an ongoing, up-to-date
“how to” manual written by the experts, Medium might
be just what you’re looking for. With lots of helpful
advice, tips, and articles, it can give you everything you
need to start connecting like a pro.
social networks / shutterstock
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