Social networking sites are great for society, promoting greater communication and connection among hundreds of millions of people around the world. While some argue that the dangers of online networking far outweigh the benefits, this is clearly not the case; rather it is the opposite. Online social networking can be broadly defined as any website or other type of online communication that allows people to interact with each other. Blogging, or keeping an online diary, first became popular in the late 1990s. As blogs began to attract more and more people, pure social networking sites appeared. SixDegrees.com (1997-2001) was the first website that allowed users to create personal profiles and connect with friends. In 2002, Friendster was founded, popularizing social networking before Myspace, Facebook and Twitter arrived in 2003, 2004 and 2006 respectively. "Currently, social networking/blogging sites account for over 17% of all time spent on the Internet" ("These are social networking sites"). The addition of multimedia features was a big draw for users. Through social networking sites, the average Internet user can easily upload music, images, and videos to online web pages. As these sites grow in popularity, the user base expands to include more people over the age of 50, in addition to the millions of teenagers who already use them. There are numerous benefits to social networking with sites like Facebook and Myspace. For one thing, increased communication strengthens relationships. Internet users usually tend to have larger social networks than non-users, and by maintaining those relationships online, they are able to stay in touch with many more f...... middle of paper ...... /?pageID= cagoterminal&L=4&LO=Home&L1..."Common Sense Media Survey: Parents Out of the Teen Social Network Loop." Entertainment close-up. August 12, 2009.Courtney, Vicki. "Connected and disconnected." Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2007.Derbyshire, David. “Social websites harm children's brains: A chilling warning to parents from a leading neuroscientist.” Daily mail. February 24, 2009. “Educational Benefits of Discovered Social Networking Sites.” Everyday science. June 21, 2008. Carpenter, Whitney. “Ego Journey”. Vogue Teenager. April 2010.Mooney, Carla. "Online social networking". Farmington Hills: Lucent Books, 2009. Rogers, Vanessa. “Cyberbullying”. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2010. “Short Circuit.” Vogue Teenager. April 2010. Sommers, Michael. “The Dangers of Online Predators.” New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2008.