Meet me at the clubhouse

Teenage web whizzes have been dubbed digital natives because they were born clicking in the digital universe. More mortal adults have had to earn their spurs as digital immigrants, and for them, too, social networks have become a source of knowledge, ideas and money: guitar teachers now regularly upload tuition videos, mothers on the same street can band together to discuss the trials of parenthood and entrepreneurs can source millions for start-up ideas at switched-on business sites.

As online social networks mature, they must diversify the attractions that keep people coming back. New portals cater for the concerns and causes of grown-ups, rather than simply acting as windows for shameless teenage exhibitionism. The networking Top 10, according to Nielsen, is dominated by these specific interests: finding lost relatives (www.genesreunited.co.uk); rebuilding family trees (www.ancestry.co.uk); and photo-sharing (www.ringo.com). There are even social networks that hook up happy campers (www.caravannersreunited.com).

“You’ll see more of these niche networks showing up,” says Boris Pfeiffer, general manager of Tickle International, itself a niche network. Targeting thirtysomething Bridget Jones types, Uk.tickle re-creates the frisson of coffee-break tittle-tattle with a stream of online quizzes (“What kind of kisser are you?”) and IQ tests to take and share with friends. As with MySpace, two in five of its audience are 35 or over. Unlike other online social networks, it steers clear of features such as blogging and DIY home pages. “If you want to build your own space on the web, there are enough social-networking sites where you can,” Pfeiffer says.

For committed, like-minded communities, turn to the business networks. Where the golf club or the local chamber of commerce was once the vital place for informal networking, today the flesh is pressed online between business people and professionals, irrespective of location.

“Any site where people have knowledge to share with others can be built onto a social network,” says Nate Elliott, an analyst at Jupiter Research. “When you look at what people do on these sites, they talk to each other. The really interesting niche applications of social networking will be in areas where these conversations are useful to the parties involved. Business is a great example. Travel is another.”

It’s inevitable that the online business networking community is disproportionately full of touchy-feely life coaches looking for fresh blood, but sites such as LinkedIn, Open BC and A Small World (if you can gain access) are taken seriously by deal-makers as sources of contacts, ideas and, vitally, financial muscle.

However, members of social networks must be wary of the sheer amount of information that can be, and is, declared publicly online. In cyberspace, one in 10 people falls victim to identity theft — a sobering thought. If you browse Ecademy, a UK-based community for entrepreneurs, salespeople and freelancers, for a few minutes, you can find mobile-phone numbers and e-mail addresses as members seek advice and advertise skills and services. Ecademy claims that it has 80,000 members, many self-employed, who offer, in the words of one member, “much more help and support than in the real world, where people are quite cagey”, though there’s plenty of salesmanship on show, too.

Sites such as Passado encourage members to list CVs and schools, while Bebo pages often reveal members’ favourite pubs and other hangouts. Dr Stephen Castell, an independent consultant specialising in online security, fears a “destruction of trust” when people communicate in a purely digital form.

“How do I check what you are saying?” he asks. “It can be compromised. Someone could hack into your details and you’d never know.”

It’s always wise to exercise caution when sharing personal details online, but, at their best, networks give new expression to a deep-seated urge: the need to reach out to other people. For adults, this means indulging a passion for culture, furthering a business interest or finding like-minded souls on any level.

Netmums, the award-winning support network for mothers, sees 10,000 members join up each month because it plugs a vitally important gap in an increasingly fragmented world. Research commissioned by the site revealed that three out of five new mothers do not have their extended family around them; nearly two out of three don’t have close friends to lean on; and more than half feel they suffer some form of postnatal depression.

Siobhan Freegard, the founder of Netmums, says: “So many of our users are digital immigrants: we only call it social networking because the media have been calling it that. Social networking is about making friends, isn’t it?”

Additional reporting by Katrina Manson()

Four grown-up stars of social-networking sites who indulge their passions online

GOLFING GURU
Brian Keating, 42, a technology consultant living in Helensburgh, Scotland, loves GolfBuzz, an American-based network for golfers

“I was on my way to Florida and looking for information on a particular course,” Keating says. “All the golf courses tell you they’re great, but what you want is people who have played them to give you their view. That’s the real power of the idea.”

Members post reviews and playing tips, and can even team up to provide playing partners at clubhouses across the world.

Keating is the first UK member to post course reviews of Machrihanish, on the Kintyre peninsula, and of the Machrie, on Islay.

“I don’t really want MySpace, where it’s about my whole life,” he says. “This is a part of my life:

I want information from people who play golf.

You’re putting practitioners in touch with each other. The more networks that can align interests, the better.”

DRIVEN DEAL-MAKER
Nick Ayton, 41, a self-made millionaire from Surrey, joined Ecademy in 2004. Within 48 hours, he had found a business partner

“I was always sceptical about business networks,” Ayton says, “but I’ve been made to eat my words.” He went online looking for like-minded people, found a partner, and together they raised more than £40m. Since then, Ayton has sourced a procurement specialist through the site, which helped him move office and “saved a fortune”.

His 60-strong network of contacts on Ecademy is full of fellow CEOs. “These guys are proven, they are business people and, as with all these things, they become mates after a while. I will certainly do more deals on Ecademy as they come along.

“Many people are uncomfortable networking online and wouldn’t know how to go about it. Ecademy shortens the time frame for meeting like-minded people and circumvents the search for kindred spirits. I haven’t had this much fun for ages.”

ADDICTED BOOKWORM
Alice Cann, 23, from London, fell for the classy-looking bibliophile network LibraryThing, a social network for book-lovers

“I discovered LibraryThing about four months ago,” Cann says. “My addiction has grown so bad that I am more likely to give in to buying a book because I know I’ll be able to add it to my catalogue — though I try to convince my husband otherwise!” Members can catalogue their book collections online, add tags as a way of cross-referencing their tastes with other people’s, review books and comment on peers’ collections. Cann has already catalogued her entire collection of 1,000 books and is “obsessed” with tagging.

“The idea of comparing my collection with other people’s really excited me. I have been encouraging everyone I know to get into LibraryThing — I like the idea of getting others to try out the books I love through LT.”

GLOBAL VILLAGER
Elizabeth Feisst, 59, who lives on the Isle of Man, has been a member of Care2, the network for social activists, since 2004

With more than 5m members, Care2 is a global community that chatters daily about social issues such as health and human rights, following news and sharing photos on the site. Feisst says:

“I like the focus on ‘goodness’ issues such as the environment. My friends network is worldwide. I consider myself a global citizen now.

“I post almost daily and write poetry, which I share with many groups and on my blog. I used to send out friendship requests regularly, but now I receive them so often that I have cut back on the sending.”

Born in New Zealand, Feisst moved to the Isle of Man in 2003 and has created a group for the island to actively promote it to the wider world. “Several people have visited the island as a result,” she says.