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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Experts say social networking sites have created relationships and destroyed them with the click of a key.

Social media sites are popular, especially Facebook, for connecting, and reconnecting. Andy Choy says it’s a good communication tool. “It's a good way to keep in touch with people you already know in person."

But Choy says it's not the best way to meet that special someone. He’s not alone. Most of the Utahns we spoke with this Valentines Day agree. Rachel Morris says there is no substitute for being face to face. “I like the old fashioned meeting them in person."

She says everything is not always as it appears online. Life coach, Lynette Williams agrees although she says online dating has led to successful relationships. "The face to face creates something, because you may get along great but when you meet them there's no chemistry. That's not the relationship you want.”

Williams says you have to be careful in the cyber relationship world, and that warning also holds true for those reconnecting. She says social media sites create a discreet environment where affairs can be kindled. “Like looking up an old flame or something like that; you want to be really careful, it's ok to say hi, but make sure your motives are you just want to say hi. "

She says anyone in a committed relationship should make it plain on Facebook and if your partner won't disclose their relationship in their social networking life, it might be a red flag.

Williams says another relationship red flag is disclosing too much. Nicole Licau says she’s seen it online. "People will like vent, kind of about “oh I can't believe”, and then they will direct statuses towards that person, and I’m like you could just say that to them directly. You don't have to post it to the whole world."

Williams says that kind of venting is extremely damaging. "All of the sudden you expand that whole conversation. You invite other people; in it may get twisted or turned and you might be in a place where you could forgive, and you would laugh about it afterwards, but other people don’t have that understanding or background.”

She reminds everyone, deleted or not, the message is permanent.

Williams says it's important to put your focus on the one you are with, and if there is something lacking there, do your best to rekindle the relationship. You can find more information on relationship coaching at http://www.lighthousepointcoaching.com

Excerpt from:
Social Networking can help and hurt relationships

Euro RSCG Worldwide's annual Valentine's Day survey explores the impact of social networking on romantic relationships and uncovers significant differences in the sex lives and desires of Americans based on politics and social media preferences.

When the Internet first was opened to public use, it was widely assumed that pornography would be its biggest draw. And for years it was. Today, in contrast, social media is the primary reason for having an Internet account -- and social networking is having a significant impact on how we meet people and develop our relationships.

A majority of the 1,000 online Americans Euro RSCG surveyed earlier this month say online dating has become mainstream, and just about half (49 percent) know someone whose relationship started with online interactions. Four in 10 admit to having flirted with someone online; a quarter of the sample say they've experienced strong feelings of attraction for someone on the Internet; and around 1 in 5 (19 percent--and 22 percent of those aged 18-34) say they've actually had a romantic, sexual, or erotic relationship online.

While not everyone actively uses the Internet as a hunting ground for love and lust, the effects of interactions online are beginning to spill over into offline lives as more people spend more time on social media sites:

-- 73 percent of Americans believe having a strongly sexual relationship with someone online counts as cheating.

-- Around a third (32 percent) know someone whose offline relationship ended because of their actions online. The number rises to 39 percent among the 18-34 cohort (millennials).

-- 69 percent say the Internet has made it easier for people to cheat on their partners.

-- 35 percent acknowledge that relationships online can prove too much of a distraction to offline relationships.

-- 11 percent of women and 18 percent of millennials admit to having "stalked" an ex on social media networks.

-- And around a third of men (31 percent) and 14 percent of women say images online have actually influenced how they think about sex. "These numbers show we've passed several milestones in the evolution of the Web," says Norm Yustin, president Euro RSCG Chicago Group. "In the early days of the Internet, lots of people used chat rooms to flirt or engage in what we used to call 'cybersex' -- but it was largely with strangers and without any intention of carrying over the relationship into the real world. What people did online stayed online, for the most part. Now our two worlds are blended, and the people we meet online and how we behave on social networks is affecting us at home and at work--for good or bad. We'll continue tracking this evolution to see just how far millennials and the generations to follow will push it--and to better understand all its implications for society and for marketers."

Are You Too Sexy for Facebook? Our study uncovered some interesting disparities between how active Facebook and Twitter users perceive themselves in the areas of sex and romance.

-- 40 percent of daily Twitter users describe themselves as "sexy," compared with just 28 percent of people who use Facebook every day.

-- 42 percent of active tweeters (vs. 33 percent of active FBers) say they're "sexually adventurous."

-- 33 percent of tweeters (vs. 28 percent of FBers) pride themselves on being "skilled lovers."

Original post:
Social Media Now More Popular Than Porn

Myspace has long been the joke of the social media world. Last year the social networking site nearly self-imploded and was victim to massive layoffs, a less than impressive sale, and being written off as a News Corp mistake. Even little victories along the way haven’t been enough to offset the overwhelming failure of the site. Netting Justin Timberlake was gimmicky, and the first mention of Myspace TV sounded like a desperate attempt to grab onto the social TV trend.

To sum up how everyone’s regarded Myspace for the past few years, skip to the one minute mark of this video:

But somehow amidst the wreckage, Myspace managed to accrue one million new subscribers since December 2011, an admirable feat. How did its new company Specific Media save a sinking ship?

Making new friends out of old enemies

November 2010 was something of a turning point for Myspace. The struggling site finally integrated with Facebook, allowing Myspace users to sign on via the Facebook Connect application. While the partnership was definitely a coup for Facebook (and so insignificant to the world’s largest social network that it failed to even acknowledge the move, although Myspace announced the integration), there are some obvious benefits for Myspace.

Chief among them was the ability to access Facebook’s social graph. Being able to leverage the amount of data users pour into Facebook has always been profitable, but Facebook’s Open Graph made this abundantly clearer. Essentially, it’s now an app platform and Myspace is going to go along for the ride.

Of course, a purely social app won’t quite have the pull on the Open Graph that more niche ones do – something that fills a hole. Food, daily deals, games, travel, news. These are all areas Facebook has made available via Timeline apps, which is where the real money and user numbers are at.

Could this have something to do with Myspace’s music player and refocus? Myspace was already on this path, but the Open Graph could have been added impetus. Myspace has no doubt noticed who the early winners of the Open Graph were – music apps.

Your Myspace listening activity already shows up in the Ticker and you can listen-in with friends. So now we’re curious: Will Facebook add Myspace to its official list of Timeline apps? Regardless of where the partnership goes from here, one thing is abundantly clear: Facebook killed Myspace and now it’s bringing it back to life. 

Fighting David instead of Goliath

The story of Myspace’s success is more about Facebook than anything else. The Open Graph has been such a triumph and Facebook’s “we have a platform, someone else can make the content we proliferate it with” concept has been working out splendidly.

Myspace has wisely taken itself out of Facebook’s playing field. Now, it’s the likes of Spotify, MOG, Rdio, and Last.fm that the site will have to contend with. These are considerably smaller beasts, although their momentum (thanks in part to Facebook’s Timeline and new class of apps) shouldn’t be discounted.

And because it integrates with Facebook, it has an edge over streaming services that don’t (we’re looking at you, Google Music).  

The real remaining question seems to be how Myspace TV will fare. At the moment, Myspace is the umbrella under which Myspace Music and soon enough, Myspace TV fall. In this regard, it’s differentiating itself from either exclusive music or video streaming content, but it will still have Hulu, Amazon Instant Play, and Netflix as competition (which should be launching its own Facebook integration soon, right?). 

So is this all enough for a comeback? Only if you limit expectations. Myspace will never again be a full-featured social networking platform and it won’t challenge Facebook or Twitter or even Tumblr. But if comeback means staying on your feet, pushing your newly established brand, and riding Facebook’s coattails for all they’re worth (which there is no shame in), then it seems very likely. 

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Read more here:
The second coming of Myspace has Facebook's Open Graph to thank

Boca Raton, Feb. 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BOCA RATON, Fla. , Feb. 11, 2012 -- 561Media, Inc., an established leader in the custom social networking and custom website design industry, announced today that it will use its proprietary in-house social software to develop and design unique social network properties for three new clients. 561Media.com has already begun the custom design phase for each of the new properties.

"Social Media is only getting stronger and the growing number of consumers seeking entertainment, information, social interaction and perhaps soon, even commerce through social media platforms, is igniting our industry," said Cary Bartlett, President of 561 Media, Inc.

Joe Raio, Cary's co-owner in 561Media Inc., added "The key is to be both relevant and unique. You have to serve an unmet need and create a social network that differentiates itself from its competitors."

561Media.com has developed from the ground up several very successful and popular custom social network websites including Audiostreet.net, Gamestreet.net, GameLand.com, and IRLife.com. Most recently, they built and launched MyBrightMountain.com, a leading financial bulletin giant.

"We are confident our past successes in social networking, an expanded development team, the implementation of national `branding' techniques, and the same commitment to creative excellence we've had from day one, will result in opening up additional venues in social networking with these three new social media sites," Bartlett said.

January was a busy month for 561Media.com. In addition to the new social media clients, they launched eight new custom designed client websites that included a luxury private jet charter company Luxairus.com, South Florida's first certified free-standing midwife birthing center http://palmsbirthhouse.561media.com, legal online documents provider EZBizdocs.com, Construction & Engineering Group's Almarse.com, Portable Stakeout Alarm Systems' StakeoutSolutions.com, MyVerifiedPro.com, a unique site to verify and promote professionals in numerous industries, Fashion-Forward Swimwear designs by VeredGlaser.com and Crystal Tennis fashions by 10-us.net.

561Media, Inc. is a custom web design, development and Internet marketing company located in Boca Raton, Florida. With industry-leading business strategies, 561 Media is a premier provider of custom Internet marketing products and services. With a unique blend of creativity and technical acumen, 561 Media has experienced monumental growth since inception.

A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11622

See more here:
561Media.com to Build Several New Custom Social Network Websites

02-02-2012 08:11 Batman and Supes review the finer points of social media while hanging out in their favorite café. Thanks for watching. Leave us a comment and spread the love by subscribing to our channel and/or give us a 'thumbs up'! For more, go to http://www.howitshouldhaveended.com

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Super Café: Super Social Network - Video