國外的SNS (Social Network Service)如Friendster、Tribe Networks、LinkedIn等網站啟動至少一年，至今會員人數不斷遞增，然而卻都面臨同樣一個尷尬的問題：如何賺錢？
"Social networks seek financial friends"一文介紹這些公司最主要的兩種策略：一是認為社會關系網(social networking)本身并不賺錢，但可以通過與之結合的其它服務如獵頭工作或房屋出租來收費，LinkedIn是這一類的代表；另一種是以Friendster、MySpace為代表的交友網站通過大量的注冊用戶為基礎以吸引廣告商投入宣傳費。后者最大的問題在于，用戶來得快也可能去得快，依靠用戶基數賺取廣告費具有不穩定因素。像Friendster這一類的公司雖然目前用戶量大，但只要更新，提供更具吸引力服務的公司一出現，這些用戶將很容易流失。原因在于若用戶是沖著網站的功能(尤其是免費)或者說僅僅是娛樂式的交友而去，用戶忠誠度不高，一旦有更好的服務或功能就會轉到其它網站。
相對來說，服務類尤其是面向商業服務的SNS具有更強的生命力。這類網站的用戶群比較固定，出于商業或個人職業生涯的考慮，他們也會愿意交納一定的使用費來維持或擴大自己的社交圈子。因為從理論上講，SNS是基于信任的連接，與強調誠信的商業規則不謀而合。商業圈子的建立不僅僅在網上，同時也為網下的交流合作打下基礎，這種網上網下相結合的方式才能保證網站保持生命力，最終盈利。不知道國內現在哪個網站是專門面向商業用戶服務的？或許以國內今天的商業環境來說，這種商業類的SNS還是太超前了，不適應國內的游戲規則。換一種角度考慮，如果在現在國內最熱門的招聘網站CJOL或是B2B網站阿里巴巴，加入SNS服務，該是什么樣？
下表列出五個SNS網站的比較:      Friendster Tickle LinkedIn Tribe Networks Orkut  Headquarters Sunnyvale San Francisco Mountain View San Francisco Mountain View, service offered by Google.  Employees 50 60-plus 27 28 not clear  Funding $13 million mostly from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Benchmark Capital. $9 million (August Capital invested $7 million, individual investors $2 million). In May acquired by Monster, for undisclosed sum. $4.7 million from Sequoia Capital. $6.3 million in venture financing from Mayfield Fund, Knight Ridder and the Washington Post. not clear  How you get in Someone must invite you. Can sign up at www.tickle.com. Can sign up at wwww.linkedin .com, can then invite in others into your network. Sign up at www.tribe.net. You need to be invited.  Mission Helps link friends, friends of friends and so on, up to three degrees. Users can open up to entire network or narrow to one or two degrees. Matches people by various means, including scientific questionnaires, and a social networking site. Default is four degrees of contact, have to pay for more. Allows users to search for people, based on industry, company, geography, title or by keyword in their profile. Can make requests to contact people up to four degrees of separation away. Requests must be approved by each person along the chain of contact. Network is everyone within four degrees of separation, but users can also link to people through Tribes, which are organized according to interest. Tribes can be open or closed to outsiders, depending on the Tribe manager. Similar to Friendster.  Plans for making money Advertising Charg

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