Some of these networks take advantage of the massive audience of Facebook or Twitter to allow users to reach the maximum number of friends. But if you are worried about potential privacy holes to Facebook and want to avoid them, there is a network that, too.
INSTAGRAMInstagram, a photo sharing network based on a free app for Apple iPhone, is the breakout of specialty social networks. The service, which was introduced in October, says that more than one million users have already joined.
Instagram's secret weapon is its built-in photo filters, edit images before uploading them. Some effects are banal, but some — like the Early Bird inspired sepia or toaster soft-color — miracles to remove often harsh lighting and strident colors photo phone. With the help of filters, images can look better than those uploaded to other social sites like Facebook.
Davin Bentti, software engineer in Atlanta, uses Instagram to control where he posts photos.
"The Instagram allows me to share photos on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Posterous, Tumblr, Foursquare," he said. "When I take a photo, I can put it anywhere in the world without having to think much about it. But I can also put it where I want to go. "
For example, said Mr. Bentti, missed Twitter when sending a recent photo of her dog, because his Twitter followers are mostly professional colleagues.
To get started, download the free Instagram iPhone app and sign up for an account. If you own an Android phone, be patient; an app for this operating system is in the works, the company said.
To find friends to share your photos with, launch the application and select the profile option at the bottom right of your screen. Instagram offers several ways to find people: access to Facebook or Twitter to view lists of your friends have already signed with Instagram; search your phone's contact list to match e-mail addresses with existing users; send invitations to those in your contact list who have not yet joined; Search the database of Instagram users and usernames; Browse the list of users suggested that the company has deemed worthy to their photos.
"We don't see ourselves as an alternative" at Facebook, said Kevin Systrom, Director of Instagram. "We see ourselves as a complement, to allow sharing across multiple networks, all at once."
Path Path, a photo and video sharing network, also sees itself as an accessory to Facebook; users can access Facebook to find the location of users to share with. But the location limits the sharing of up to 50 friends, rather than with all that ye know. And it is not possible to post photos to Facebook itself. Your friends should check their location app or website location to see images.
Path does not connect to Twitter or other networks.
The idea, said Dave Morin, Executive Director of the path, is to make sharing photos more personal. Here's how Laurie Percival, Los Angeles, is used to share the picture of Charlotte, the daughter of the newborn, with only eight people.
"It seems more private Location," he said. "I use it to not share moments with Charlotte publicly."
Instagram and route allow focus on recruitment and send a photo, without the distractions of status updates, Twitter postings or photographer information not seen on other social networks. Both apps to minimize the number of options and buttons on the screen.
Photographers who use both services say that you should remember that the photos will probably appear on relatively small iPhone screen, and so it is better to follow tight and headshots. With long-distance shots, individual persons or objects of interest, as a sign of fun, it will be difficult to see.
