Social media is emerging as a powerful concept on the world wide web. There are so many social website that all your needs are catered to. If you need to network professionally, you can join LinedIn or Xing, if you are looking for something free form, try MySpace or Facebook. So, what is it that makes these social networking websites so viral?nLet us look at some key features of social networking websites and what do you need to keep in mind while designing social networking websites in order to make them more user-friendly and appealing to the audiences.nImmediate EngagementnEngaging users quickly is very important for social networking websites. The second they land on your website, they need to know what it is about and what to expect. Include a crisp tagline, an image or graphic that informs visitors about the basic purpose of your website.nThe homepage of your website should provide users with something to do. Most obvious thing to do here is to ask them to sign up or log in or take a tour. This will let them explore the website and know what it is about before they sign up.nOnce they are inside the website, let them find people they know and explore their profiles. Show what they are doing with the help of news feed, listings etc.nPersonal Spaces for the UsersnOne thing that drives social media is self expression. Allow your users to create their profiles, fill in the information and customize the profile page in their own individualistic style. If you don’t want to give liberties with the design of the page, allow them to alter content in order to personalize their space on the website.nBe DynamicnIn the web 2.0 era, you cannot afford to be not dynamic. The content in your website should be highly dynamic with the latest or most popular information most visible. Include a real time news feed on your website that lets users see the activities of their friends as and when they update. This would ensure a steady stream of contentnnEasy CommunicationnThe very basis of social media and social networking websites is communication. If user find it difficult to communicate on your website, there is no way they are going to stick around for longer time. Communication should be your first and foremost consideration while developing a social networking website. In fact, try to provide multiple means of communication like comments, instant messages, chats etc.nShow Only Relevant InformationnSocial networking websites are run over by information considering the contents of all the users of the portal. That is why presenting everything to everyone may become quite overwhelming for users. That is why it is important to categorize content and provide users with only relevant information i.e. information that they want to see. Also, provide them with an option to decide what they want to see and not.nSocial networking is no joke. Rather, if utilized well, it can act as a effective business tool as well. So play your cards well and create something that sells.nKabir Bedi is the senior web consultant at LeXolution IT Services, a premier web development company that specializes in an extensive range of web design services. He has spent over 7 years in the web industry and has in depth knowledge about the trends and techniques of succeeding as a business on the world wide web.n