On Wednesday, Web Hosting Talk (webhostingtalk.com) launched "enhanced member profiles," which enable registered members to integrate social networking features from other online social media including blog feeds, YouTube, Del.ico.us, Digg, Flicr and LinkedIn as well as activity on other forums.

New or existing members can create their enhanced profiles at the enhanced profiles landing page. Registering for a user account is free.

A screenshot from the Web Hosting Talk enhanced member profile information page.

The announcement says the new features enable WHT members to integrate their "outside the community" reputation into their WHT personas. According to the site, more than 4,000 enhanced member profiles have been created since the launch of the project in late March.

The list of benefits, says WHT, include deeper relationships within the community, character added to WHT identities, more search engine exposure for members and their companies, and the broadening of member reputation using WHT's own status.

Web Hosting Talk itself includes more than 5 million forum posts and more than 180,000 registered members. It has grown to include a web hosting wiki, a hosting directory and hosting news.

An admittedly quick look around the enhanced member profile for WHIR editor Liam Eagle showed a very nice-looking interface, and some interesting add-ons, but the customization seemed to be a bit buggy. The new service is still in beta.

"The enhanced member profiles provide added value for Web Hosting Talk's members and creates a new social layer on top of forum participation," says Troy Augustine, CEO of WHT parent iNET Interactive, in the announcement. "It's just the start though. Over the coming year, Web Hosting Talk will be rolling out additional modules for the enhanced member profiles."