While Facebook is currently king of the social media hill online, this may not always be the case. All you have to do is look at the sudden downfall of MySpace after it lost its cool factor to know that anything is possible in the world of social networks online. However, the good news is that a void is always filled online.

When it comes to social media sites, this means that Facebook becoming less popular may be better for everyone involved. Why? Simple. Facebook is a very general website. It’s meant to capture a person’s entire life – no matter what type of person they are now or will be in a few months or years. This is where niche social media sites come in.

Niche Social Media Networks on the Rise

There’s a lot of evidence and signs pointing to niche social media websites becoming more popular. All you need to do is type the phrase into Google or another search engine, and you’ll be inundated with hundreds if not thousands of different possibilities. The usefulness of the networks depend on their user base, of course. If a niche social media site has more members it’s going to be more useful.

Photo credits: Mike Licht

Examples of Niche Social Media Websites

Here’s a look at some specific examples of what we mean by niche social media sites that are growing in popularity.

• GoodReads –  Now owned by Amazon, GoodReads is the place to be if you’re a writer or someone who loves reading. LibraryThing is another similar social network for writers, readers and everyone who loves books.

• Wiser – For anyone interested in the environment and sustainability issues, the Wiser social media network is a great place to be involved with like-minded individuals and companies.

• Kaboodle – This is a social media network that revolves around the world of fashion. It’s a great place for men and women to get together to talk about all aspects of fashion as well as share great photos and other multimedia content.

• Gentlemint – Want a social network just for men? Check out Gentlemint and become a member of this very specific niche social media network. You can probably guess what type of content is found on the website.

• Allrecipes – For cooks and those who love to eat, this is a very active social media network that centers around food and cooking. The recipes are nice, but it’s really the other members and the conversations that start that make the site great.

• BlackPlanet – This is actually one of the oldest social media niche sites on the Internet. It’s been around forever and has a large number of users who are active on the website on a daily basis.

Have any other examples you’d like to add to the list above? Leave a comment and let us know which ones you would include and why.

Written by: Jeremy Stark uses Panasonic Lumix compact system camera lenses because of the quality. He knows quite a bit about social media reputation management because of some of the work he’s done in the past online.