The dress was online.
A social networking service -LRB- also social networking site , SNS or social media -RRB- is an online platform that is used by people to build social networks or social relations with other people who share similar personal or career interests , activities , backgrounds or real-life connections .. social media. social media. The variety of stand-alone and built-in social networking services currently available in the online space introduces challenges of definition ; however , there are some common features  :. social networking services are Internet-based applications. user-generated content -LRB- UGC -RRB- is the lifeblood of SNS organisms. users create service-specific profiles for the site or app that are designed and maintained by the SNS organization and. social networking services facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting a user 's profile with those of other individuals or groups .. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet , such as by e-mail and instant messaging and online forums .. social network. social network. web-based. web-based. e-mail. e-mail. instant messaging. instant messaging. Social networking sites are varied and they incorporate a range of new information and communication tools such as availability on desktop and laptops , mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones , digital photo / video / sharing and `` web logging '' diary entries online -LRB- blogging -RRB- .. desktop. desktop computer. blogging. blogging. Online community services are sometimes considered a social network service , though in a broader sense , social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered .. social network. social network. Online community. Online community. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas , digital photos and videos , posts , and inform others about online or real world activities and events with people in their network .. real world. reality. While in-person social networking , such as gathering in a village market to talk about events has existed since the earliest developments of towns , the Web enables people to connect with others who live in different locations , ranging from across a city to across the world .. Depending on the social media platform , members may be able to contact any other member .. social media. social media. In other cases , members can contact anyone they have a connection to , and subsequently anyone that contact has a connection to , and so on .. LinkedIn , a career social networking service , generally requires that a member personally know another member in real life before they contact them online .. LinkedIn. LinkedIn. Some services require members to have a preexisting connection to contact other members .. The main types of social networking services are those that contain category places -LRB- such as former school year or classmates -RRB- , means to connect with friends -LRB- usually with self-description pages -RRB- , and a recommendation system linked to trust .. Social network services can be split into three types  : socializing social network services are primarily for socializing with existing friends -LRB- e.g. , Facebook -RRB- ; networking social network services are primarily for non-social interpersonal communication -LRB- e.g. , LinkedIn , a career and employment-oriented site -RRB- ; and social navigation social network services are primarily for helping users to find specific information or resources -LRB- e.g. , Goodreads for books -RRB- .. social network. social network. LinkedIn. LinkedIn. Facebook. Facebook. Goodreads. Goodreads. There have been attempts to standardize these services to avoid the need to duplicate entries of friends and interests -LRB- see the FOAF standard -RRB- .. FOAF. FOAF ( software ). A study reveals that India has recorded world 's largest growth in terms of social media users in 2013 .. social media. social media. India. India. A 2013 survey found that 73 % of U.S. adults use social networking sites .