Social Networking for Spanish Speakers

I just made a similar post on my French blog, and I realized the topic would be equally relevant on this blog. With Spanish being one of the most spoken languages in the world (and growing), it's only natural that there be plenty of social networks out there specifically geared at Spanish-speakers. Joining one of these networks is a great way to practice your Spanish and connect with native speakers! There are so many, but some are better than others. I think it's most beneficial to devote your energy to a few high quality networks than spread yourself too thin. I tried to find networks that specifically were available (for the most part) only in Spanish, which increases the authenticity of your experience. Plenty of English-language social networks are available in Spanish, but it won't have the same feel of an original Spanish-language network. Before you make your foray into the "redes sociales," though, you'll want to brush up on some key vocabulary (further down is a list of Spanish social networks):

una red social=social network
un contacto=a contact
un contraseña=a password
un usuario=a user
un perfil=a profile
una comunidad=a community
compartir=to share
suscribirse=to subscribe
un commentaire=a comment
publicar=to publish (post)
un lector=a reader
registrarse=to sign up, to resister
enviar un mensaje=to send a message

And on to the redes !

• Tuenti - A Spanish Facebook-like social network
• Linkara - Another general network where you can meet with people and meet friends of friends
• Todobebé - A great social network for moms to be, new moms, and even dads!
  
• Menéame - Bears a striking resemblence to Digg (or Reddit or Furl, for that matter) in concept and layout
• Bitácoras - A Spanish "Technorati"-type network
  
• Terra - A Hispanic community, recently the center of some controversy regarding whether or not their purported relationship with Twitter was legitimate
• QuePasa - A youthful latino community
• Wamba - Another popular social network geared primarily at Spanish-speakers
• Blogalaxia - A Spanish language blog directory
• Fresqui - Another Digg-like network
• eGrupos - Another very general network
• Vostu - Although aslo available in English and Portuguese, you pretty much have to know Spanish to use Vostu, essentially a network of groups to connect like-minded people
• Rojas - A community for Spanish language and culture lovers powered by Ning
• Blogocosa - A network of Spanish-speaking bloggers that arranges user pictures according to size based on who is more popular
• Wikio - Yet another Digg lookalike, in my opinion the most polished looking
• Atrapalo - A Spanish language travel network