Factors of success of online networking platforms: do professionally used online netwoking platforms and privately used ones use different tools to become seccessful?

Abstract

The World Wide Web is becoming more and more popular and with it existing online networking platforms like Facebook, MySpace or other privately used online networking platforms. More and more, this kind of networking gains a huge importance within the business sector and professionally used online networking platforms like LinkedIn or Xing arise. But why are these platforms so important? What leads people to network on the internet and what forces the members´ usage of online networking platforms? Why do there exist popular and non-popular platforms on the local online market? This dissertation is going to research potential factors of success of online networking platforms with regard to cultural backgrounds and psychological behaviours of online networking platform users following a qualitative approach.