50 Best Social Network Sites for Students

Students working on their education from home have plenty of benefits traditional students don’t have, such as flexibility, self-pacing, and independence, but they must also work a little harder to make social connections that may be absent when not physically attending class. It’s great that so many social networks are available for students so they don’t have to miss out on making connections with others. Here are 50 of the best, offering everything from academic networks, networks for purely social connections, business and professional networks, financial networks, and networks for book lovers.

Academic Networks

Prepare for college, find help with assignments, connect with others who are studying in your academic field, and more with these academic networks that provide networking opportunities just right for online students.

Campusbug. Stay connected with your friends while you get access to tools and resources for studying, homework, and projects on this network.

Edmodo. Like Twitter, this network is just for students and teachers. You can share files, assignments, events, and more with Edmodo.

academici. Find others in your fields of study on this network that offers a way for those in the business of knowledge to share information, research, and more.

ResearchGATE. Students can join science professionals to collaborate and network on this site.

SciSpace.net. Another social network for scientists, this one also allows non-scientists to join, but you will need an invitation from another member.

Cramster. This online study community is available to students, parents, and teachers, and has tons of resources to help you succeed academically.

Student.com. This site provides forums and message boards for homework help, subject-specific discussions, and information on topics such as financial aid and finding the right school.

WordChamp. Sign up for free to join this global social network that helps students learning a second language with homework, drills, and even conversation with native speakers.

learnhub. Students can get help with assignments, prepare for standardized tests, and even apply to undergraduate and graduate schools through this network.

The Quad. Open to students, alumni, and family, this site promises to provide members with a smart, savvy social networking experience.

Loomagoo. Share notes and study guides, purchase and sell text books, and connect with friends with Loomagoo.

Social Networks

These social networks are more about the social than academic, but they provide online students an important chance for making connections outside the virtual classroom.

Twitter. All the rage right now, Twitter not only provides social networking, but has also become a great tool for staying connected academically, too.

Facebook. The king of social networking sites for students as well as others, Facebook offers tons of opportunities for connecting with friends and other students.

Playboy U. This social network offers student networking that will appeal to the men in the crowd.

RateMyProfessors.com. Socialize with other students while also finding information about professors at this site that helps protect you from taking classes from ineffective educators.

Ning. Many online colleges have social networking sites on Ning, but if yours doesn’t, then you can create your own social network here.

MySpace. Another very popular social network, MySpace offers video and music sharing plus a whole lot more.

Plaxo. This social network aggregator keeps you connected across several popular social networks in one place.

tribe.net. Working on a concept similar to Ning, this site hosts "tribes" of people who are connected through common interests.

Business and Professional Social Networks
Whether you are a business student, an enterprising young entrepreneur, or an established business person who’s gone back to school for another degree, these business and professional networking sites will help you stay connected.

LinkedIn. Probably one of the highest profile business networks, LinkedIn is a great place to establish your professional presence.

Naymz. Students wanting to establish their personal brand and build their professional network should check out Naymz.

Jigsaw. Growing your business connections is directly associated with your participation in this community where members earn points by contributing contact information.

Ecademy. Build your network, grow your business, or find connections with Ecademy.

Ryze. Not only can you make business contacts on this social community, but you can take advantage of their classified to find employment, real estate, and business opportunities.

APSense. Members can vote positively for legitimate businesses and negatively for scams or spams that make their way in, ensuring only those with good intentions can participate on this business network.

Fast Pitch. This social network gives you a chance to network with professionals in preparation for your career while building your presence.

Talkbiznow. Promote your business, collaborate with others, and find industry insight with this network of business professionals.

BizWiz. BizWiz promises to connect you with information, services, and other business professionals when you join their network.

Social Lending Networks

These networks facilitate loans between members, with many borrowers paying for school this way. If you are looking for ways to fund your education, check out these social lending networks.

Lending Club. Promising to provide borrowers with better rates than most traditional loans, Lending Club also attracts lenders with the ability to control their investments.

CommunityLend. This network is all about creating a sense of community between borrowers and lenders, with borrowers actually having lenders bid on financing them.

GreenNote. Specifically for student loans, GreenNote is a popular alternative to student loans and allows members to finance loans to individual students at low interest rates.

Prosper. Set the interest rate you want when borrowing here, then lenders participate in an auction to fund your loan.

Zopa. This social finance network connects borrowers with credit unions who offer low-interest rates and investors with federally-insured savings deposits.

Personal Finance

Whether you have started school in debt, found yourself with growing debt in order to pay for school, or want to give yourself the best start possible after graduation, these social networks will help you get your personal finances in order.

Minyanville Financial Infotainment. Meet other investors while learning about smart investment strategies and participate in forums, read blogs, and find helpful articles about investing.

Geezeo. Learn to manage your personal finances with the tools and resources available on this network, including the opportunity to ask questions of financial experts.

Wesabe. Connect with others who have the same financial goals as you do in this financial network.

Art of Saving. This personal finance social network helps members reach their finance goals, such as saving for life after college, while learning from experts, other members, webinars and events.

I Hate Debt. Connect with other members in this community of people working to eliminate their personal debt through blogs, chats, message boards, and more.

ClearPoint. ClearPoint allows members to connect with others through videos, message boards, and a blog to learn ways to successfully get out of debt.

Debt Consolidation Care. Participate in this community, use the resources available, and read informative articles to help reduce and eliminate your debt.

Books and Reading

While most of your time is probably wrapped up in reading texts, if you still crave a little personal reading, then these social networks are a great way to feed your need. You can probably even find some help with your literature classes here, too.

Shelfari. Use the beautiful visual bookshelves here to organize the books you’ve read as well as the ones you want to read, then share your books and opinions with others on this network.

aNobii. Connect with other members with whom you share the same books on your lists, rate books, purchase books online, and get code to add to your blog so you can write about specific books.

LibraryThing. A popular book network, LibraryThing, lets you catalog your books virtually, find reviews from others, share your opinion, and much more.

Bookarmy. This community is devoted to preventing people from having to read bad books with their reviews, recommendations, information about authors, and connections with others.

Goodreads. Book lovers can organize books, share reviews, form virtual book clubs, test their knowledge of book trivia, and much more at this popular reading network.

ReadWhale. Create a book shelf, then connect with others to rate, discuss, and compare books in this social community.

Juicespot. Read articles and vote on whether you agree with the point made, see what critics have to say, and share your own reviews with others in the community.

Noting:books. Keep and share notes about the books you are reading, including the days you started and finished and your thoughts as you read each book.

Booktagger. Add the books your list and tag them with descriptions, then join a book group or create your own. You can also keep track of books you’ve loaned.

ConnectViaBooks. You are greeted with an interactive map that shows the various activities of members around the world when you arrive at this social network. Join in and connect with these members to share your love of books globally.