It took me a long time to get on the social networking bandwagon, but now that I am on it I can’t stop! Most social networks are open to anyone in the world to join but generally use an English-language interface. There are, however, social networks geared at French-speakers specifically, and even a social network geared towards Francophiles like you (presumably) and I! Before you make your foray into the “réseaux sociaux,” though, you’ll want to brush up on some key vocabulary – click on the speaker to hear the word spoken (further down is a list of French social networks):
réseau social=social network 
réseautage social=social network
un contact=a contact
un compte=an account, a username
un mot de passe=a password
un utilisateur=a user
un profil=a profile
une communauté=a community
partager=to share
s’abonner=to subscribe
un lien permanent=a permalink
un commentaire=a comment
rédiger=to compose (post)
un lecteur=a reader
s’identifier=to login
se connecter=to login
fermer (une) session=to logout
s’inscrire=to sign up, to resister
envoyer un message=to send a message
And on to the réseaux !
- Bookmarks.fr – You may remember my interview last summer with Bertrand Hardy, shortly after he founded this network, ultimately a French version of del.icio.us. It’s a great way to find interesting links in French!
- Le nuage des filles – Formerly just a huge link cloud linking to blogs written in French by women, the network now has all sorts of interactive goodies for French-speaking gals to enjoy.
- Les influenceurs – A very interesting concept for a social network, where users submit items to the site which may appear on banners that other users can post on their blogs. Confused? Me too!
- Copains d’avant – The French take on Classmates
- Lexode – A social network just for young people
- On va sortir ! – A place to find places in French-speaking countries to visit
- Skyrock – Although it’s available in several languages, Skyrock is first and foremost a French sensation. It calls itself the “Free people network,” a vague description at best, but a quick look at the front page will tell you Skyrock has a lot in common with MySpace.
- Francophilia – An English-language social network where French enthusiasts come to interact
- Médias Sociaux – A blog that gives a French perspective on social networking
