If you are connected to the internet by any means in 2016 you are also likely to be using some form of social networking for personal or business use – even if you don’t realize it.

You may have purposely avoided Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, but you can bet someone else has made some reference to you somewhere. Do a Google search on your name and you might be surprised what turns up.

Social networking has rapidly transformed from humble beginnings as a means of making and keeping contact with friends and acquaintances to a multi-billion dollar industry. Most sites begin life as a ‘free’ service but as their user numbers grows so does the cost of maintaining the service.

Large user numbers also attract the attention of would be investors and potential acquirers. Digital and online success (and potential value) is still being determined by the number of people a service attracts – often regardless of the revenues being generated (if any).

Read more at DisruptiveViews.