31 Social Media Networks You’ve Probably Never Heard of: An A-Z
- Ruth West
- May 1
- 10 min read
Find a niche social media network that fits you could be great marketing for your arts business.
Billed as a simple yet professional profile to showcase who you are and what you do, about.me is basically an easy way to create a website for your business. Initially free and only $6.58 a month to connect your own domain it’s one of the cheapest options out there, but you are limited to one page (also known as a landing page) which sums up you and your business. It is insanely easy to set up and the free version is great if you’re a recent graduate or just starting out and want a little online presence.
An International Social Media Platform for people who love reading. Does exactly what it says on the tin, whether you’re into fiction or non-fiction and whatever the genre you’re bound to find your next read on here. You will also be able to find the right community to interact with! So, if you’ve written a book which has been published, or you are thinking about writing and want to check if there’s a market for it this is the network of groups, discussions and blogs for you to be a part of!
Share your personal brand with employers and professionals. It will help your business grow and allow you to network within your industry. In the UK it is primarily used as a job search site which you can limit by location and find freelance positions or jobs which can be done remotely (or from home). The perfect network for finding work in the pandemic.
Behance is a social network set up by Adobe as a place where you can showcase your work in an online portfolio as well as find some new, hand-picked inspiration for whatever your next project might be.
Have you ever wanted to start a blog? Well with blogger you’ll find that it is super easy! Find a community filled with millions of people with different hobbies and interests to match yours. With free domain names, loads of templates to choose from and built in analytics so you can get to know your audience this is the perfect platform to kick start your creative business. As you start building your following you can even add Google AdSense into your blog so you can start to earn money from your hard work.
This is the world’s largest community for good. With over 45 million users it is the perfect place to build online petitions, whatever the cause. Anyone can start a petition, share petitions to help them gain momentum and sign up for updates on causes they’re interested in! Current Arts, Media and Culture petitions include things from changing the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous People Day to co-naming West 8th Street in New York to Jimi Hendrix Way. As you can see it allows a wide scope for people to make a change. They also have important partnerships with companies like Amnesty International to ensure your petition gets seen by the right people.
7. Clubhouse
This new social network is so exclusive you have to be invited by a current user. Experimenting with the current rise in the popularity of audio-based content (like podcasts and radio plays) this platform is all about dropping in on other peoples conversations. Audiences can listen live to interviews, discussions and general chit-chats! The difference to platforms like Twitch is that these aren't saved and stored to listen to later, you have to be there or you'll miss out on the fun!
This is the world’s most popular Anime Network connecting fans of Anime and Manga across more than 200 countries. They provide unique content, events, products, games and Manga to their subscribers. It’s a nieche network but if this is where your artistry and expertise lie this is most definitely a platform you’ll want to be a part of.
9. DeviantArt
Created in 2000, with over 61 million users and 45 million unique monthly views DeviantArt is the must have social media network for artists and art enthusiasts. This platform allows you to share, exhibit and promote your work online, whatever your medium from comic to cosplay, sculpture to street art, traditional artforms to tutorials, and everything inbetween. The supportive, inclusive community on DeviantArt will allow you to grow and develop your work with like-minded individuals.
10. Fotki
Fotki is a photo sharing site (like Flickr and Tumblr) but what makes it different is pretty much that it’s been around the longest so it is bound to have a lot of users. Starting in 1998 and constantly evolving it has state of the art, super protected servers which store your images, basic editing software built in and the ability to buy prints of your photos along with every genre of photography you could ever imagine, but no porn (or at least no obvious porn)! So, that’s a win over Tumblr.
11. GoodReads
Another site for avid readers, GoodReads is now a recognisable brand in the UK as they frequently run award ceromonies and book recommendation campaigns. You can use it track what you’ve read, create a reading list, see what your friends are reading and read book reviews. It’s unique feature is its recommendation engine which analyses 20 billion data points giving you suggestions tailored to your literary tastes! Scary, but pretty amazing!
12. Library Thing
Yep, you guessed it, it’s yet another social network for book lovers! Catalogue your books and must reads alongside a community of like-minded people. Turn your catalogue of books into an online library or book store with Library Thing’s paid service Tiny Cat with prices ranging from absolutely free for personal libraries to $35 per month to list up to 20,000 items.
13. Likee
Pretty much TikTok but from what I can tell a lot more lapsed with its security. It’s target audience is over the age of 17 so it has more adult content than TikTok and it has an expansive selection of unique video effects. It also boasts an impressive 150 million users so someone must be using it. I would take a look but approach with caution. There is a lot of negative press about it kicking around the interweb!
14. Listography
I don’t know about you, but I bloody love a list! And this site is full of them! Lists about everything from Baby Names to Things to make you happy, you can store all your lists on here and hopefully spread a little happiness. They also offer a great range of Listography merch including list journals and even a board game!
Do you visit any niche, creative social networks we haven’t listed? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them. now for M-Z!
15. Meetup
A social network comprising of online groups that host in-person and online events. Whatever your interest from book groups to bodybuilding and everything in between you’re bound to find your tribe on here. There are creative industry lovers all across Meetup so it can be a great way to network, make new friends and spread the word of your company!
16. Moodle
The world’s leading learning management platform led by its community. With learning at its heart and supported by over 80 service companies it’s a free open source software that is always kept up to date, multilingual and used by some of the leading educational establishments worldwide including the London School of Economics and the University of New York.
17. Neopets
Ok, so this may have made it to the list for purely sentimental reasons, but I spent a lot of time on this site in my youth and I was delighted to find that it still existed! Plus Neopets are so frigging cute and if you don’t have any pets of your own then this is the perfect pet platform for you! Play games, raise pets and explore new worlds, whatever your age! 25. 18. NewsGrounds
An online entertainment site packed to the brim with user-generated content and including games, artwork, films and audio. In its heyday, Time Magazine rated it in the Top 50 Best Ever Websites. All submissions undergo a Judgement where they are rated by other users to decide whether they are “saved” (added to the database) or “blammed” (deleted forever!) A great network for game designers, animators, artists and musicians alike.
19. NextDoor
This platform has got massive over the last few years, presumably because the only thing we’ve been able to do is spy on the neighbours and dob them into the wider community, but if you have a local, location-based target market, you can find them on here! NextDoor is a hyper-local social network for neighbourhoods to discuss things that may be of importance to those who live nearby.
20. Ning
Can’t find a social media network that is exactly to your liking or that perfectly caters to your audience. Well then, why not simply make your own? Create online communities with people who have dedicated their lives to all things Social Media! You can even introduce ways to monetise your social network and you get to decide exactly how it functions. 28. 21. PostCrossing
This is such a beautiful community project. It reminds me of Postsecret back in the early days of the internet. In a nutshell, it’s a service that allows you to send and receive real postcards from all over the world. All you have to do is simply request an address, send a postcard, then sit back and wait to receive yours. Perfect when travel is restricted for a way to see a bit more of the world and feel a little less lonely.
22. PuttyLike
Are you a multipotentialite? What’s that? It’s a person with multiple passions who don’t want to be just one thing. I suspect this defines most people who work in the creative industries so why not join a network of like-minded individuals who are trying to map out their own adventure and create their own rules for how life should be led. Take the quiz now to see if you’re a multipotentialite and join this community of remarkable people. Want to learn more?! Then watch the awesome TED Talk from Emilie Wapnick.
23. Ravelry
A social media network for the craft community and one of our previous App of the Months here at The Arts Business. However you use your yarn, be it knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving or dyeing, you’re bound to find kindred, crafty spirits on this site. Keep track of all your projects and find new ones in the same place with thousands of forums filled with other Ravelers with any interest you could possibly think of.
24. ReverbNation
This social media network has been specifically designed for the Independent Music Industry. Whether you’re a musician, producer or venue this is the place to come for conversation and collaboration. They have exclusive opportunities available only to members and a dedicated team that listens to and curates all content on the site. It is designed to get you more fans, more gigs and more money! So what are you waiting for?! 25. Splice
Another music-based social media site but with a few unique features. It’s a sharing platform filled with a sample library and audio plugins available on a subscription basis. It also includes specialist software, available online and offline, which perfectly visualises your compositions, with automated cloud backup to enable collaboration on projects. It’s on a mission to change the way people make music, so if you want to keep up, get involved. 33. 26. Stage32
An educational website from the US designed specifically for those who work in theatre, TV and film. With 500,000 users, Stage32 is a great source for networking. It has a Facebook-style wall system and news feed as well as lounges for salon discussions, online courses, a daily blog, film screenings and has even recently introduced script services for budding playwrights and screenwriters alike.
27. TakingITGlobal
Taking IT Global(TIG) has been specifically established for young people to teach them about, help them engage with and eventually take care of global challenges. Whether they want to make a positive change in their local community or worldwide TIG aims to create opportunities for like-minded youth groups to participate in programmes using technology and thousands of educators to take these causes to classrooms internationally.
28. The Student Room
"Used by 70% of students" … gotta love an ambiguous statement like this… 70% of all students ever? Specifically, those in the UK? The year 7 class of Arden School and Language College? Regardless, this is definitely the UK’s leading social media network just for students. Whether you're looking for lesson plans, peer support, tips for your uni application, careers advice, help with your student finance or even relationship and healthcare information as a student this is where you wanna be. (and allegedly where you’ll find 70% of all other students, everywhere!)
29. Twitch
Twitch is a live streaming social media network predominantly used by gamers, as well as being the online broadcasting platform of Esports competitions. But its content is varying as it grows with categories comprising of Games, Music, Talk Shows, Sports, Travel & Outdoor, Just Chatting, Food & Drink, Art and Special Events. Everything on Twitch is live, all the time! Which is what sets it apart from other platforms with live video options.
30. Vero
Vero is one of the newest social media networks on our list and I reckon will be one to watch in the coming months. What sets it apart is that it is one of the only ad-free social media network out there, and it doesn't allow data mining or algorithms. Designed especially for connection, not addiction, it has a chronological news feed, an audience selector so your profile privacy is in your own hands and vetted and trusted recommendations to follow. It’s still in its infancy so it’s got a few things to figure out but it is certainly worth a look in.
31. WattPad
Are you a budding storyteller or in love with reading? Then Wattpad is the social media platform you need to be on! It can be used to create your own work, with plenty of writing resources available, then build a global fanbase by publishing your work online. If your book gets star status it may even be selected to be made into a film by Wattpad Studios or published with Wattpad Books. They even have writing contests, award ceremonies and hand-picked reading lists to boost your work even further amongst their online community of more than 90 million. And there you have it. Do you visit any niche, creative social networks we haven’t listed? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them.
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