A social network service is an online platform for building as well as managing social networks among likeminded people sharing common interests and/or activities. Social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks.

The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places (such as former school-year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust.

Web based social networking portals make it possible to connect people who share interests and activities beyond political, economic and most importantly geographic borders. Social networking portals tend to share some conventional features. Most often, individual users are encouraged to create profiles containing various information about them. Lately, Social Community Applications are used as a medium for several organizations to create profiles to advertise and promote products as well as services.

Some web portal development have additional features, such as the ability to create groups that share common interests or affiliations, upload or videos and hold discussions in forums.