Over 750,000 British children aged 12 or under use social networking sites, which is forcing three quarters of all parents to spy on their kids' online activities, according to new research.

The study, commissioned by online information firm Garlik, found that 23% of children aged between eight and 12 claim to use the three most popular social networking sites - Facebook, Bebo and MySpace - despite the minimum age registration being 13 (or 14 for MySpace).

Social networks are the bars and nightclubs of the Internet.

Some cater to folks looking for a quiet evening on the town. Others offer a spot to share a quick story and a cold beer after a long day at work. And then there are those places where you can usually count on someone drinking too much and taking off their clothes.

Lawriter, LLC a subsidiary of Collexis Holdings Inc. announced today the development of the first professional social network exclusively for law students. 

Google's former managing director for South Asia, Richard Kimber, is aiming to harness the power of social networking sites to grow revenue as the new chief executive of Friendster Inc.

Friendster, the world's third biggest social networking site and Asia's largest, has announced Mr Kimber's appointment and that it had secured $US20 million ($A21.9 million) in funding from one of its backers, IDG Ventures.

Social networking has apparently gone to the dogs.

Doggyspace.com brings together dog owners from all over the world, allowing them to create profiles, and share photos and videos of their pups.

Following its successful beta launch in May 2008, YadaHome.com ( www.yadahome.com) is giving Moms, Dads and Grandparents even more ways to engage, exchange and connect with one another. "Parents want a site where they can easily store, retrieve and share information. They also want to connect and communicate with other parents in similar situations. Adding groups and forums to our existing network of individual user profiles now provides our members with a unique, full-service social networking experience," said Maurice McKenzie, founder and President.