Facebook, Myspace, Twitter: The “big 3” of social networking. Together they boast upward of 450 million users, roughly one-fifteenth of the world’s population. But what about the others — those in the second, or even third tier? As I am a glutton for punishment, I’ve decided to sign up for each of the lesser social networks to see what they’ve got going for them. Here is the second installment of what I found.

Site: Blackplanet.com

The good: Geared toward African-American daters, Blackplanet.com is a fun, zippy little nook that is pretty dang easy to use. Certainly not for everyone, the site strikes an important societal niche, executed wonderfully through a concise interface and a handful of invigorating applications. My favorite things on here are the news headlines prominently displayed on the main page. Useful, effective, efficient.

The bad: Despite its user-friendliness, the site seems to forget what its primary function is. Is it dating? Or maybe blogging? Perhaps it’s a place to find a job?

Verdict: If Blackplanet.com were a type of handshake, it would be firm, but not too firm, commanding, but not too commanding, and slightly off-center.

Site: Friendster

The good: I’ll get back to you on this, I swear.

The bad: Ah, Friendster. You were, at one point, at the top of the food chain, but oh, how the mighty have fallen. Bested by the big dogs, you’ve nestled your way in the middle of the pack. Your busy layout and unattainable ambitions detract from what used to be a thriving franchise. My current profile picture is of me in the process of sighing. That pretty much sums up my experience with this site.

Verdict: With Friendster like this, who needs enemies?

Site: LinkedIn

The good: Unique to its core, this beaut takes the term “networking” to the next level and beyond. Daring to be different, with LinkedIn you make “connections” rather than “friends” and have the option to post your work history, however bare or detailed it may be. It won’t score any points with the Facebook crowd, but that’s probably a good thing. The less photos of last weekend’s beer fest on this valuable employment tool, the better.

The bad: There isn’t much personality behind the initial platform; what you see is what you get. There is no addiction factor to it, and you won’t spend your time perusing your coworkers’ pages over doing that term paper. Wait, that’s a bad thing?

Verdict: A must for anyone even remotely interested in the concept of networking.

Site: deviantART

The good: I’ve had an account with them for over three years, making this one of the only ones for which I didn’t sporadically register. There’s good reasoning behind that: “dA,” as the hip among us call it, is a rather serious attempt at having users post their art, whether it’s drawings, poems, short stories or photographs. Good search functions and lively message boards put it over the top.

The bad: There is no dearth of poor teenaged artwork. Poems about the stuck-up girl at lunch or overbearing parents often flood the “browse” function, while “real”, qualitative pieces are few and far between. Beyond that, the time-killing capabilities of this one are literally ceaseless.

Verdict: Art is hard, but this site isn’t. Sign up!

Site: Tagged

The good: Virtually no good comes in the wake of this place. Well, it’s yet to make my computer explode, which is an easy plus. It has that going for it, I guess.

The bad: Tagged is the only site to have asked me to check my e-mail after registration, which was a difficult process to begin with. After signing in, flashing red fonts kept asking me to enter my cell phone number and other too-personal-for-the-Web information. Constantly bombarded by advertisements and “submit and continue to next page” buttons, I had an impossible time even attempting to create a profile. I literally think my PC contracted a virus in the process of signing up. I’m beginning to wonder how many of its 70 million users have actually stuck around past registering themselves. My guess? Twelve.

Verdict: This site is to social networking as Indiana Jones IV was to modern-day filmmaking: disgraceful.