The rapid growth of social networking that has been observed over the last two to three years

is indicative of its entry into mainstream culture and its integration into the daily lives of many people. In parallel with this, there has also been considerable media coverage of the growth of social networking, its potential positive outcomes and concerns about the way that some people are engaging with it. Social networking sites offer people new and varied ways to communicate via the internet whether through their PC or their mobile phone. They allow people to easily and simply create their own online page or profile and to construct and display an online network of contacts, often called friends. Users of these sites can communicate via their profile both with their friends and with people outside their list of contacts. This can be on a one -to-one basis (much like an email), or in a more public way such as a comment posted for all to see. For the purpose of this research report we have purposel y focused on the social and communications aspects of social networking sites. We have deliberately not included either online networks dedicated to business networking, or user-generated content (UGC) sites (as the latters primary focus is on content creation and sharing rather than the development of online social networks).Like other communications tools, social networking sites have certain rules, conventions and practices which users have to navigate to make themselves understood and avoid difficultie s. These range from the etiquette of commenting on other people's profiles to understanding who one does and doesnt add as a friend. Social networking sites also have some potential pitfalls ton e g o t i a t e , s u c h a s t h e u n i n t e n d e d c o n s e q u e n c e s o f p u b l i c l y p o s t i n g s e n s i t i v e p e r s o n a l information, confusion over privacy settings, and contact with people one doesnt know.

Thisr e s e a r c h a i m s a t f i n d i n g t h e r e s p o n s e o f t h e u s e r s a n d n o n u s e r s t o w a r d s t h i s f o r m o f ommunication. It is also an attempt to profile the u sers among different types depending upon t heir style of usage and their motivating factors.

Objective of Study PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To understand the attitude and behavior of the users of social networking sites. SECONDARY OBJECTIVEs:

1.To analyze the usage pattern of different users and segment the users depending uponthem. 2.To collect information about why certain segments of internet users still reject these sites. 3.To find whether there exist any scope of personalization / customisation of services on these sites. Rationale and Scope of study Social networking sites are the most visited sites on internet today. They take major chunk of the usage time of interne t for majority of users. Apart from mailing and knowledge based services these sites are most demanded sites. In wake of this scenario there is a felt need to understand the users of these sites. Understanding the attitude and behavior of these users will help marketers in general and these companies in particular in having a f ocused approach while reaching out of their customers through the medium of internet.