A New website launched this week that allows tutors to teach language online. TalkBean.com allows students to set up an appointment directly with their language instructors. All lessons are performed live, using webcams. As a tutor, you can set your schedule to show times when you are available or show your students when you are online if you choose to go live, making yourself immediately available to teach. If you have any additional lesson material, this can be uploaded to TalkBean from your computer, during the lesson only. There’s also other ways in which students can leave memos for you or notes on your message board.

A recent report shares an apparent few drawbacks to the site: the registration process is rather cumbersome, and you’ll need to sign on as a tutor, which requires a 4-page sign up as well as your Paypal information. There’s also no good system to find other users, students, or tutors, so I’m at a loss as to how students and tutors can best network with each other. Adding a search bar, a ratings system and other checks to ensure that the tutors on the site are reliable and helpful, as well as the ability to upload lesson material independently of live webcam lessons, would bring a lot of value to TalkBean.

Who tutors on TalkBean? Whether you are a university stident looking for a side job, or a professional tutor, you can advertise yourself on the TalkBean marketplace to find the right students for your class. According to the website, you don’t need special training to be a tutor, Just your passion and the Internet.

Live Tutor allows you to instantly create your own space to teach knowledge and experience to ESL students. After registering as a tutor, you post your program for students to find and enroll. All lesson are performed live using a WebCam and HeadSet.

Tutors get paid from a system that automatically secures payments from students to their tutors and, thereby, allows seamless international payments. Students must pay the full lesson fee upfront to TalkBean and once the lesson is complete. Lesson fee is deposited to the tutor’s TalkBean account as cyber money, which can be
withdrawn and sent to tutor’s bank account upon request.

Similar services include Grockit, LessonBites, Tutorom and xLingo.

I read an interesting post today on SocialDegree.com called “Is Facebook Killing Real World Social Interaction?”.
Brian from SocialDegree made a statement about how he thinks Social Networks are great communication tools but are not an acceptable substitute for real world interaction. That is very true, I find that while using Myspace and being ale to stay in touch with my friends all over the world that it’s easy to get stuck in that way of thinking. It’s no substitute for real world communication. In my case I think it would be helpful to pick up the phone and make a call every once in a while, instead of relying on your preferred social network. Don’t get me wrong, I think a great communication tool such as Yourville.com will empower people to meet other like minded folks and give friends and families a quick snapshot into your life.

Statistics are beginning to show a growing ho-hum user attitude when it comes to mass social networks. According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, there simply appears to be too many … and they’re too much alike. Now, it appears, astute Internet socialites want a more targeted communication outlet for their particular wants and needs. Now, instead of using such traditional outlets as MySpace, Facebook, et al, they are interested in developing social relationships on more targeted websites with content more in line with their contemporary needs.

According to Michael Jones, founder and president of Userplane, a pioneer in communication platforms for the enterprise community messaging, social networking sites are built around a single premise: connecting people who share a common interest and making it easy for them to exchange information. In their quests to make it easier for the like-minded to interact, says Jones, social networks are starting to introduce site-specific messaging. Social networking has changed the way millions of people communicate, creating niche online gathering places for people with similar interests.

The search for specific types of social networking sites change at different times. Experts predict the next step will be networks splintering off by people’s interests. And as this first-generation era of social media matures, there will be more niche sites rather than general platforms.

But the bottom line remains: There is definitely a growing proliferation of social sites while many young users seem to be reaching their tolerance of online sharing. Going forward, the general expectation is that consumers will, ultimately, settle down with one of two social networks. Although social networking sites encourage users to develop a network of friends that, in itself, can become overwhelming if you’re on more than one site.

But, for niche-specific sites, the opportunities are endless. And so are the audiences. And, even though social networking, although relatively new to the Internet, it is, for all its pluses and minuses, definitely here to stay. And, for those, such as expats, who are looking for more centric networking, the doors are just beginning to open to newly-found friends and resources.