The social media revolution that has taken place in the past few years has changed the way we use the internet, interact with others, and do our jobs from day to day. Websites such as Myspace and Facebook, to name two of the giants, are allowing us to connect with people all across the world in ways we almost never imagined. It’s natural to assume that this new medium for interaction would flow over into all manner of business. One such business being the industry of the creative professional.

There are a number of online options these days specifically targeted at these creatives that go beyond owning your own website. Options that allow one to host a portfolio, search for new contacts, and maybe even land a new job or client. I would like to spend some time discussing some of these options and sharing my opinions to help you choose the best package for your needs.

:: I would like to note that I am listing these in no particular order. ::

Behance Network

The Behance Network is a vastly community driven site where designers, writers, thinkers, filmmakers, and creatives of all sorts can represent their work, search for jobs, collaborate with others and so much more. The Behance Network is an easy sign up and free to use. As a user you are allowed to create a profile much like on any other social site with a little bit of customization offered as well. From your profile you can host your portfolio and connect with others via what the network calls “circles.”

Behance is a very new, yet fairly deep site, offering folks other services beyond the social aspect and portfolio hosting. One of these services is the “Outfitters” section which would more commonly be known as their online store. In this section you can purchase a few of Behances products like the Moleskin notebooks and the Action products which play off of the “Action Method” discussed in other parts of the Behance site. (The “Action Method” is a GTD method endorsed by Behance.)

All-in-all, with the free membership, ease of use, and already growing community; Behance is a great site for hosting your portfolio and who knows, possibly landing a new career. I would have to say that this is one of my favorite promotional resources I have found and am excited to see where the developers will take it in the future. This is definitely a site that has a ton of potential.

Portfolios.com

Portfolios.com is the first online portfolio hosting site that hit the internet. With over 10 years in the game it has probably been used by more agencies, business’s, and creative employers than most other sites. With that said, it is probably a safe bet to assume you have the potential of a reasonable level of exposure by using this company. The only drawback to this service are the limitations depending on how much you want to pay.

A basic membership with a 5 image portfolio is free. To move up to more images and better recognition however, will cost you. $9.95 a month allows you 10 images and a better search ranking ahead of basic members. $21.99 a month allows you 20 images and search ranking above the previous 2. And for a whopping $49.00 a month you are allowed to have 20 images, the tools to create a personalized layout for your portfolio and the highest search rankings.

Portfolios.com may have pioneered the online portfolio site, but I’m not sure that they are the best option out there. The lack of community and cost to host are huge downfalls. However, it is not that this may be a bad service, there just seems to be better out there. And who knows, this may be the best bet for you or your companies needs.

Carbonmade.com

Carbonmade is a very nice looking web 2.0 styled portfolio site. Carbonmade is a simple site to sign up for and simple to use service that offers both a great way to exhibit your work and connect with others. Although relatively new carbonmade already has an impressive number of portfolios being hosted.

With a free membership to carbonmade you are allowed to host up to 5 projects and 35 images. Their subscription cost is $12 a month but you are allowed to have up to 50 projects, 500 high quality images and 10 high quality videos. Compared to other sites, that’s a lot of bang for your buck. Carbonmade offers the user the ability to create a portfolio that looks very nice with a simple flash viewer.

Coroflot

Coroflot is a popular portfolio site that is also very much a community and a job resource. Coroflot is a well known site so you shouldn’t have much trouble connecting with others. Your portfolio will instantly be viewed by people of all areas of creativity

The set up is easy and best of all free. Coroflot does not charge for it’s excellent hosting service. With a membership you are given unlimited file uploads, which means you can include as many images as you want. And because it is connected with the other have of the site, the job boards, it is easy to submit to potential employers and vise versa. One other nice little feature are the analytics tools available so that you can see statistics on your portfolios visitors.

Coroflot is a great site to sign up with. Because of the job boards you are guaranteed a full user experience and a great way to do all of your searching from within one site. While you are perusing the features this site has to offer be sure to note the groups so that you can connect with others in your creative area and the blog to stay up to date on all that is happening in and around the site. Whether you are looking for work or trying to find help, Coroflot is a great site to find what you need.