Dribbble vs Forrst

Setting up a new social network is hard. Taking on Facebook? Best of luck, you'll need it.

If you're smart, however, you'll identify an untapped target audience and design your network around its needs. In the field of web design and development there's two social networks that spring to mind - Dribbble and Forrst.

Dribbble is a social network for graphic designers. "Players" upload 400px x 300px images of what they are working on. The quality of designs is incredibly high, down to the fact that Dribbble is invite only. Established users decide those who will become "players" and those who will stay as "prospects". If you are interested in joining, get in line - the demand for invites is very high.

Forrst, meanwhile, caters for both designers and developers. You can choose from questions, snaps, code or links to share with fellow users. Forrst has placed more emphasis on actually networking and meaningful interaction then Dribbble. While Dribbble is essentially a showcase of a designers work, at Forrst code and questions are often debated and critique of designs is more thorough. Like Dribbble, Forrst is invite only. Unlike Dribbble, however, you can request to join via the homepage. Yet again, be prepared to wait.

Overall both networks have unique selling points and something to offer the web design community. They serve as a great source of inspiration and web design trends can more often than not be spotted on either of these sites before anywhere else.

Happy networking!