Last week in DogTails, we had a great time profiling our favorite social media all-star pets.  Continuing with the theme of pet-centric social media, this week we want to share our opinions on a few of the most popular social sites and applications for pet owners.

We love how these tools now allow users to share their pets’ stories, photos and videos, and connect with fellow furry friends around the world.  These sites are entertaining, informative, and a great way to keep your friends near and far up-to-date on your pet’s cutest, funniest, sweetest and craziest moments.  We hope you’ll enjoy our reviews, and try one out for yourself and your pet! Who knows, maybe they’ll be the next social media pet stars!

Dogbook

Facebook is the most popular social media site on the planet, and this fun application allow you to share information with your fellow pet owners without leaving the site.  Created in 2007, Dogbook allows owners to create their own mini-pages for their pets.  Like a regular Facebook profile, a Dogbook profile include pictures, status updates, lists of friends (human, canine or other animal) and even location tracking.

But what about your other animals?  Don’t worry, there are apps for them too.  Catbook, Horsebook, Birdbook, Ferretbook, Rodentbook and Fishbook are all there and ready to use.  The apps’ creators have also developed an iPhone app exclusively for Dogbook users.  It allows them to see where their dog’s “friends” are and meet up for a playdate.  (Watch this video for more details.)

Dogbook is easy to use, and is a great way to connect with your pet-owning friends and meet new friends across the globe.  You can join groups based on breed or geography or any other characteristic you choose. There are currently over 2 million users on Dogbook and another 1 million on Catbook.  That’s quite a crowd!

People Pets

Are you a pet lover who also enjoys tracking what’s new and hot among the stars of Hollywood?  Then People Pets is for you.

This site is an off-shoot of the eternally popular People magazine.  In addition to stories about celebrities and their pampered pets, the site also features a social element.  Visitors can create a free account, and share photos and videos with a network of thousands of fellow pet owners.  Similar to Facebook, People Pets allow users to friend each other, and share messages on each other’s walls.

This site is lots of fun; in particular, we enjoy reading the celebrity pet stories, flipping through the adorable slideshows, and playing the “click the cutest” game.  The downside of the People Pets social network is that users can only upload photos that are under 2MB.  Many digital cameras generate images that are larger than this limit, so you may have to edit your images in order to upload them.

Dogster

Not only is Dogster a site with a wealth of information about dogs, but it also has a social networking feature and very active forums.  Like the other sites mentioned above, you can create a page for your dog and share pictures, stories and updates with your dog’s “friends.”  Cat owners can sign up with sister-site Catster and enjoy the same experience.

The best part about Dogster is the sheer amount of information on the site.  Established in 2004, the site has 3 million pet profiles, approximately the same number as Dogbook.  These users are extremely active, with new questions appearing daily in the 50-plus forums, separated by breed and subject (sample forums include “Behavior and Training,” “Puppy Place” and “Dog Health”).

At the same time, Dogster has almost too much information on its pages.  While the lengthy menu bars are helpful, they are also a bit intimidating upon first visit(s).  Make sure you keep track of your time – you could be here a while!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our social media series.  If you are interested in this subject, or if you just love reading funny, helpful, inspiring and adorable stories about dogs, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  Let the sharing begin!