Dogster is a dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

-themed social networking

Social network service

A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...

 and forums-based website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

. Its sister site is Catster, a cat-oriented website with a similar format.

Users of the site create a pet page which is a customizable web page for which they can give treats or purchase virtual items using what are called zealies. This virtual currency

Virtual currency

Virtual currency is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities; which include social networking websites, virtual worlds and online gaming sites....

 can be given to the users after engaging in some of the website activities, using PayPal

PayPal

PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....

 or by purchasing a Plus subscription.

Dogster won the 2005 Webby

Webby Awards

A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....

 category for best community site.

Special events

Dogster holds various special events during the year, ranging from face to face events or the World's Coolest Dog and Cat Show which happens on-line. During the events, users take part in a photo contest which consists of uploading a photo and photo for different photos in different categories.

Forums

Forums are public message boards that users use for everything ranging from regular conversation to role play and in-depth discussions concerning dog health, nutrition, training, and grooming. Most users talk in the voice of their dog.

Groups

Dogster users can form groups, which are clubs specially devoted to certain topics. These include hangout groups, role playing groups and groups for a particular dog breed.

Gifts

Members of Dogster receive a gift in the form of a blue star when they sign up. Dogster has three types of gifts: stars , rosettes, and special gifts.Stars last forever and can be given for 5 zealies. Rosettes expire after a month, and cost 1 zealie.Special Gifts also last a month, and are either 5 or 20 zealies. All these are displayed on a dogs page.