> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/qeeqbox/social-analyzer/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Website Selection

> Filter and select specific websites by country, type, popularity, or custom criteria

## Overview

Social Analyzer supports searching across 900+ social media websites. Instead of searching all websites, you can filter by specific criteria to focus your analysis and reduce scanning time.

## Basic Website Selection

### Specific Websites

<ParamField path="websites" type="string" default="all">
  Search specific websites by name, separated by spaces.

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Search only YouTube and TikTok
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --websites "youtube tiktok"

  # Search multiple platforms
  python app.py --username "johndoe" --websites "instagram twitter facebook reddit"
  ```

  <Info>
    Use `--list` to see all available website names
  </Info>
</ParamField>

### All Websites (Default)

```bash theme={null}
# Explicit all websites
node app.js --username "johndoe" --websites all

# Implicit (default behavior)
node app.js --username "johndoe"
```

## Top Websites Selection

<ParamField path="top" type="string" default="0">
  Select the top N most popular websites automatically.

  **Note:** When using `--top`, the `--websites` parameter is not needed.

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Search top 10 websites
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --top 10

  # Search top 50 websites
  python app.py --username "johndoe" --top 50

  # Common values: 10, 25, 50, 100
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --top 25
  ```
</ParamField>

### Popular Top Values

* **Top 10**: Major platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)
* **Top 25**: Includes regional platforms and popular forums
* **Top 50**: Comprehensive coverage of mainstream social media
* **Top 100**: Extended coverage including niche platforms

## Filter by Country

<ParamField path="countries" type="string" default="all">
  Select websites by country or countries, separated by spaces.

  **Format:** Two-letter country codes (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2)

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Search US websites only
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --countries us

  # Search multiple countries
  python app.py --username "johndoe" --countries "us br ru"

  # All countries (default)
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --countries all
  ```
</ParamField>

### Common Country Codes

| Code | Country        | Popular Platforms                    |
| ---- | -------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `us` | United States  | Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn            |
| `br` | Brazil         | Orkut alternatives, Brazilian forums |
| `ru` | Russia         | VKontakte, Odnoklassniki             |
| `cn` | China          | Weibo, Douban, Baidu Tieba           |
| `jp` | Japan          | Mixi, Pixiv, Nico Nico               |
| `in` | India          | ShareChat, Indian forums             |
| `de` | Germany        | German social networks               |
| `fr` | France         | Skyrock, French communities          |
| `uk` | United Kingdom | UK-specific platforms                |
| `kr` | South Korea    | Cyworld, Korean platforms            |

### Multi-Country Example

```bash theme={null}
# Search US, UK, and Canadian platforms
python app.py --username "johndoe" --countries "us uk ca"

# Asian markets
node app.js --username "johndoe" --countries "cn jp kr in"

# European markets
node app.js --username "johndoe" --countries "de fr es it"
```

## Filter by Website Type

<ParamField path="type" type="string" default="all">
  Select websites by category or type.

  **Available Types:**

  * `adult` - Adult content platforms
  * `music` - Music streaming and sharing platforms
  * `gaming` - Gaming communities and platforms
  * `dating` - Dating and relationship platforms
  * `business` - Professional and business networks
  * `forum` - Discussion forums and communities
  * `video` - Video sharing platforms
  * `photo` - Photo sharing platforms
  * `blog` - Blogging platforms
  * `all` - All types (default)

  ```bash theme={null}
  # Search only music platforms
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --type music

  # Search business networks
  python app.py --username "johndoe" --type business

  # Search gaming platforms
  node app.js --username "johndoe" --type gaming
  ```
</ParamField>

### Type Categories Examples

**Music Platforms:**

```bash theme={null}
node app.js --username "djjohn" --type music
# Searches: Spotify, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Last.fm, etc.
```

**Business Networks:**

```bash theme={null}
python app.py --username "johndoe" --type business
# Searches: LinkedIn, AngelList, Crunchbase, etc.
```

**Video Platforms:**

```bash theme={null}
node app.js --username "creator123" --type video
# Searches: YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, TikTok, etc.
```

**Gaming Platforms:**

```bash theme={null}
python app.py --username "gamer99" --type gaming
# Searches: Steam, Xbox Live, PSN, Twitch, Discord, etc.
```

## Combining Filters

### Top + Country

```bash theme={null}
# Top 25 US websites
node app.js --username "johndoe" --top 25 --countries us

# Top 50 European websites
python app.py --username "johndoe" --top 50 --countries "de fr es it"
```

### Type + Country

```bash theme={null}
# Music platforms in US and UK
node app.js --username "musician" --type music --countries "us uk"

# Gaming platforms in Asia
python app.py --username "gamer" --type gaming --countries "jp kr cn"
```

### Top + Type

```bash theme={null}
# Top 10 business networks
node app.js --username "johndoe" --top 10 --type business

# Top 25 video platforms
python app.py --username "creator" --top 25 --type video
```

### All Filters Combined

```bash theme={null}
# Top 20 music platforms in US and UK
node app.js --username "djjohn" \
  --top 20 \
  --type music \
  --countries "us uk"

# Top 15 business networks in Europe
python app.py --username "johndoe" \
  --top 15 \
  --type business \
  --countries "de fr es it"
```

## Listing Available Websites

<ParamField path="list" type="boolean" default="false">
  Display all available websites and exit without performing a search.

  ```bash theme={null}
  # List all websites
  node app.js --list
  python app.py --list
  ```

  The output includes:

  * Website name
  * Country
  * Type/category
  * Detection methods
</ParamField>

## Performance Considerations

### Scan Time Estimates

| Selection      | Websites | Fast Mode   | Slow Mode   |
| -------------- | -------- | ----------- | ----------- |
| Specific (3-5) | \~5      | \~5-10 sec  | \~30-60 sec |
| Top 10         | 10       | \~10-20 sec | \~2-5 min   |
| Top 25         | 25       | \~25-45 sec | \~5-10 min  |
| Top 50         | 50       | \~1-2 min   | \~10-20 min |
| Top 100        | 100      | \~2-4 min   | \~20-40 min |
| All            | 900+     | \~15-30 min | \~2-4 hours |

<Warning>
  Searching all 900+ websites can be very time-consuming. Use filters to focus your search.
</Warning>

### Optimization Tips

1. **Start with top websites**:
   ```bash theme={null}
   node app.js --username "johndoe" --top 25
   ```

2. **Filter by relevant countries**:
   ```bash theme={null}
   python app.py --username "johndoe" --countries "us uk ca"
   ```

3. **Use specific websites for known platforms**:
   ```bash theme={null}
   node app.js --username "johndoe" --websites "twitter instagram linkedin"
   ```

4. **Combine with fast mode and filtering**:
   ```bash theme={null}
   python app.py --username "johndoe" \
     --top 50 \
     --mode fast \
     --filter good \
     --profiles detected
   ```

## Complete Examples

### Targeted Professional Search

```bash theme={null}
# Search business networks in major markets
python app.py --username "johndoe" \
  --type business \
  --countries "us uk de" \
  --mode fast \
  --filter good \
  --output json
```

### Content Creator Analysis

```bash theme={null}
# Search video and music platforms
node app.js --username "creator123" \
  --websites "youtube tiktok instagram soundcloud spotify" \
  --mode slow \
  --extract \
  --metadata
```

### Regional Investigation

```bash theme={null}
# Search top 50 Asian platforms
python app.py --username "target_user" \
  --top 50 \
  --countries "cn jp kr in" \
  --mode fast \
  --timeout 2
```

### Quick Popular Platforms Check

```bash theme={null}
# Check top 10 most popular platforms
node app.js --username "johndoe" \
  --top 10 \
  --mode fast \
  --filter good \
  --options "link,rate"
```

## FAQ

<Accordion title="How do I know which websites to search?">
  Start with `--list` to see all available websites:

  ```bash theme={null}
  node app.js --list | grep -i "music"
  ```

  Then use:

  * `--top 25` for general searches
  * `--type` for category-specific searches
  * `--countries` for regional searches
  * Specific `--websites` when you know the target's platforms
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can I exclude certain websites?">
  Social Analyzer doesn't have a built-in exclude feature. Instead:

  * Use positive filters (`--websites`, `--top`, `--type`, `--countries`)
  * Filter results after scanning with `--output json` and post-processing
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What does 'top' mean in --top parameter?">
  The `--top` parameter selects websites ranked by:

  * Global popularity
  * Traffic volume
  * User base size
  * Detection reliability

  Top 10 includes major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="How often is the website database updated?">
  The websites database (`data/sites.json`) is updated regularly by the Social Analyzer team. Check the repository for the latest updates:

  ```bash theme={null}
  cd social-analyzer
  git pull origin master
  ```
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can I add custom websites?">
  Yes! You can add custom websites by editing `data/sites.json`. The file contains detection rules for each website including URL patterns, detection methods, and metadata extraction rules.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="What if a website is blocked in my country?">
  Use a proxy server to bypass geo-restrictions:

  ```bash theme={null}
  export HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy-server:8080"
  python app.py --username "johndoe" --countries "cn"
  ```

  See [Proxy Settings](/configuration/proxy-settings) for more details.
</Accordion>

## See Also

* [CLI Options](/configuration/options) - All available command-line options
* [Proxy Settings](/configuration/proxy-settings) - Configure proxy and network settings
* [Quickstart](/quickstart) - Get started with Social Analyzer
* [Integration Guide](/resources/integration) - Integrate Social Analyzer with other tools