Who Am I? Where Do I Fit In? and Other Philosophical Quandaries
Social marketing networks are not just for the younger set
blindly looking to “hook up” and “chill out.” As Abby Klaasen writes here, the larger networks like MySpace and FaceBook are seeing a
drop in growth rate as members seek smaller, more specific interest groups.
Benjamin Sun of Community Connect, who has sites like Black Planet, AsianAvenue, and MiGente up and running for specialized communities, is
about to launch Glee.com for the GLBT crowd. He notes that “it’s better to be
niche. Look at the real-world communities — they’re made up of pockets of
people with similar interests."
Okay, point taken. But how niche is too niche?
A visit to Gather.com, a social network for what has been
described as the “NPR crowd” an the "future thought leaders of America" boasts David of Portland, Oregon as one of the
most-read members. His latest confession of the guilty pleasures of buying
high-end rosemary mint soap almost tops another member’s Open Letter to Disney to “lay off
the pirates” or, my favorite, a killer dulce de leche recipe – slow cooker
style. The top advertisers on Gather.com?
Starbucks and Volvo.
Of course.
