PITT NEWS (Uni Pittsburgh) -- Apr 11 -- Catch27.comis the latest addition to the list of interactive Web sites for college
students, which includes Friendster and Facebook. But, there's a catch,
you trade your friends for hotter, smarter ones. Not everyone can
join Catch27. "It's kind of an elite, edgy group of hot minds and
hot bodies," the spokesperson explained. "If they're not, we kick them
off the site." A member must be at least 18, and few are
older than 27. A contest will reward people for using social
networking and stereotyping to their advantage, Johnson said. "I think
people are blind to the fact of how the social world really works, but
it is really cruel in a lot of ways." This cruelty stems from the
social exchange theory, a combination of behaviorism and economics,
according to psychologist Richard Moreland. "One party gives something and another gives a service in exchange." FULL ARTICLE @ THE PITT (Student) NEWS

Mark Brooks: The Carroll sisters are at it again. Catch 27 is fresh, viral, insightful and slightly insane...and follows up GreatBoyFriends.com.

Catch27 thrives on a new viral marketing term I'm coining, right here,
right now. 'The perception of exclusivity.' I paid a Sonoma
winery a visit in 2001 and asked the 5th generation owner where I could
get his wines. Most were sold direct... Great, I wanted
some, direct. How to? Well, he said, you'll have to get on
the email list. OK, here's my email. Nope. I needed
to write in with my email address, then I would join a two year waiting
list to get onto his 3000 strong email list that buys 90% of his wine
each year. My jaw dropped but the guy was for real!

Friendster started the ball rolling on this concept in earnest.
Gmail followed suit. Now Yahoo 360 is joining the bandwagon by
limiting initial signups to 'the inner circle.' It works, it
drives people nuts, they talk, and it makes for some mighty cheap
advertising.