Online Gated Communities: A Revolt Against Friendster
Monday, 2. May 2005 - 6:09 pm
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE — Apr 27 — Catch27encourages members, mostly 18-30, to trade their friends for 'hotter,
smarter ones.' The site also is launching a "black ball" feature that
some members will be able to use to kick others off. FunHi,
with 150,000 users, emulates a club and 'bounces' users who lack style,
like people who 'look homeless,' according to co-founder Ray Savant.
The sites' founders think the Friendsters of the world went wrong by
letting anyone in — and that, as a result, those pioneering services
lost the feeling of a community mirroring an actual clique. Friendster, which takes in ad revenue, says it just became profitable this year. ASmallWorld plans a premium membership service where members would pay for additional features. When a site called www.closedsociety.netlaunched, it opened its first 100 registrations to the public via a
Google ad: "Join now and be a VIP." Only about 40 people applied. FULL ARTICLE @ PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Mark Brooks: People want what they can't have. The 'perception of exclusivity' is a powerful element of the success of social networking.