An interesting phenomenon has been brewing ever since MySpace started getting popular. Affinity group social networks are popping up EVERYWHERE and not just as an addition to already popular niche communities. I first started noticing this with websites billing themselves as “Christian MySpaces.” There are litterally dozens of these with memberships from 30K down to just a few dozen. The most disturbing thing is all these sites are apparently using the same “social networking” software (not sure which one, there must be a free/cheap one out there because EVERYONE is using the same one). I suppose the idea for many of these webmasters was that MySpace was a scary place for Christian teens and there needed to be a safer environment for blogging, meeting people, etc. But is there really a need for 2 dozen different ones?
Another group I’m certainly familiar with is the outdoors/action sports online community. One site, ActionProfiles, has created a sort of action-sports social network but with an interesting twist. Beyond simple athlete profiles and chatting, sponsors use the site to find athletes to represent their brands. Great concept but in reality most of the “athletes” on the site are 12 to 14 year old kids who think they’re the next Tony Hawk and are entitled to full sponsorship deals. Nevermind that most can’t even land a clean ollie yet, it’s all about the lifestyle.
How about creating mini-MySpaces based on ethnicity? Already being done by Community Connect and doubtless others. Is there really a need for more MySpaces, isn’t the point of the original to be a place where you can find everyone you know? Am I supposed to keep a profile on different sites for each of my interests? I’m looking forward to the MySpace bubble bursting, it already feels like it’s been going on for too long.
You can see my MySpace profile at myspace.com/singletracks 
