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Niche Specific Social Networks - Profitable? Or Don't Waste Your Time ?

by jmorris18
9 replies
Hey Warriors, What are your thoughts on specific niche related social networks? Do you feel it is feasible and profitable to launch a social network that is niche specific? The monster who we all know as Face Book is a generalized social network but includes niche specific Groups, Fan Pages etc. They also cater to over One Billion members. With the right robust platform, would you as a business owner or entrepreneur launch your very own niche specific community? What benefits would you offer to your members? What software / platform would you invest in? I would be very interested in your thoughts on this subject.

Thanks,
#networks #niche #profitable #social #specific #time #waste
  • Profile picture of the author kilgore
    There are tons of niche-specific social networks on all sorts of topics, from Academic research (Academia.edu - Share research) to book lovers (Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia) to music (Last.fm - Listen to free music and watch videos with the largest music catalogue online). There are even open-source social networking packages that you can download and use for free (such as Elgg - Open Source Social Networking Engine.).

    That said, I think the most successful sites are going to have software that is very tailored to their particular niche and the niche has to be small enough that you're not trying to compete with Facebook, but large enough that you can quickly gain a critical mass of users. I'd also mention that the golden age of VCs and angels funding social networking initiatives is long, long past (well, at least in internet terms).

    So I guess it probably still can be done, but I think it would be risky and a lot of work.
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  • Profile picture of the author jgant
    I think it's a good idea if done right. I participate on a niche specific social platform and it's growing. While it's not as good as Facebook for traffic, I'm active on the ground floor so I'm optimistic my effort will pay off.

    If you can get interest in such a site you could do very well.
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    • Profile picture of the author jmorris18
      jgant - Without giving away your business or specific niche, can you share what platform you are using and what unique features do you provide your members? I totally agree that no specific niche social community will generate the traffic that FB does. But also feel the right niche and technology could do well for a small business owner..
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      Jason Morris

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      • Profile picture of the author jgant
        Originally Posted by jmorris18 View Post

        jgant - Without giving away your business or specific niche, can you share what platform you are using and what unique features do you provide your members? I totally agree that no specific niche social community will generate the traffic that FB does. But also feel the right niche and technology could do well for a small business owner..
        I don't operate a social platform, I just participate on a niche specific platform. It's great from a user perspective because it's very niche. I've entered into partnerships with other people using it.

        Sorry I won't divulge the name of the site,but they use a Pinterest style interface that works well.
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        How I hit $10,000+ per month very fast w/ 1 niche blog - Click Here to learn more (no opt-in).
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  • Profile picture of the author jerytohn
    It probably would work. But you would need a customized platform with unique features.
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  • Profile picture of the author jmorris18
    Hey guys, I am interested in hearing from more Warriors in-reagds to creating and operating custom , niche specific social networks.
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    Jason Morris

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  • Profile picture of the author Trollfarie
    I think it would be worth it as long as there is enough people interested in the niche. It would be important to do a lot of research first.
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    • Profile picture of the author TeamSocial
      Definitely check out the user base.
      If I would do anything I would grow it to a certain point then start expanding towards other directions.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
    I think you also have to think about what network would have to offer that I can't get on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks that already exist. It doesn't have to be a new feature but it has to be something that works really well (easy to use with enough flexibility for customization, reliability) for your users to keep coming back to use.
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