As networking sites like MySpace and Facebook grow bigger and more amorphous, niche communities are gaining in popularity. By one measure, traffic on MySpace grew 9% from 2006 to 2007, but traffic on sites like Flixster, a networking site for movie-lovers, tripled. Sports-related social networks are among the fastest-growing of these new communities. SkiSpace, for example, has jumped to 10,000 members in the month since it launched, says a story from Business Week today.
Skier
Bode Miller is behind SkiSpace, which cost $500,000 to get off the
ground but already has some resorts spending at much as $50,000 for
campaigns that 'interact more directly with members by using features
such as mobile blogging widgets and RSS feeds."
Because SkiSpace caters to a niche market and offers a chance for targeted ads, it brings in more money per view than less customized social networks do, Ryan Blair said in the Business Week story. Blair, who owns software development company PathConnect, partnered with Miller in the venture. Blair expects the site to be profitable by the end of the ski season.
For the full Business Week story, including some scoop on sports niche sites, click here.
