Social Networks Get Religion

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Social Networks Get Religion

May 21, 2007 10:26 AM Posted by mac

BusinessWeek looks at burgeoning social networks catering to religious communities. The communities don't pull in MySpace-like numbers, but that's a good thing for folks seeking a specific audience. While I'm not personally interested in religious networks, I do feel that niche-based communities are an antidote to the lowest-common-denominator nonsense prevalent at big sites (I'm looking at you, MySpace).

"In some ways, the move to religious social networks is part of a larger trend toward niche social networks. Some people, particularly after they move from college to the work world, seek more intimate networks where they can keep in touch with smaller groups of friends or meet new people in the same profession or who share their interest in a particular hobby."

If someone could find a way to monetize these communities, we'd be on to something. AdSense is always an option, but anyone who's tried to make money off forums knows that AdSense and untargeted content (such as what you find in social networks) yields low click throughs and even lower revenue. So what's the answer? I have to believe it lies in targeted sponsorships and advertising. For example, a company looking to reach a specific religious community should be willing to pay a premium to put their message in front of the folks who frequent religious social networks. Same thing goes for other communities, be it faith-based, hobby-based, geography-based, etc. We have to get out of this CPM attitude. Broad marketing is fine for big sites, but there are thousands of targeted communities out there and advertisers need to get savvy to these possibilities.

Disclosure: Most of my work is geared toward niche content, so of course I want a paradigm shift to occur.