Thread: Facebook for fastlaners

Very interesting, not only this AWS by itself but the whole concept of niche social networks becoming a need.

Small World that may be getting too big

Users of invitation-only networking site fear it is no longer suitably exclusive

It was 11.05pm and the queue outside the exclusive Embassy nightclub in Mayfair, London, was getting restless. A young man nervously adjusted his tie as a blond woman scanned the list of names on her clipboard. Two young women flounced away after being refused entry. But one phrase could guarantee immediate passage past the velvet cordon: "I'm ASW."

ASW, or A Small World to the uninitiated, is an invitation-only social networking site for the international jetset - think Facebook for Forbes list - that lets only the most elite, connected, and moneyed into its ranks.
Sipping on a mojito and looking through the window at the line of hopefuls standing miserably outside, Nicola Cavallo, an investment banker from Milan, explained the attraction. "Everyone gets access to Facebook, but only a small number are invited to join ASW," he said. "ASW is the best place to find the best people and the best parties."

Julia Hausman, an investment analyst from German, explained that she recently skipped the waiting list for a £4,000 Hermes Birkin bag thanks to her ASW membership. "I still use Facebook, but to be honest ASW is just a little more exclusive," she said.

...

Founded four years ago, by Erik Wachtmeister, a former investment banker, ASW aims to provide a hidden corner of the internet where members - often affluent, educated and with multiple residences - can swap tips on everything from investing in Cambodia to partying in Uruguay without worrying about anything as crass as being poked, high-fived or spammed. Members have their own profile page. Free to join, its users are young, the average age is 32, with somewhere between 65% and 70% coming from Europe. Users who step out of line, by either contacting members they don't already know, aggressive marketing or celebrity-stalking (Tiger Woods and Naomi Campbell are among the glitterati) are banished.

Full article @ Small World that may be getting too big | Technology | The Guardian

My favorite social networking niche is the one for people with social anxiety disorders. I'm not laughing as I was diagnosed (and treated) with this many, many years ago. If nothing else, it could turn out to be self-therapeutic.