Strategy Session

I am struck by how much buzz there is about the social networking phenomenon. What Myspace started a few years ago is now branching out in numerous directions. Actually, what's happening is the opposite: social networking is becoming more niche oriented. 

The new trend in social networking is sites that are more vertical and target, say, specific professions, such as doctors (www.sermo.com) or those in advertising (www.AdGabber.com). LinkedIn is a professional site that is growing in popularity, and millions use it to exchange contact information and to recruit employees (although it doesn't target a specific profession as the sites I note above).

Other social networking sites are focusing on specific demographics, like the rich (http://www.asmallworld.net/login.php), mothers (www.cafemom.com), and Vietnamese models. Mobile social networks, such as MocoSpace and loopt, are also gaining traction.

I haven’t seen a site specifically for engineers or executives in the electronics industry. (If you have, please let me know what it is.)

What do you think of the social networking phenomenon? Do you use one, and if you do, what do you use it for?