Nichefication and gay-men sites

BigJock - which launched in November 2006 - announced recently that it's attracted gay men in 60 countries in just 60 days. BigJock is yet another example of the "nichefication" of the Web. BigJock is a social network specifically focused on the gay men community. That's right - no lesbians allowed.

Importantly, its emergence underscores the trend toward free social networking sites around specific niches. The rise of free social networking sites around the gay community is one reason that paid dating sites, like Gay.com, have come under pressure. In late 2006, PlanetOut was downgraded by WR Hambrecht on concerns subscriptions from its subsidiary Gay.com were coming under pressure from free social networking sites. That said, it's unclear just how large a site focusing on gay men (not gay men and women) can get. PlanetOut - a publicly-traded media company focusing on the gay and lesbian community -- is valued at around $85 million in the public market. To get a better understanding of the gay market, I asked BigJock.com founder Richard Rudometkin how big the market is. His response: It is estimated that 10 million gay men reside in the United States , with the gay/lesbian community reaching roughly 16 million. This compares to roughly 12 million Asian-Americans. In addition, per capita gay buying power is approximately $41,000, compared to $33,000 for Asian-Americans, $20,000 for African Americans or $18,000 for Latinos – according to MarketResearch.com. As for the advertising targeting this demographic? The overall gay buying power is an estimated $640 billion for 2006 (Witeck-Combs); this figure reached 70 billion pounds in the UK . It is expected to reach $835 billion in 2011. Buying Power of Gays in Top 15 Metro Markets Totals $310 Billion US Corporate advertisers spent $156 million on the gay-specific media market in 1999 – out of $215 billion spent overall (Rivendell/Universal McCann). This figure grew to $230 million in 2006. The American gay and lesbian community represents a US $47.3 billion travel market, or about 10% of the U.S. travel industry. 175 of the Fortune 500 actively advertised to the gay community in 2006, versus 19 in 1994. (These ads were placed in gay-specific and non-gay-specific publications.)

BigJock.com is one of the contestants gunning to win vator.tv's "Pitch Tim Draper your billion-dollar idea" contest. Go to vator.tv if you want to participate. All you have to do is upload your video pitch.

Comments

[Bufftuff]

Yep, all of these sites generate big business. Knowing your audience is a big help. Most guys cross post to various sites, so there audience is wider.

New sites like bigjock and dlist are aiming at guys who participate on myspace.

There are still a lot of guppies to entice.

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[koko]

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