MegaSite Mania

A small office in Capitol Hill is home to what is all set to become the biggest social networking site of all times. No it’s not myspace.com or friendster.com that we are talking about over here. We are talking about a website that is all set to change the rules of social networking. 43 things is the name and the aim is to set your goals in life. Now would you call that social networking? I would, considering that the website had more than 12000 registered members in active discussion in less than two months. It has powered its way into the top social networking websites on the internet.

A World Wide Audience
When social networking has a worldwide audience, it takes on a much stronger shape. While most of the other social networking sites have an overtone of dating, ‘43 things’ is different. When you suddenly discover that a guy across the globe shares your penchant for bicycling backwards, you will simply be thrilled. But what will surprise you even more is the fact that very soon you will be part of a group of people with the same interest. The best part is that you don’t have to go looking for these people. They will come to you automatically.

The Automation
Unlike other social networking sites, you do not have to search for people with your goals. The website does it for you. Based on the tags or keywords in your goals, it will search and list people with similar goals. The next time someone lists a goal exactly like yours, you will start forming a group. So you will not even realize how a network starts to form. You also get links to people with similar or closely resembling goals.

Advertising Changes
‘43 things’ is also bringing about a huge change in advertising. When people list their goals, it is extremely clear as to what they are looking for. Based on this, targeted ads are being displayed on the website. This is a model that is surely going to be emulated the world over. The ads are not being displayed for a general audience that might see it or skip it straight away. These are ads based on the minutest of details of a person’s interests and hence are more likely to generate a sale or a lead. The ads also work on the same formula as the goals. An ad for a weight loss product may appear on all the web pages where the person has listed a goal of ‘weight loss’. So, can you imagine the number of targeted advertisements being displayed?