This is where we came up with http://www.weekendjock.com an online community where the weekend athletes can highligh their athletic efforts and collaborate with others who share the same sporting interest and passion.

I’m glad that niche site are doing so well and all the positive feedback I’m hearing from people like yourselves.

BTW, I am reading through a review copy of your book: I will be posting a review on Amazon.com shortly. I LOVE IT!

Social sites that exist merely for the purpose of providing user profiles and features for them to communicate cannot succeed in the long run.

This is, admittedly, a grey area. But it’s easier to note when sites are targeted, because they have a very specific focus that cannot appeal to the mass audience.

It’s also telling that on sites like Facebook they provide many features for subgroups and niches, acting as more of a mall than a store.

While Ravelry says “knitters here”, Facebook says “knitters here and everyone else too”.

The mainstream sites have their niches as well. Livejournal, Friendster, Facebook, and MySpace have different demographics and appeal to different people, like clubs and subcultures. They are huge, and they overlap, but they differ in ways that transcend their design and features. They differ mostly in the types of people they attract.

Ever wonder why two functionally identical bars will attract wildly different crowds, one full of after-work preppies and the other full of hipsters in tight jeans? Or why a niche punk band or a novelty act will suddenly achieve mainstream success?

I think this is what happened to Facebook, and even MySpace, both of which began as niche sites. Their successes had everything to do with their deep understanding of how culture works — how college and high school students relate to each other, or how even up-and-coming bands attract followings.

And a lot of luck — people who are astonished at how smart Zuckerberg is need only look at the name of his site - Facebook - to see that the guy had no business plan beyond connecting college students. Growth out of the niche and into the mainstream was and is entirely haphazard.

On the other hand, social networks that attempt from the outset to appeal to a mainstream audience, to not reach into a niche, haven’t done so well, have they? Without the megaton marketing machinery of, say, a movie studio or a record label, it is nearly impossible to move a niche cultural product into the mainstream directly.

Understanding this purely-cultural phenomenon in social networks, bars, and nightclubs is a purely sociological pursuit. The future of social networking may be largely shaped by marketers, promoters, and cultural influencers (even manipulators) instead of math theorists, technologists, and user experience designers.

Although it’s a much less serious topic (though that depends on who you talk to), we’re aiming for something similar with Greenthumbr, a social network for gardeners. Not only is it a place for experienced and committed gardeners to reflect on their experiences, share images, and keep track of their plants, but the wisdom of that focused group can also be a great resource for those folks who just want to figure out how to not kill the ivy in their office window.

Like you, we feel pretty strongly that the real power of social networks comes from action - empowering the users with tools and information to improve their lives. That, in turn, brings more, better, and quality information to those folks just passing through.