A MySpace That Speaks Your Language: "THE SECOND WAVE. 'This is the second wave of social networking,' says Greg Sterling, founding principal of Sterling Market Intelligence, a consulting and research firm focused on online consumer and advertiser behavior. The first wave, Sterling says, was typified by Friendster, where people found the sites fascinating, but where there was no clear business model, though there was some flirtation with selling classifieds. The second wave coincided with the rise of MySpace (NWS), which was organized around interests in music while developing a huge user base—more of a portal with a range of different revenue streams.

As MySpace has offered more features and better searching, it has continued to grow in popularity. Simultaneously, advertisers have become more willing to associate their brand with user-generated content. 'It's now about aggregating huge audiences or desirable niche audiences. That, and creating an environment to engage users with a broader value proposition, makes people loyal and gives them reasons to show up,' says Sterling.

Community Connect's sites have functioned the same way since its inception. With a look and feel similar to MySpace, users can create profiles and search for people by gender, age, and interests, as well as ethnicity. There are also chats, message boards, job listings, personals, and of course advertisements. 'MySpace is just now diversifying in the way that Community Connect already has,' says Sterling."