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	<title>Start a Social Network</title>
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	<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com</link>
	<description>Tips, resources, and strategies for starting and marketing your own social networking site.</description>
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		<title>Rich profiles start with good questions</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/14/member-profiles/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/14/member-profiles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:19:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Encouraging Activity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=473</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
In previous posts I offered some suggestion for streamlining the sign-up process. But often an easier sign-up means skimpier profiles, at least at first.
So how do you encourage new members to build out their profiles?
Well, when we meet someone new, we tend to ask questions as a way of finding out more about them. Profiles [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Power of Niche Markets</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/04/niche-markets/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/04/niche-markets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:51:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Niche Social Networking Sites]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
I love coming across rich and vibrant online social networks that are cultivating niche communities. One favorite I found a while back is Sneakerplay, a social network for people passionate about their sneakers.
These are true sneakerheads who appreciate the art, history, and prestige around their &#8220;kix,&#8221; and collect special releases and limited edition shoes like [...]]]></description>
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		<title>&#8220;Mad Libs&#8221; Style Form Increases Conversion 25-40%</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/01/sign-up-form-increases-conversion-rates/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/03/01/sign-up-form-increases-conversion-rates/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:27:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Encouraging Activity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Getting New Members]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=419</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Great post by Luke Wroblewski on how some marketers have been trying out a narrative approach to web forms&#8211;he dubs it &#8220;Mad Libs- style.&#8221;
Technically, these forms work like any other form, but they&#8217;re presented as a fill-in-the-blanks narrative.
Here&#8217;s one example, from the audio sharing site, Huffduffer:

Another site did A/B testing on their forms, and have [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Simplifying the Sign-Up Process</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/23/simplifying-the-sign-up-process/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/23/simplifying-the-sign-up-process/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:04:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Encouraging Activity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Once you get people to visit your site, you obviously want them to join. So it&#8217;s crucial that you make the sign-up process as simple as possible.
Even if you want your members&#8217; profiles to include their eye colour, favorite bird, and their zip code, you don&#8217;t always have to gather the full information on the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Generate Buzz (and Traffic) by Understanding Your Community</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/16/generating-traffic/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/16/generating-traffic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:51:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Encouraging Activity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
A great article in the NY Times explains how dating site OKCupid uses data gleamed from their site about how their members interact to fuel their new blog. Those blog posts, in turn, generate tons of publicity and traffic to the site:
&#8220;A [single] post last month that set out to debunk conventional wisdom about profile [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Social Networking Business Models: Two-sided Platforms</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/09/social-networking-business-models-two-sided-platforms/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/02/09/social-networking-business-models-two-sided-platforms/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:54:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
One revenue model that is a natural for social networks is what’s often referred to as two-sided platforms: That is, your platform (your social networking site) serves the needs of two (or more ) sides within a niche. It brings two groups with a common focus and lets them interact in a way that benefits [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Just Because You Can&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/26/the-whuffie-bank/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/26/the-whuffie-bank/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:30:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Protecting Your Members]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=368</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
If you are starting a social networking site, it can be tempting to take advantage of the power of third-party APIs to build your membership.
That&#8217;s the approach taken by The Whuffie Bank, and intriguing effort to measure online reputation. Using publicly-available profiles from Twitter and Facebook, they track your public activity on social networks and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Interview: SocialEngine&#8217;s Charlotte Genevier</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/06/socialengine-intervie/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/06/socialengine-intervie/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:42:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Networking Software]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=343</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Webligo, the company behind SocialEngine and the upcoming Advious, began when Alex Benzer and Charlotte Genevier met at Pasadena Polytechnic high school in 2002. The two quickly became friends and began programming together.
As they were putting the finishing touches on the SocialEngine v4.0 beta last month, Charlotte took some time to answer my questions about [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Social Networks and Security</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/02/social-networks-and-security/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2010/01/02/social-networks-and-security/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:33:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Protecting Your Members]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
It&#8217;s crucial that you fully understand the software platform that you are using to host your social networking site, and never just assume it&#8217;s secure. For example, regardless of which platform you use to run your site, you need to be aware of a common security fault: User profiles stored in a database with plain [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Google Makes Friends with Twitter: The Social Web is Becoming Frictionless</title>
		<link>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2009/12/03/google-friend-connect/</link>
		<comments>http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/blog/2009/12/03/google-friend-connect/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:58:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ric Mazereeuw</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Data Portability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Friend Connect]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/?p=301</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
			
				
			
		
Google has announced that users will now be able to join any of the nine million sites that use Google Friend Connect with their Twitter login. That&#8217;s great for users: one more quick and simple way to join sites without having to re-enter all of their information, choose a new password, etc.
The bonus for site [...]]]></description>
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