Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

Re: SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

Larry — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:39:59 -0000

I saw another sports social networking site called NationalSportsClub.com. It doesn't look as developed as SportsMates.com, but it will be interesting to see the differences in the two.

Re: SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

Olivier — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:33:44 -0000

Hi Peter,

Great blog. You should check Play Not Watch. It doesn't look web 2.0 at all, and actually it was probably launched more than a year ago, but it is working as a social network to meet people to join a soccer team or play tennis. I joined a year ago and receive invitations to join teams all the time (I am busy or too lazy to use the site to its full potential)

Re: SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

Dave — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:34:23 -0000

I'm still waiting for someone to come along and build a social sports site the right way. Sorry, but sportsmates doesn't cut it for me. The potential is huge. How does a "myspace for sneakers" make it on the scene before social sports network? There are thousands of high traffic team message boards out there with dedicated users passionate about their teams and willing to stick in their 2 cents. How about allowing users to trade and sell tickets, sell and buy memorabelia, organize game meetups at local bars, and create mini fantasy leagues or pools?

Any takers out there?

Re: SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

jeremy — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 15:04:58 -0000

im beginning to think its entirely possible to run an extremely successful business on other peoples sites.

Re: SportsMates Launches – Sports Themed MySpace

Blair Cummins — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:45:36 -0000

Thanks for the review Pete. Appreciate the honest feedback. We'll look at some of your interface suggestions in an upcoming release. I agree with the visual content issue, however one of the difficult points around adding visual content for sports is licensing issues. A lot of unofficial sports-related services display team logos and event photography which they don't have the rights to. Adding this without the proper licenses is a risky proposition for any real business so we've taken the legally prudent (and ethical) approach of respecting copyright until licensing issues can be worked out.

I tend to disagree that the most specialized sites will be the most popular. Niche social networks are definitely the next frontier in the social networking space but I believe you can't focus on too narrow a niche if you want to build a successful business. Most sports fans are passionate about more than one sport/league/team/player. I think the number of social networking services each individual user is going to be willing to sign up for is finite. Can we realistically expect a sports fan who likes 7 different sports to sign up and actively participate in 7 different sports social networks? That's the big question. Having a wide array of sports/leagues/teams/players under one roof eliminates the need to set up accounts on numerous social networks, and also helps you establish your credibility when you join a new community on SportsMates since other users can look at the ranking you've gained through your contributions on other areas of the site.

One other thing that's not readily apparent about our business at this early stage of the game is that our business model is much different than other social networking services, which rely mostly on traditional CPM or PPC advertising. We've been in the online sports media business for 8 years and have developed a unique model with multiple revenue streams that will be rolled out as our userbase grows. Chief among them is providing cost-efficient sponsorship and activation opportunities for brands. Our rankings system will tie into a rewards system we're developing for this purpose under which members earn rewards from sponsors based on their rankings. More on this in the near future.