A strange pair in Nike and Google have teamed up to launch a soccer social network called Joga.com. As I’ve talked about in previous posts, I think people will get tired of the vastness and general theme of Myspace and move more towards vertical or niche social networks that will be built to serve their passions and interests.
Even if they don’t tire of Myspace, I see an opportunity for entrepreneurs who create social networking sites or platforms for topics that they know and love. Myspace allows you to do some things, but obviously a social networking site built on soccer will be more attractive to soccer lovers, as there will be built in features that fit soccer along with knowing that everyone involved is interested in the same core subject.
What remains to be seen is that if this particular case will work. There are large corporate interests behind Joga.com in Nike and Google, so will users feel like it’s authentic and real? If it succeeds, won’t we see Nike/Google social networks in other areas? Soccer was a naturally first choice for it’s world interest, but it seems like the same formula could work for basketball, football, and whatever other sport Nike feels like starting a site in.
It’s still an open question in my mind if this particular site will succeed, but I’m pretty sure a well-done soccer site started that was very authetic and real would work. It’s possible that some will be turned off by Nike’s involvement. For example, if Myspace was started by a large music label would it have worked to this extent?
Either way, expect a lot more niche social networks.
