[Ryan]

(Wow, traffic is starting to pick up in here... that's great)

...if any of you here on the glbtq.com message boards wish to sign on to the following social software networks, I can extend an invitation and help you get connected (some of you have already done so; if you wish to add me to your personal network, it's:

First name: Ryan
Last name: Schultz
Email: ryanwinnipeg@yahoo.ca

for all three of Friendster.com, Tribe.net, and Google's new service Orkut (which is brand new and by invitation only).

To describe them briefly: Tribe, with about 70,000 members, has a sort of San Francisco laid-back community feel to it, with lots and lots of discussion groups (one of the biggest is for the Burning Man tribe). Very queer-friendly, multiple queer tribes.

Friendster is 6-million-member free-for-all, the focus is on dating/flirting/making new friends (or creating new false identities: "Fakesters"), but there are NO discussion groups. The Friendster servers are straining under the load, so service can be slow at times. Average age of friendsters is 18-22.

Orkut (the new kid on the block) is Google's answer to Friendster, just launched in January 2004, and it's currently a small site (about 30,000 people) who can post more detailed profiles if they wish, and set up and join as many communities as they like. Looks promising. Queer-friendly and geek-friendly.

There are Queer History communities on both Tribe.net and Orkut.com... neither of which has anything like the traffic on glbtq.com yet! (I created the Queer History community on Orkut; someone else created the Queer History tribe on Tribe.net, which has been around a few months longer.)

If you're interested, want to help establish a few more queer beach-heads in cyberspace :-) , and if you want to explore the new social software scene, please send me a message here, and I will extend you an invitation to the community/ies of your choice. I will need:

1. Your first name
2. Your last name
3. The email address you'll be using to subscribe (I suggest you create a new one just for this purpose).

See you online!
_________________
Ryan Schultz, Reference Librarian
University of Manitoba Libraries
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada