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Community Connect Inc.
The Internet's First Multicultural Social-Networking Site CelebratesIts 10-Year Anniversary
Community Connect, Inc. (CCI), the leading online niche social-networking company,
celebrates its 10-year anniversary this summer. Founded by Benjamin Sun, Calvin Wong, Peter
Chen and Michael Montero, it is now the 5th largest US social networking property/publisher,
measured in page views (Comscore Media Metrix June 2007).
As one the very first niche social-networking communities to develop on the Internet, the
founders of Community Connect realized before anyone else the potential strength of bringing
like minded groups and ethnic/affinity communities together for both users and advertisers.
They leveraged their propriety technology platform to launch sites for a number of niche communities
including www.BlackPlanet.com(African American community), www.MiGente.com
(Latino community), www.AsianAve.com
(Asian community),www.GLEE.com (GLBT community) and Faithbase.com(Christian community).
Soon after the launch of its first site, www.AsianAve.com, CCI realized it had tapped into something powerful:
a passionate and active online audience ‒ a fact proven when the site crashed from traffic overload in
the first few weeks. Once CCI perfected its site structure, the company quickly replicated the model by
launching additional sites for other ethnic demographics: www.BlackPlanet.com and www.MiGente.com.
It became increasingly clear that the next big thing to hit the web was social-networking, and this largely
untapped group of niche communities was growing both offline and subsequently online. CCI discovered these
groups were eager to use the Web as a means of communication and content consumption, and that advertisers
where looking for new ways to target them. CCI has successfully given these communities a voice, a destination,
and a platform to create enriching relationships with people across the nation, and a means for advertisers to get
their brands not only front and center but to get audiences actively engaging with the brands.
As other social-networking sites have popped up, then faded away in 2001’s bubble bust, CCI remains not only a
growing leader in the space, but also a steadfast and profitable competitor that holds firmly to the simple beliefs
that helped the company carve out its distinct niche and positioning. Namely, CCI provides advertisers an un-obtrusive
platform to engage with key consumers; gives users tools to interact in ways that are most important to them (such as
dating services, job services, chat forums etc); and let the users develop their own content defining their online space
the way they want to.
BlackPlanet.com
www.BlackPlanet.com is the 5th highest trafficked social-networking site according
to Hitwise, and the only niche social-networking site in the top 5, behind the likes of MySpace and Facebook.
MiGente.com
www.MiGente.com is the fastest growing English language site for the Hispanic community and has captured that much sought-after
second generation immigrant who is using English as his/her primary language. In fact, on a national basis, more than 80% of
second generation Latinos use English as their primary language (according to Synovate U.S. Diversity Markets Report 2006).
AsianAve.com
www.AsianAve.com is set to be the premier online destination for Asian Americans 18+ to network
socially, professionally and culturally, offering opportunities for all generations of Asian Americans to meet new people in their area.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in America according to American Demographics, with nearly $254 billion in annual buying power.
GLEE.com
The Gay, Lesbian and Everyone Else social-networking site, www.GLEE.com, has become of the top-20
gay sites on the Web within just five months. www.GLEE.com is the only social- and professional-
etworking site for the GLBT community. According recent surveys by Harris
Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications, 75 percent of the GLBT community is classified as heavy Internet users, spending more than 8
hours online per week (compared to 59 percent of heterosexuals). In contrast to the mainstream social-networking sites, www.GLEE.com puts GLBT
individuals front and center.
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