Gay hookup sites are everywhere; what we really need is a gay social networking site that isn’t about getting laid. Gay youth are coming out younger all the time, and, as witnessed by the rash of bullying and suicides in the last couple of years, these kids could use some positive mentoring. Gay youth, who are often isolated from the larger gay community, gravitate to the Internet and social networking sites, looking for meaningful interactions with like-minded people.
The world needs Fab, but, as it turns out, Fab didn’t need us.
Fab, which launched last year as Fabulis.com, was about sharing common interests and building a sense of community—and it was the first gay social network I liked. Which is why it was particularly disheartening when, in February, Fab “pivoted,” and announced they were becoming a kind of Groupon site for design enthusiasts. Once billed as “The Fun Way to Discover the Gay World,” Fab now offers “daily designs for everyone.”
Fab, co-founded by Jobster and Social Median entrepreneur Jason Goldberg, seemed of our time. Between Goldberg and co-founder Bradford Shellhammer (an early founder of Qweerty) they had plenty of startup experience, an admirable mission, some serendipity, and the money to make the endeavor fly. They had prominent folks on their board of directors (like Richard Socarides, president of Equality Matters). They traveled around the country in 2010, meeting members of their community IRL, and were adding new features monthly. The site amassed 200,000 members its first few months.
They also seemed to find their calling with what appeared to be a growing problem: gay teenage suicides—they teamed with the Trevor Project and It Gets Better, and even produced a video of their own; it felt like they were putting together something that could last.
Fab created a unique social networking space that made kids feel safe and supported. I couldn’t count the number of status updates from out kids venting their frustrations about school and home life, kids who sensed, as I did, that Fab was the right site at the right time.
Fab had a video feature where members could access everything from fashion tips to dating advice. Its host, the perennially likable Keith Edwards, made the site homey and comfortable. You felt like you belonged, and it offered a fresh alternative to the lascivious and predatory vibes found on most gay sites. Goldberg talked about the shared experiences of being gay as being a bond like “no other.”
♦◊♦
In January, Fab launched their Fab Deal of the Day, offering a gay Groupon-style deal. It was a huge success—maybe too much so. In February, Fab was donating a dollar a day to the Trevor Project for every member who joined. Then, on March 9, Fab announced that there would be changes. In April, Fab pivoted to a more lucrative market, away from the gay community.
Goldberg explained on his blog:
Gay rights progress over the past year had a positive impact on the gay community but a negative impact on the demand for our services. With developments like the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the court victories over California’s Proposition 8 gay marriage ban, the Obama administration’s tacit rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act, and the anti-bullying It Gets Better Project continuing to integrate gays into the mainstream, we saw a diminished need for a gay Facebook or a gay Yelp or a gay Foursquare or a gay Groupon.
From selling daily deals we discovered that the idea of a design site had legs. We found that out when we introduced a Gay Deal of the Day program that sold more than $40,000 of goods in the first 20 days alone. The biggest sellers weren’t gay-focused, nearly half of the buyers were straight, and the response showed that there was a demand for good design available online at affordable prices—sexual orientation notwithstanding.
So now it’s a shopping site for design enthusiasts. I understand the business arguments, but I don’t buy that the advancement of gay causes had much to do with the decision. Goldberg has said,
I do not believe at this point that there is legitimate demand for a non-sexual social network for gay men that would garner more than 1 million members. And if you can’t get to 10 million members, it’s hard to build a significant business in this space. GrindR is the only true success story in new online gay services, and that’s because it’s about a critical need: hookups. But we didn’t want to be another hookup site at fab.
That may be true, but my gut says they just saw an opportunity to be more profitable—to flip the property sooner—and they took it. At any rate, they violated one of the prime directives identified by social media guru Gary Vaynerchuck: in the age of social media, lack of communication with your audience can irreparably hurt your reputation. Many members of the Fab community were upset that their personal investment in the site was gone.
Social networks need to monetize their existence—they aren’t just there to foster communication between gay teens or overthrow totalitarian regimes. But what proved to be so disappointing about Fab is the sense that they didn’t give it the time it needed to flourish.
Members of Fab were upset at the rapid un-announced change. Fab’s response:
“Shhh … big secret. The best gay social network on the planet is: Facebook!”
Perhaps.
But a lot of people have been fleeing Facebook—it’s not that cool anymore. Everyone’s looking for the next best thing. I thought Fab was it.
a new social network for gay bi and lesbian people is online and it’s amazing http://www.sloupit.com you should check it out!
http://www.gruubi.com • Connecting LGBTQ communities
http://www.gruubi.com is a new and growing network for the LGBTQ communities worldwide. Its not about getting laid its about connecting with like-minded people. Gruubi is a place to be yourself. Connect with like-minded people, find events, book travel, shop online and unite for a cause. You may be a couple seeking other couples for friendship, single and looking for dating opportunities, a parent of LGBTQ youth seeking advice and friendship from other parents, or LGBTQ mums and dads looking for others with kids. Its a great look siting and mobile/ tablet friendly. And its free to join, chat and send… Read more »
Gruubi.com is a new and growing network for the LGBTQ communities worldwide. Its not about getting laid its about connecting with like-minded people. Gruubi is a place to be yourself. Connect with like-minded people, find events, book travel, shop online and unite for a cause. You may be a couple seeking other couples for friendship, single and looking for dating opportunities, a parent of LGBTQ youth seeking advice and friendship from other parents, or LGBTQ mums and dads looking for others with kids. Its a great look siting and mobile/ tablet friendly. And its free to join, chat and send… Read more »
I have tried many “so called” LGBT social networks for the past few years and everything seems to somehow turn into a hook up/dating site, and although that has been fun and exciting, it gets old. When I came across, http://www.showcasefreedom.com, I finally felt like I found what I was looking for. It is very user friendly and has the search capabilities that I desired. It also has the privacy that most other sites don’t offer. It is highly recommended by this guy. Check it out!
There’s aslo the queer social network I’m Awesome, Thanks! (inclusive of all members of the community). My experience is that it’s young, but growing and focused on creating a safe environment and platonic connections.
http://www.eclecticmale.com is a new social network for gay men who are seeking non-sexual meaningful interactions with other gay men.
If you are looking for a gay social network that isn’t about getting laid, please visit our free social network for lesbians, gays, bisexuals & transgendered: http://www.gayfriendschat.com/socialblog/
I seen another website http://www.gaysmn.com
There are also niche lesbian /gay /queer social network websites, here is a great one that is spreading to many cities: http://www.Quiivr.com
It lets user generate content and post events so it has the most comprehensive listing of lesbian /queer events in the city.
Hello everyone,
We are currently in the last phase of building Social Rainbow as a true Social Network, not a dating or hook up site.
The site will cater to the LGBT Community, LGBT Supporters & Family Members and Swingers.
Please view video: http://youtu.be/dSj-4gi3BzA
Social Rainbow will be a private social network where you can unwind and be yourself freely and we won’t sell your information like other open platform social networks either.
Dorian Rains
social rainbow, i knew there was a catch you have to pay. free is the way. does anyone else think that paying will drive customers to your site. people don’t want to pay money especially if some might not even meet anyone one, so join a social network that offers it for free not pay even if it’s a small amount of money you still have to pay
A friend of mine and I just created this one, http://networkinglgbt.com/welcome. It’s brand new so were looking for members.
This website is fairly new. It has potential. Totally free, no annoying pop up ads enticing you to join. Most other websites either charge or offer only limited membership. This one is great. It has a lot of features including chat however there has to be a lot of guys on the site for it to be successful. Hopefully others will follow suite and join.
Chris Ledoux was talking about http://www.gayusanetwork.com/gaycommunity I went there and it has a lot of potential and quite a bit of features unlike the other posts above. I just signed up and it isn’t like facebook this site is gay owned and operated….. I like it so far……….
I need to weight my two cents in. I’ve already viewed all the websites on this page. And I have to agree with Jason and the others. The Gay USA Network site. Doesn’t seem all just porn based like gaywatch and manhunt. It’s more socially. Like the other person said, Facebook is more PG. Gay men want and really need to go and unwind and be themselves. We are men and we all have sex and enjoy it and we also love the company of other men. I haven’t joined Gay USA Network but I most certainly will. Plus, as… Read more »
http://www.topspop.com is a new LGBT site that focuses on connecting people through conversation. It’s a discussion forum + modern social networking features.
I like that idea. The only thing was, when I clicked the link, it said the site is under construction.
A brand new site that just launched tonight. http://www.GBunker.com
You might want to check out http://guyhive.com.
There’s a new one that doesn’t seem to be just a hook up site. It’s at the link I provided. He’s testing it out so once you get there just click on Gay Social Network. He wants it to stay free. Only a few members now but growing.
I like this site seems pretty new. But like the design and function.
Check it out for your self… gaysmn.com
I like this site as well…. Looks like its up and coming! 🙂
hmmmm Mike WeBBer and Corry CoBB are the same person. Interesting. Well I went to the above website and once again. I had to delete my account as it sucks. I’m going to stick with http://www.gayusanetwork.com No doubt.
Even if Facebook is a great social network i prefer the top rated gay sites to find a partner because here you won’t find straight people fooling around….they are banned immediately if they write an ugly comment or something. And you will be surprised to see the huge number of active users on these sites.
Hi guys looking for a nice LGBT social networking site, go to samesexsociety.com it’s the place to be for sharing every thing and daily communicating with your friends an the rest of the LGBT society.
OMG, this website totally hacked my computer. I had a feeling it was shady just by going there it looked just like facebook. So this is a red flag people. Who ever runs this goodmenproject.com website needs to remove the dead links and the shady links like the one I just got hacked by.
http://www.likesboys.com – thats what we are aiming for. more of a dating site exclusively for boys
RE: OutRus LGBT Social Network OutRus LGBT Social Network is an edu-tainment social network website where Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & transgender can freely SHARE, EXPLORE & MEET with other Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & transgender around the world. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 05, 2011 – New York, New York On May 21st 2010 Out”R”us launched the first phase of its niche LGBT social network. OutRus is a social network targeted toward the LGBT Community. Out”R”us is also open to teens and is standing by its principals of Not being a dating site as are most gay social… Read more »
There has been a robust gay social network for 16 years now – Datalounge. Yes, it’s anonymous, but that also makes it inherently impossible to become a hookup site. I don’t know what anyone looks like- i only know their minds. You get a lot of wit, a few amusing trolls, and uncommon support in times of trouble. The day of 9/11, the way people came together to share info and give emotional support to one another was remarkable. I’ll never forget it.
There’s a new site launched this year called Bros4Bros. Check it out!
here’s another one, attractive guy, it’s the whole point to entice you to buy right????? of course. But you have to pay to upgrade or you just have limited free membershop http://www.gayusanetwork.com there isn’t even an option to pay to upgrade your account it’s free with full membership, you can send as many emails, view as many profiles, view full photo’s, Steer away from pay sites. This is no more. Join a free site.