Dogster
"Dogster: where every dog has a webpage"
I kid you not. Dogster has launched which is MySpace/Friendster for dogs and their owners. Dogs have always suffered from isolation and limited avenues to social networking. Now, they have a chance to unite and move up the food chain. Here is Wolfjohn's profile a giant Schnauzer. He is an intelligent, playful dog with over 10 doggie friends. Expect big things from this guy.
For a modest fee, they can probably pick the sock puppet mascot from the last time around...
I knew I was starting to gain more prestigious, connected readers (including hot dogs)! I understand that Dogster is closing in on 300,000 pets. Not certain what kind of revenue they are delivering from their ad and premium model. But, it just goes to show you the power of executing on a niche and of community. That said, I still think big things will happen for Wolfjohn above...
Posted by: mbmccall | September 15, 2006 at 04:34 PM
When you think about it most pet owners are very passionate. I bet that users spend a lot of time on this site. Also, I read elsewhere (maybe Techcrunch?) that many users actually see their dog's blog function as an outlet for their own feelings. For example writing about what "Mommy" or "Daddy" did through the eyes of the pet. I think that the key to success here is remembering that this service is not about the pets. The services need to engage the pet owners and I think that a dating serice would actually do surprisingly well, especially if it was cast as pet play dates.
Posted by: Andrew Fife | September 16, 2006 at 05:29 PM