BLACKPLANET.COM IS NAMED THE LARGEST MULTICULTURAL NICHE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE OF 2007

Targeting the country’s robust African American multicultural population, BlackPlanet.com is named the fourth most visited social networking website overall

What: We’ve come a long way. African American social networking site BlackPlanet.com is named fourth largest social networking site in 2007. With MLK Day on Monday, we’re thrilled to tout this achievement that proves African American’s are some of the most active and engaged members of the online community. Interviews are available with experts, see below.

The Facts: Results have been tabulated by Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service. With over 17 million members, BlackPlanet.com came just behind MySpace and Facebook. BlackPlanet.com retained 89% of traffic from the previous the month, showing that members who use the site return on a regular basis. Moreover, BlackPlanet.com has remained a top site since its inception in 1999, also making it one of the first social networking sites.

Who: Mr. Kay Madati, VP of Marketing at Community Connect, the publisher of BlackPlanet.com and four other multicultural social networks, is available to comment on why African Americans are so active online. He is available to comment on the issues African Americans are talking about online, particularly around MLK Day, and speak to the issues that are debated in the online community, such as the presidential debates.

Why: Social networking is increasingly becoming an important part of our society. This fact cannot ring more true than with the Presidential Primaries, and the success of Barack Obama’s page on BlackPlanet.com reaching more people than on MySpace and Facebook. This proves the online African American community cannot be ignored. Presidential candidates are able to reach and engage passionate constituents in unprecedented ways online; capitalizing on their ability to motivate groups to participate in the dialogue, register and ultimately vote.

Contact: Shannon Chang, Group SJR, schang {at} groupsjr(.)com, 212.751.3484

Taryn Langer, Group SJR, tlanger {at} groupsjr(.)com

212.751.3392