i-Meet

It seems that John Pino, founder of StarCite, has heard our classes prayers for a social networking site targeted specifically toward meeting professionals.  In the article "StarCite Founder Launches Social Networking for Meeting, Event Planners" on MiMega Site Pino talked about the need for industry specific networking and the impact that it can have on the industry as a whole. Having just recently left the beta phase, and initially debuting in August, the site has already attracted 2,000 members. The article does not specify how many of these partifipants are suppliers vs. planners. 

The site allows you to network online much like facebook in that you create your own circle of friends and who can and cannot see you. Like LinkedIn the site allows you to contact "the world" with any questions regarding the industry which any member can access. The cool feature of this site unlike other social networking sites is the opportunity to rate and discuss experiences with a specific supplier. This will provide a platform for planners to connect regarding pros and cons about suppliers, properties and  experiences. Interestingly, the site profits by attracting suppliers in which to market themselves toward meeting professionals. This direct marketing approach will allow for suppliers to reach out to planners directly rather than using other more traditional means of marketing. 

As you know I feel strongly about the opportunity to job search through social networking sites which this one does not yet supply a forum for. I have signed up for the free service and look forward to watching it grow and adding a follow up blog of my opinions on the site.