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August 22, 2007

Playboy Launches Social Network: “High schoolers, old dudes and your Mom can’t join”

Nick Gonzalez

42 comments »

Update: Playboy U is built on the Ning platform

pulogo.pngThe recent launch of Silicon Valley funded adult/porn site Zivity raised a few eyebrows. Now one of the old sovereigns of sexy is getting into the game, too. CrunchGear reports that Playboy is launching their own sexy social networking site just for college students, Playboy U.

Playboy U requires all users to have a .edu email addresses, mimicking Facebook’s early policy of only allowing college students to join. They say, “Sorry, but high schoolers, old dudes and your Mom can’t join”. However, The site won’t be as lascivious as the periodical. In what may be a bummer for some, the site will be “an exclusive college-only non-nude social network”. Furthermore, it will be a place to “show your school pride, connect with other students and celebrate the social side of college”. But I’m sure they’re not going to police the whole network for porn.

Student profiles will consist of the usual social network features including, bios, photos, videos, Blogs, and Forums. Schools will have customized pages, parties and on-campus events, and a national radio show with student callers.

Other magazines have been trying to get with the times and fight floundering readership by launching their own social networks too. Rolling Stone recently announced plans for their own network as well. But Playboy may have some better luck with readership already skewing toward the college following.

Lots of college students lament the loss of their exclusive Facebook social network to the older crowd. They may be receptive to a newer, cooler alternative. Something tells me that Playboy may not be the brand to steal their hearts, though.

  • Sphere It

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 pm and is filed under Company & Product Profiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Comments

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  1. alexanderpink

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm

    So I guess Hef won’t be joining?

  2. Deals and Coupons

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:29 pm

    Is this safe for work? LOL. :D

    Very tempting!

  3. RAK

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm

    Play boy’s next revolution is pimp’s social networking. This is funny. Have a look at Mails I Read http://www.mailsiread.com , its a social networking blog. Blogger blogs interesting mails he receives every day.

  4. ted

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:35 pm

    Lots of High Schools use .edu as their domain, although not many grant email access through it. Should be very interesting to see how that shakes out.

  5. Yasser

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm

    Is it safe to say that social networks are being over exploited and it’s about to start dying?

  6. Chris

    August 22nd, 2007 at 3:50 pm

    Hef will be pissed at this policy.

  7. Alaska Miller

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:00 pm

    Social networks has now jumped the shark. Good job Christie Hefner! Make sure you let your dad get a stealth account though! You never know when he gets tired of his 21 year old girlfriend and decide to trade her up with another 17 year old.

  8. Laus

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:14 pm

    Right, the perfect way to get on the good side of the hot coed you so covet… send her an invite to Playboy’s SN site.

  9. STFU Pimple Face Youngsters

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:15 pm

    Seriously WTF is up with these youngster college kids about losing facebook to older folks. Last week, I read an article, yeah a whole fucking article, written by a pimple face girl on ZDNet news lamenting about facebook being invaded by older creepy guys.

    My experience with facebook that it is very hard to add someone as a friend, there isn’t a way to send someone an email to add them. So for friends of mine that have multiple emails, I am SOL if they happen to register with a different email than the one that is in my address book. Adding people on facebook is locked down tighter than a chastity belt, so for you pimple face youngsters out there, stop your whining and bitching already, sheesh.

  10. dfloyd

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:16 pm

    View the source. This is based on Ning’s platform.

  11. Deals and Coupons

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:22 pm

    @dfloyd - Good observation! It’s a win-win for Ning.

  12. Sir Lancelot

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    You don’t need to view the source to find that out, it is stated at the bottom of the home page. A thought for the now college crowd, someday, and sooner than you think, you will become part of the older crowd and have a new generation of younger folks calling you EWWWWWWW.

  13. Shawn

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:36 pm

    I’ve got it! Start providing email addresses:

    your_name@inviteshare.EDU

    Brilliant!

  14. Ryan Spahn

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:37 pm

    Social networks are everywhere … YEAH!

  15. Sean Coonce

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:43 pm

    You know there’s another social networking adult content site called IndustryEleven out there that’s pretty chill. Check it.

  16. Wayne Mulligan

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm

    This could go a couple of ways for Playboy:

    1. College dating network (only the exhibitionist girls need apply)

    2. A way to bring their brand back - which I think is a heckuvalot more interesting…Imagine Play Boy uses this as a way to scout new talent?

    Young girls, who otherwise would’ve been too hesitant to send photos into Playboy under normal circumstances, can now indirectly “try out” for the magazine just by posting profile pics. The community will filter out the good ones from the bad and the REALLY good ones will already have a following. Won’t be hard to sell subscriptions to that type of following.

    Kudos Hef

  17. Mario Ruiz

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    Hi Nick,

    I believe that the day before, we spent some time chatting about the downfall of Playboy at the new New York Times blog, Freckonomics.

    Stephen was asking why do we think Playboy has passed to be a kingdom to just a declined business.

    There were all kind of reactions, but it seems we settle and move on when we suggested that Playboy was a business model for other more obscure times.

    Today you surprised me with this news. Playboy want to have some new light, with our kids. On a second thought, what would they offer, except their sexy name that our kids do not have already.

    Their model was old fashion and is this model too late in the season?

    Mario Ruiz
    @ http://www.oursheet.com

  18. P. Lake

    August 22nd, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    Wait! We’re not supposed to admit we “read” Playboy. Oh sure, we love the articles. Now they want me to establish my college life around a taboo icon from the 70’s? Come on. Playboy, consider an investment in a college social network, but your brand is guys only! Oh, I heard of a condom company getting in this space too! That’ll go over big with the girls.

  19. Steen

    August 22nd, 2007 at 5:02 pm

    I wonder if the DoubleClick advertisers will be happy about their brand appearing side-by-side Playboy’s.

  20. David

    August 22nd, 2007 at 5:22 pm

    Rather than go out and spend a bunch of money on creating software, they are using Ning. Very interesting and a very low cost way for them to experiment with social networking. Smart.

  21. cdub

    August 22nd, 2007 at 5:45 pm

    i love playboy

  22. Dominic

    August 22nd, 2007 at 5:58 pm

    I tell ya, this is just another ‘ me too’ web 2.0 disaster waiting to happen. It’s a good thing they’re not spending shareholder money to build. Way too many sites chasing the same basic crowd.

  23. The Mad Hatter

    August 22nd, 2007 at 6:03 pm

    I’m gonna go buy me an .edu domain so I can sign up, lurk, and leer.

  24. PublisherZilla

    August 22nd, 2007 at 6:08 pm

    This is interesting, but I’m not sure what they can do differently from the other Social Networks. I know that many universities give students their blahblah.edu email address for life. So I’m sure there will still be plenty of “old dudes” on this site as well. Also, though there are too many Social Networks out there and I’m not sure what Playboy can offer that’s newer or better than what’s out there now, the brand alone will make this one intriguing.

    Conservative estimate: this site turns into AdultFriendFiner Junior before Christmas.

  25. Stock market drive people hell

    August 22nd, 2007 at 6:20 pm

    Before you commit sex or adultery… you know something that will drive men very pain in ass.

    1. you date
    2. you get married.
    3. you start having great sex
    4. you wife will start to complain more than your mom.
    5. you take care new born baby
    6. you get lack of sleep & complaining.
    7. you have annoying & screaming kids drives you nerves.
    8. you pay food & toys for kids
    9. you have drive kids to school
    10. you can’t afford to buy new house.

    10 years later, you stop at Gas station. You open your wallet. All you see is $10.50. You see inflation…

  26. dave

    August 22nd, 2007 at 7:55 pm

    what’s the point of this walled garden “edu” approach when every university out there offers lifetime email to alum of all ages?

    seems like a simple way to filter a demographic (degreed), not by age…

  27. Someones-Ex-Gf.com

    August 22nd, 2007 at 8:29 pm

    they forgot about ihaventbeenincollegefor4yearsbutwilljoinplayboyu@alumni.[INSERT UNIVERSITY].edu

  28. Marc

    August 22nd, 2007 at 9:26 pm

    Old dudes can’t join?!?! We’re the only ones left for Playboy. I guess Playboy doesn’t realize that they have been and are still your father’s dirty mag and most of us are more interested in Viagra commercials these days.

  29. Ken Zhao

    August 22nd, 2007 at 10:10 pm

    Good brand, but not interesting enought.

  30. andy fox

    August 23rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm

    I went to a playboy party in LA once and Hef demands that he has a velvet rope around the area where him and his twits hang out. So its like this bizarre little micro party inside of the regular party. Pretty disgusting.

    Playboy is a dying brand and I don’t think anyone really cares anymore about it or the brand.

  31. gonzo

    August 24th, 2007 at 3:09 am

    Playboy is far from dead. This network is lame at best and will go the way if its old 1-800 all you can eat dail up service many years back. You remember you could see all the shit that wasnt good enough to be in the magazine for $50 a month.

    Still had to buy the magazine for the good stuff.

  32. Jessica KoolCatxxx

    August 30th, 2007 at 12:22 am

    Hi there im Jessica
    this is NOT about playboy at all.
    It’s just telling us about old fashion things!!!

    P.s
    Make a better site
    Jessica

  33. Lisa

    September 4th, 2007 at 5:03 pm

    Too many men have exchanged their strength and magnificence for worthless lies and empty fantasies leaving them shallow, hollow people who know everything about surviving and nothing about really living. Men have become enslaved by evil and have given up all that is worth passionately living and sacrificially dying for.

    To be a true MAN, choose to act with courage, commitment and perseverance on behalf of the women and children in YOUR communities. It is to hate all that objectifies and demeans them and to embrace with a passion every opportunity YOU have to stand up for them and intercede on their behalf. Only then will you be worthy of the manhood to which you are called.

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