If You’re Not A Model, Don’t Bother Reading This
Michael Arrington
61 comments »
Heard of ModelsHotel? Its a hot new social network that you have absolutely no chance of joining. That’s because the site, founded by Jesper Lannung, is for the models only - enabling “models to stay in touch through a gated community.”
To get in you have to be a professional model and invited by the site or by other members. Once you’re in, you can do standard social networking stuff - post pictures, videos and profile information, and find romantic matches so you can have beautiful little photogenic spawn together.
They’re a year old but have been off our radar until this evening when the Wall Street Journal did a profile on them. A choice quote:
Models spend a lot of time in isolation, traveling from casting to casting, often in cities where they don’t know anyone else. But like Shannon Rusbuldt, a 22-year-old model with Elite Models, many fear exposing themselves to unwelcome solicitations from wannabe photographers, agents and suitors. Mr. Lannung, who is represented by Ms. Rusbuldt’s former agency, persuaded her to join by assuring her that his site is similar to other social networks, “but without the creepy people.”
Poor models. It’s good that they have a place to hide from the creepy people (i.e., the rest of the population).
The site may actually be a bit too selective though. 2,000 people have tried to join over the last year, says Lannung, but he’s rejected half of them. That makes for a pretty thinly populated social network. MySpace, by comparison, adds well over 100,000 members daily. Still, high end advertisers are said to be targeting the site to get access to those 1,000 trendsetters. The company is now trying to raise $1.5 million in venture capital, which I honestly hope they raise so that I can continue to make fun of them (and their VCs) before eventually depositing them in the Deadpool.
If you’re hot but not quite model material, check out Darwin Dating, another obnoxious site that is focused on matching up beautiful people on dates. Their tagline? Online Dating Minus Ugly People.
If only they could be locked in once inside, a place for all the Diggers and Redditors would be priceless.
those so-called selected aren’t the trend setters; the only trend setters are the people in music videos, movies, and television.
good god, this is a superficial haven.
don’t be so quick to discount the concept, elite like to hang out with only the elite - so to speak, and this site secludes only the creme de la creme for their pickins
Since they are so secretive, why not make it into social sex network instead ! They might just be funded $100 millions dollars ! Exclusive model waiting to be fucked all day long !
Michael, you are just right to say that they probably end up in deadpool… errrr, to be corrected, it should be HellSexPool …
Whoever invests in them, I want their number, it would seem they would throw money into anything
Anyone here miss this old ducktale cartoons back in 80s?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Sb0hGUNIQ
Oh man, I have tear… It’s good to look back the old cartoon.
I wonder how many models read TechCrunch…
Yeah, what #6 said. It’s not as much fun to make fun of people when they don’t know you are doing it.
If anyone would like to snoop a few profiles just check out this link : http://modelshotel.com/index.p.....p;p_id=305 (one i found earlier)
Change the id on the end of the string to find some more modelly people… or check the source code for their friends id’s - your choice.
I prefer:
http://modelshotel.com/index.p.....p;p_id=781
Darwindating.com is a great find, love it!
does investor get access to the models? that’s a pretty good incentive, no? investors can travel and find themselves lonely in cities they barely know anyone, except beautiful and lonely models.
You can basically view every profile. Seems like a sham……I didn’t see any updates in there since april 2007. Looks like all the occupants have checked out already.
I agree that the closed approach is not the correct one. We have just launched a fully open site aimed at the modelling comunity and those who work in it (modelling agencies, photographers, make up artists etc…), as well as those interested in it (a much wider audience ;o)
One of the main drivers is to give a chance to aspiring models to get noticed (we filter the contacts)
http://www.imodel.ro
The site is in english and we have started with Romanian models and agencies for the beta version.
Bit of a stupid tittle! models will not be reading TechCruch…..
Wow, a fairly evil-spirited post.
Just checked out this Darwin Dating. The first ad they popped up was AdultFriendFinder. Kind of against the mission statement.
How did they get to the WSJ?!?! BJ…
Darwin Dating? interesting site, but they only have 60 women in all of the US, and more than half are butt ugly!
see Bugmenot.com for a password.
“The company is now trying to raise $1.5 million in venture capital, which I honestly hope they raise so that I can continue to make fun of them”
- well said, except for the fact that this $1.5m could go towards a business or technology that has an actual chance at making some sort of significant impact.
In Israel, there’s a somewhat related site. It’s called http://www.yafimyafot.com which means beautiful people. It’s a dating site where the candidates are handpicked by the editors.
I don’t see what the problem is. If there are too many “false positives” on other social networking site for a traveling model to feel safe meeting up with, then what’s wrong with this? They just have an extremely selective screening technique to ensure they meet with people they want, rather than “unwelcome solicitations from wannabe photographers, agents and suitors.”
But way to take the bitter-nerd route, TechCrunch readers. Keep the maturity coming.
http://www.cutegirlsonly.com has had the same model… pardon the pun, for some time.
Wow, I’m even more beaty than a model LoL I think this is my site hahahaha
If it weren’t for the creepy people, the models would be out of work
Yeh right! own gated community. Wonder which VC would want to fund such a venture. Gives me the creeps.
THere are at least 100 social network type sites for models and this one is probably the worse I can see.
About time somebody brought Sexy Back to Web 2.0 - This seems like the end of the line for Web 2.0. When trends and fads get used inappropriately they tend to die. Kind like how moshing died after it was discovered kids a Tiffany concert were moshing.
this network could go from 1,000 users to over 1,000,000 users in less than a week if they were less restrictive. VC’s looking at this company should look at ways to exploit it’s users to influence larger audiences. If this is the route, then 1.5 M in VC seems low. I just don’t see how the site will generate 10’s of millions in revenue if it stays only focused on models. Would I join if i could mingle with beautiful models? absolutely! the site should create a small non model membership fee to anyone who doesn’t meet their “qualifications”.
I heard an interview on the radio with the owner of another beautiful people site, and he couldn’t get himself voted in ….. must have been terrible missing out on all the fun on his own website ….
Models dating Models .. does that make sense? Models only date financial tycoon, hollywood superstar, rich punk with ferrari and maybe mike ;P.
I read the article in the WSJ. any network that gives me a pair of $200 Diesel jeans, invitations to movie premieres and discounts at all sorts of exclusive retailers count me in… And to that list please add a hot male model!
why give this company coverage?
that home page is seriously fug….it’s kind of creepy likes a bates hotel
the should name it
WhoresNMore, WhoresGalors, or WhoresRUS. How vain !
i do financial modeling. can i get a beta pass?
– “Poor models. It’s good that they have a place to hide from the creepy people (i.e., the rest of the population).”
Are you kidding?
Isn’t this like the pot calling the kettle black. Do you invite the “rest of the population” to the TechCrunch conferences? I am not saying you should, I am just saying people are always discriminating and being selective (albeit unconsciously) because of the limitations on time and energy. I think it is kind of silly to think the models are being snobby because they want a private place.
Btw, I don’t know any models, never thought of becoming a model and am a geek by profession. Though I do think Zoolander is a wicked funny movie.
Good luck coming down before it is too late.
I just think maybe you are getting a little too much on your high horse here
If Bill Gates can be a model, we all can.
Yeah, but TC doesn’t call the people who aren’t invited to the conference, “creepy.”
It’s probably because the “creepy” people are the ones who are AT the conference.
Talk about an ugly website.
I guess they figured the models would make up for the poor design.
ModelsHotel really needs better security.
Check this out:
http://modelshotel.com/index.php?mode=events
You can see all of the “private parties” and events that they don’t want real people showing up to.
Heh, you said ‘thinly populated’ and you’re talking about a site for models. Heh.
I wonder how many models read?
I am a Dick Model. Can I join????
Why don’t they just get a myspace page?
Please, models don’t hang out with models…they hang out with regular people because it makes them look better in comparison.
These profiles are great fun. Based on the member photos, I’m not sure how anyone was denied from getting in.
Check this one out:
http://modelshotel.com/index.p.....p;p_id=357
Quote: “I’m eating recess peices peanut butter cups in my hotel room…”
Great fun thanks to #8 for the link in.
You know, I thought the code looked familiar. They’re running AlstraSoft E-Friends. $300/year commerical SNS software. It looks barely tweaked. What’s their barrier to competition?
First you call it a ‘hot’ new social network, and then you also talk about depositing them in the deadpool.
Why are you so sarcastic in your posts these days?
Anand
Are you kidding? Mike has all of a sudden become the ‘ non-establishment ‘ and fancies himself to be very cool these days. Can you say middle age crisis?
“which I honestly hope they raise so that I can continue to make fun of them (and their VCs) before eventually depositing them in the Deadpool” –> too funny
Aydin.
Modelshotel.com seems to be the next way of web 2.0 at the moment. It seems like advertisers are moving away from the mass networks and focusing more on the niche. What better business model is there than getting the “trendsetters” to wear the brands they want to make popular for the season? Starting trends, marketing products is a multi-billion dollar annual industry. If modelshotel.com can run away with a few million of that each year..watch out.
at this point it only takes pennies from a rupert murdoch or some other media tycoon to snap up modelshotel before they even get VC
Well said Mike, anything that has no scope for ‘widening’ has its end clearly marked at ‘Deadpool’
Beauty is such a subjective thing that any type of classification is fraught with heavy bias… I have to admit that most models are nothing special but the connections they (parents) established and “marketed”.
I have seen some amazing looking women working at checkout counters or other labor intensive jobs that would easily rival some of the magazine spreads I have seen.
Jon
Not sure what i found more offensive/ laughable/ or laughably offensive…the site keeping out all us “creepy people”, or Eric at #21 saying we “bitter-nerds” need to be more mature. I think I’ll opt for the second. Here’s my bitter boot for lodging into your mature beautiful ass.
I wanna site for fugly people.