Thoughts from the Shelf

In relation to previous posts on The Shelf titled ‘the cost of social networking’ and ‘facebook leads social networking’ I thought it appropriate to comment on the latest competitor in the sector of social networking, Saga.

For most Saga would be a name that on face value would not tie in well with the concept of social networking, a new hip trend that up until now has be dominated by sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Bebo, whose extensive user base made up primarily of teenagers and young adults.

For a company that is more commonly associated with insurance and other financial products for the over 50’s, you would be forgiven for making the assumption it didn’t belong there. There is however on distinct difference between Saga and its social networking ambitions in that its aims to remain targeted towards the over 50’s much in keeping with other services the company offers, and certainly exploiting an untapped area of the social networking scene.

As more and more social networking sites are lauched, increasingly catering towards niche audiences in a saturated market, Saga does have the potential to grab the attention of a significant share of the market. Surveys have identified that a third of all time spent online is by the over 50s who individually spend on average 30% of their time online, but how many of these computer literate silver surfers find themselves requiring a social networking service remains to be seen.

Sagazone was launched in beta in February and attracted 13,000 members over an initial four month trial period. Focused around topics including gardening tips, recipe swaps and advice for the housebound, there are notable differences to other social networking services already available. If one thing is for sure it is that Sagazone expects to cash in on the increasing proportion of older surfers on the internet.

‘Now, rather than being a demographic to be avoided, the ‘grey pound’ is being hailed as a lucrative one.’ Quote from fair investment