Entrepreneur Interview

Your project, Famuse.com, is a social networking site, much like the immensely popular and commercialized MySpace. How is Famuse.com able to attract and retain new members?

Originally, yes, the project was to compete with MySpace, but since I have privately funded the whole site, I was not able to keep up with the growth, especially with the backing of news corp that MySpace added. Now I'm gearing the site more towards social tools--for example: add a poll, add a quiz, music player, music store, profile editor. What I'm really excited about is pulling content into the events from different sources, so users have more than just famuse results. The search is also dong this--we now search profiles on famuse, myspace, friendster, etc. We are headed toward becoming a social search tool with features that can be used on any site.

Famuse.com is available to users internationally in three different languages. How well is it being received by those audiences?

Very well. The growth is slow, but, from the start I saw interest by international sign up, so I had to add the languages.

Just how big is its membership?

The membership is small, honestly--it's only at 39,000 members. I stop a lot of promotions to spend and change the focus of the site. Once the few final features are added I plan to focus only on promotions.

How does word spread about Famuse.com? What kinds of marketing helped it grow to its current size?

Like most sites, I have the invite tool, and I've done some Google ads, but mostly word of mouth.

Do you consider Famuse to be a competitor with MySpace? Or do you find that people are actually searching for a MySpace replacement or alternative?

I do feel people would like an alternative, but with so many sites popping up daily to compete, I'm looking to become a tool more than a competitor.

What inspired you to undertake this project?

I have accounts on most of the social sites, so I felt I could do it better only because im a user myself. Built by a user, for users. Sites like myspace, friendster, hi5 ect.. are all built by companies trying to sell ad space.

One humongous difference that I noticed between Famuse and MySpace, is that Famuse isn't teeming with promoters. In a way, the friendly atmosphere seems ripe for an injection of entertainment. Do you think Famuse is headed in that direction?

Oh, without a doubt... the new music section is just for that! Myspace might have more bands but ours, by far, has more features to offer as soon as it is live. I've been testing it for weeks now. I'm hoping the features will help boost the site's growth.

Are there any words of advice you would like to offer to fellow entrepreneurs?

Yes, just go with what you believe and don't stop until you're ready to stop, even if everyone is against you. Don't be scared to lose a few bucks or to take the risk. At the end day, even if your idea does not work out, you will have learned a lot from it, and that's priceless.