Social Networking for the Over-50 Set

Hi all… guess what? Have you heard of a social networking site for the age group over 50??

Well... Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor's www.eons.com is quickly proving there's no age limit on social networking. The social portal's mantra is "Lovin' life on the flip side of 50". They have about 1 million unique visitors per month.

Eons' site content is divided into several pillars, including apposite subjects for the well-retired and well-seasoned demographic, such as money and health. An offshoot of the latter is a longevity calculator designed to help users predict their life spans and recommend how they can extend it. There are plenty of other sections devoted to plain old fun. Quizzes and games are complemented, for example, by virtual gifts similar to what users can exchange on Facebook.

From the technical point of view, Eons is no different from the other social networking sites that target the younger generation. Its distinction lies in the audience base. According to Eons, one user calls the site, "MySpace with brains."

Those brains has secured Eons' place in some powerful political campaigns. Among the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates who have created personal profiles on the site are Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. There's also a Campaign Central section (http://community.eons.com/microsite/election2008) where users can discuss political issues and voice their intention to vote.

Beyond the political space, Eons is attracting major brands from sectors like finance, healthcare &beauty, technology and travel. When the site was launched last year, initial advertisers included Fidelity, , Liberty Mutual, and Verizon Wireless.

The site also partnered with CVS (CVS Caremark is the nation's premier integrated pharmacy services provider, combining one of the nation's leading pharmaceutical services companies with the country’s largest pharmacy chain) in a unique marketing program, integrating the drug store into the longevity calculator. When users completed the quiz, Eons would generate a customized CVS shopping list based on aspects of their lifestyles that were found to need some attention.

Virtual gifts can also be branded, or created as limited-edition offers, so site users can offer a friend a cup of coffee from a favorite coffee chain or a virtual bouquet of flowers from a real-world online retailer.

"What's most important, and what we're saying to brands, is that they should try to create conversations and invite the consumer into the discussion," says Perry Allison, Eons' VP of sales. Because the site is still relatively small, Eons.com is actively driving internal traffic to brand profiles and applications through house ads, which are also used to promote new site-generated content. "It's about giving users interesting things to see and do without having to leave Eons," she says.

This may sound like it benefits the site far more than its advertisers, its just the marketers need to venture beyond social network banner buys and create something customized and relevant. Given this booming site a couple more years to grow its audience base and sharpen its ad offerings, its users won’t be the only ones loving the flip side of 50 :)