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	FriendCircles.com uniting and reuniting thousands through exclusive online network (2/20/2005) Entrepreneurs Take It To The Web FriendCircles.com offers users their own piece of cyberspace to share their stories, photos Interest Groups Go International Successful Online Communities Offer Diversity & Offer It For Free

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FriendCircles.com uniting and reuniting thousands through exclusive online network
(December 10th, Friendcircles.com, LA, USA) Dubbed a one-stop socializer by its CEO and founder, FriendCircles.com offers a host of features that allow members to keep in touch with friends and relatives, as well as make new connections.

Users of this website become known as “friendizens”- online citizens of a bustling community dedicated to building and maintaining relationships. And, the website’s population of these friendizens is already on the rise.

“We had over 50,000 members sign up within ten days of our launch, and our network is rapidly expanding,” said C.E.O. Ezer Ratchaga, of the site’s impressive rapid increase.

According to Ratchaga, as members join and circles begin to overlap with one another, users will find this unique web portal to be a place to build new friendships. This quick growth is perhaps attributed to that fact that signing up is not only free, but also very simple. To get started, new users simply create a username, password and social profile. Then they invite friends and family to join their inner circle. Then, in a matter of days, as invited members invite their own networks, a ‘friend circle’ can grow into the thousands. Inviting people to join is painlessly easy, as members can import address books from Yahoo and Hotmail.

FriendCircles.com is not limited to connecting with current friends. Members can also search profiles on the site to meet fellow ‘friendizens’ with similar interests or locate people in the same geographic area. Whether they are in search of new friends, former classmates or co-workers, potential business partners or even dates, new connections and relationships can be forged- and maintained- at FriendCircles.com.

“Our goal is to help our ‘friendizens’ to form lasting, fruitful relationships in a fun and vibrant atmosphere,” Ratchaga said.

Unlike many other “connection” sites, FriendCircles.com members will actually be assigned their very own homepage (theirusername.FriendCircles.com), which serves as a direct link to their custom community. All of the features available on this site can be controlled right from this website. And, placing the address in a user’s e-mail signature is a great way to grow a circle. Aside from this personal homepage, FriendCircles.com offers many more user-friendly tools for keeping in touch with the few, or the masses.

Communication is never a problem for friendizens, as each user receives a personal e-mail address and instant messenger service. Each member will also have a personal address book where important contact information is housed. And, with an easy-to-update calendar of events coincided with the site’s auto-reminder feature, forgetting birthdays, anniversaries and other special events becomes a thing of the past. Simply type in the dates that are special to you and yours, and get reminded of that Tupperware party, grandma’s birthday, your sociology final or your oil change appointment!

In addition to being able to connect with the new and the old, members of FriendCircles.com will also be able to share news and tell stories within their circles, or if preferred, with the world. Users will have access to a journal and blog, as well as a photo album. These user-friendly options can either be limited to people within the network, or open for all to see. Through them, friendizens can tell their stories to everyone in their circle and beyond.

“They can show everyone their new puppy or your new shoes- anything can be shared through words and pictures on our site,” Ratchaga said.

Another feature of the site offers users the chance to not only join one of dozens of interest groups, but also to start one of their own. So, by leading a group, ‘friendizens’ have one more way to meet and interact with the global community by moderating discussions on a hobby or interest they share with others. Aside from interest groups, members will also have the chance to share their opinions in yet another way. In their social profiles, users have the ability to make recommendations in a variety of consumer-type categories- from what book to read to where to dine and everything in between.

“These suggestions can spark conversations as well, as a user can thank another user for the recommendation- or ask why they’d ever refer that cheesy novel,” Ratchaga joked. “Our friendizens have a lot of fun in this community.”

All this and more make organizing one’s social life truly a one-stop resource. FriendCircles.com, exploding circles of friends since 2005, is a free service. For more information, visit www.friendcircles.com.

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For Immeduate Release

Entrepreneurs Take It To The Web
It used to be that starting a business was a hit-or-miss gamble, an expensive endeavor that was more likely to result in failure than success. An entrepreneur was easily isolated in a world of stiff competition, where the person that could give you the best advice was also least likely to give it. It was no wonder, then, that people who were otherwise equipped, lacked the confidence to strike out on their own to fulfill the dream that many of us have—owning a business of our own.

Like many other aspects of everyday life, the business world changed almost overnight with the advent of the Internet, particularly Internet discussion groups. For the first time in history, frustrated small business owners could seek advice from others in their market quickly, personally and without giving away strategy to the local competition. A bookstore owner in Seattle, for instance, could compare pricing strategies with a bookstore owner in San Francisco without having to travel a great distance or pay an expensive consultant.

Sometimes talking through business hang-ups with someone who’s been there is all you need to move through the rough spots. Joining an online discussion group, especially one that lets you converse with no charge, is often surprisingly helpful.

FriendCircles.com, a recently launched discussion-based website, is an example of a site that allows you to connect with business people in your market, and at no cost. The site has over 100 different business-oriented groups centered around diverse topics, such as how to get into business school, or forums on sending products overseas.

Many of FriendCircles.com members find that troubleshooting becomes easier when you have pointers from people in similar situations. One such discussion group features members who are business owners, or potential business owners, in Indonesia. Members of IndonesiaPreneur post messages and send private e-mails about the unique aspects of the Indonesian economy. They also welcome members from other parts of the world how have encountered similar experiences.

Not only do FriendCircles.com entrepreneurs find a forum to talk about their business woes, they also use the site to network, share ideas and even to inspire each other. One “Friendizen,” a jewelry maker and gemstone collector started a discussion group to trade, buy and sell raw stones and other materials to make her necklaces.

Eventually, her reputation for beautiful stone and metalwork won her a business increase of an estimated 25 percent. In her case, the discussion group led to word-of-mouth advertising that yielded substantial results.

FriendCircles.com was founded in 2004 by CEO Ezer Ratchaga, a businessman who realized the value of open discussion among entrepreneurs. He knew that by offering a forum-based website, where people from all over the world could come together to share their business ideas, he would attract other business-minded individuals in droves.

Since it got started in Dec., 2004, the business section of the FriendCircles.com discussion boards has grown the fastest of all the various subject boards. Ratchaga is not surprised. “There are so many people out there trying to get ahead in business any way they can,” says Ratchaga. “Discussion groups on the Internet are still under-utilized, I think. That’s one of the main reasons I started FriendCircles.com.”

Business discussion groups at FriendCircles.com differ from other sites (even sites that charge a monthly fee) because they appeal to so many types of entrepreneurs. Women who find themselves subtly pushed out of the traditional business world of offices and glass ceilings find solidarity and helpful advice on FriendCircles.com’s female-run boards. Those who are starting a business in a struggling economy find others who are making due under similar circumstances.

One of the great things about being an entrepreneur is the sense of freedom you get from being your own boss and taking steps to control your own destiny. People who have the courage and the creativity to leave dead-end jobs behind and begin a business are the same kinds of people that refuse to pay expensive consultants to give them business advice. The best advice comes from those who just want to help you succeed.

The same logic follows when an entrepreneur chooses an online forum. They tend to go with the site that offers them dynamic discussion about the issues they face and offers it without a price tag. FriendCircles.com is quickly becoming that choice.

When you sign up for a profile at FriendCircles.com, you get access to any of the site’s discussion boards, and if you don’t see the group you’re looking for, you can start one on your own. Members also receive an online monthly planner, a series of fun emoticons, the ability to post pictures for friends and family, access to a daily journal and more. To sign up at no charge, go to FriendCircles.com

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For Immeduate Release

FriendCircles.com offers users their own piece of cyberspace to share their stories, photos
(February 20, 2005, Friendcircles.com) FriendCircles.com offers a swarm of services allowing members to create and connect with their circle of friends, including primary features allowing users to, in a sense, star in their own on-line reality show.

Upon joining this free website, members become “friendizens”- or, online citizens of a bustling community dedicated to building and maintaining relationships. According to C.E.O. Ezer Ratchaga, one the site’s key features are the communication tools, allowing users to share their news with their circle, and even the world.

“Our ‘friendizens’ are each given their own journal, blog and photo album which allows them to keep in touch and share across the miles,” he said. “When updated, circles can keep updated on happenings of their new or existing friends. It really is exciting.”

Once a ‘friendizen,’ a user is given a homepage (theirusername.FriendCircles.com), where the features Ratchaga mentioned become immediately available. Users will then have their own piece of cyberspace where they can create their own headlines and stories, and basically, be a star of their own Internet site. Using the journal and blog features allow users the chance to update their experiences on a daily or weekly basis, or really as often as they prefer. From major life events, such as an engagement or new job, to daily occurrences such as a funny moment in line at the grocery store can be shared, allowing other members get to follow them through their life experiences. And, in addition to sharing these thoughts, ideas and events with the members of each user’s inner circle of friends, the information can also be shared with the global community.

“If someone has a really interesting blog, who knows how many people will log on to get their daily dose of real life stories, and want to be in on the latest gossip from a particular member’s neck of the woods,” Ratchaga said. “They always say that fact is stranger than fictions, so paying attention to real life can be fascinating!”

If someone wants to keep their blog and journal private, they can indeed limit it to approved viewers, Ratchaga added, FriendCircles.com respects the privacy some prefer.

Still, this website has another feature, perfect for sharing. With an easy-to-use photo album, pictures can be uploaded and shared as an accompaniment to a blog, or as a stand-alone feature. If members are using their FriendCircles.com homepage to reconnect with past classmates, flames or co-workers, having a photo album and blog can fill in the gaps of the years since their last encounter. And, if meeting new people a member’s intention, their username and profile will come to life, becoming more than just a name, by having an updated and exciting blog. And, rather than just a photo or two to put a name with the face, albums can who a whole vacation, party or other event in a scrapbook type form.

Aside from these tools to bring members and their experiences to life, FriendCircles.com offers users an address book, calendar, an auto-reminder feature, notepad and much more.

“Our goal is to help our friendizens connect, reconnect and form new lasting and fruitful relationships, all in a vibrant and fun community,” Ratchaga said.

Signing up for this site is easy- and free. To get started, new users simply create a username, password and social profile, and then they invite friends and family to join their inner circle. Then, in a matter of days, as invited members invite their own networks, a circle of friends can grow tremendously. FriendCircles.com, exploding circles of friends since 2005, is a free service. For more information, visit www.FriendCircles.com

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For Immediate Release

Interest Groups Go International
SEATTLE — In late 2004, Professor Sam Burton, a Canadian photography enthusiast, decided to start a discussion group to share his favorite photos, quotes and ideas. In addition to meeting in Ontario with local photography nuts, Burton launched a group called Foto Fans on FriendCircles.com, a new online community where people from all over the world link up over common interests. Since December, Burton (who’s FriendCircles.com handle is Canadalover55) has posted over 460 professional photographs, available for any member of Foto Fans to see.

Within a few days, Michaelpmm from Nairobi, Bolton from England, Winxie from the Philippines and half a dozen others joined Burton to post their photos and chat about everything related to photography. The group has a colorful journal, with all sorts of pictures and moving icons, welcoming new members and fostering discussion among current members. Burton likes the fact that within a few weeks, his idea to start a photo-related discussion group has blossomed into an instantly accessible space for enthusiasts from everywhere.

“Why not make use of this great site as a forum where we can discuss matters and topics related to this fine art [photography]? Why not arrange outings, events, meetings, gatherings or at least share pictures?” asks Burton.

To start the discussion group, Burton signed up with only his name and e-mail at FriendCircles.com and began to peruse listings on hundreds of other groups—everything from auto maintenance to Eastern philosophy. The sheer number and variety of discussion groups inspired him. Burton decided that he needed to start a group of his own, so that people in Canada and all over the world could share in his passions.

Across the world in the Philippines, another FriendCircles.com member started a discussion group centering about the spiritual organization, Theosophical Society of the Philippines. The group is dedicated to personal fulfillment and enrichment, as well as helping less fortunate members of local communities, especially children. Within a day or two, a young FriendCircles.com member, henry5 from Nigeria, was curious to find out what a philanthropic organization from the Philippines could offer him in Africa.

Discussion forums can be viewed and posted on immediately after they are established, with the group’s founder choosing the amount of information available to the public. Once other FriendCircles.com users register for the discussion, they can send public or private messages to members of the group, post pictures and journal their activities. Groups often post upcoming events on an interactive calendar.

Joining an already established group can be just as rewarding as founding one. Jeetree, a new member of the FriendCircles.com community, was amazed at how many of her interests were already being shared and talked about.

“I couldn’t believe how many groups there are already,” said the new member from Seattle. “I know that the website is relatively new, but already I found at least five groups to join.” Jeetree also likes the fact that she didn’t have to wait long for groups to accept her as a member. “Actually, most of the groups I joined let me post immediately. I liked the fact that it was so easy to sign up.”

FriendCircles.com has quickly become one of the top Internet communities for those looking to add something to their lives. In addition to the international discussion groups, the site offers its “Friendizens” the opportunity to find local activity or date partners, meet with those who share entrepreneurial or business goals, find lost classmates or family members and share photos, poems and ideas.

The site was founded in December, 2004 by CEO Ezer Ratchaga, who thought there was something missing from other Internet communities he encountered.

“Other networks seemed to focus solely on social networking,” says Ratchaga. “I saw a market for a site that was more of a holistic personal network. I wished there was a place to organize around hobbies, interests or career goals.” Instead of waiting for the perfect site to appear, Ratchaga decided to create it himself, and he had a hunch that it would succeed.

Ratchaga was right. FriendCircles.com found almost overnight success. Five days after the site’s launch, membership was already at 10,000 members, and according to Ratchaga, 1,000’s of new members sign up every day.

Internet networks and online communities have leapt in popularity in recent years, putting a more personal face on a computer technology that can sometimes be alienating. Communities such as FriendCircles.com are largely responsible for a sense of personalization in the often-intimidating world of technology.

Ironically, meeting people online from all parts of the world can lead to more involvement in an individual’s physical community. On FriendCircles.com alone, there are dozens of discussion groups devoted to connecting with members from specific locales. There are postings for communities in everywhere from Daytona Beach to Jogja City. One group is devoted to helping those living with HIV in Southern Africa.

To join a FriendCircles.com discussion group, go to friendcircles.com and sign up using an e-mail address and username. Go to the “groups” section of the site and browse through the categories and sub-categories found there. There is not a limit to how many groups you can become a member of. If you’d like to start your own group, click on the “Start a group” icon.

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For Immediate Release

Successful Online Communities Offer Diversity & Offer It For Free
From its birth in the 80’s, the Internet has been a tool of communication. Rudimentary e-mail and graphic-less websites have given way to DSL and instant messenger, and with that, electronic communication has reached a whole new level of integration. People can now talk in forums, in real time, with others from all around the world. You can seek advice on everything from relationships to home plumbing, join a group of photography or fishing enthusiasts, all without leaving your computer chair.

It’s no wonder, then, that online communities have become so tremendously popular over the last decade, even as they have become more specialized and harder to define. How is an online community, for instance, different from a series of mass emails bantered around between a group of friends? Does posting a medical question to an online doctor mean you’re participating in an online community?

Full Circle, a website that tracks trends among online groups, defines an online community somewhat amorphously as “a gathering of people in an online ‘space’ where they come, communicate, connect and get to know each other better over time.” That doesn’t sound much different than meeting with some friends over coffee or getting together with your card club. In fact, those who are active members of online groups tend to think of them as extensions of social life outside of cyberspace.

Amy Jo Kim, a founder of an online community, sees the internet as just another tool for people to form communities and act on the social impulses that we possess as peoople. “I think that it is good to remember that in many cases, it [the online community] is another communications channel. The telephone is a communications channel that augments your life, so these communities are sort of like the telephone.”

But are gathering sites, such as FriendCircles.com or Friendster.com, here to stay like the telephone, or are they a fleeting trend? In recent years, consumers have shied away from some sites, while others have seen a surge in membership. In seems that web surfers are becoming savvy as to what they want and how much they want to pay for it.

A recent article posted on the website onlinecommunityreport.com, notices community trends turning in favor of sites that offer diverse and specific content and offer it for free. Sites that aren’t trying to make profits by charging members to join seem to be pulling ahead. “Many online communities don’t seek to be profitable. They have other goals in mind: advocacy, education, politics, etc,” and according to the report, these are the sites that are drawing consumers in.

FriendCircles.com is an example of a start-up site that has taken this trend and run with it. It offers 100s of specific arenas for its members to make connections about the things that impact their lives specifically. Forums on FriendCircles.com are started, maintained and policed by its members, so that members decide exactly what subjects are up for sharing or for debate.

A biker from Daytona Beach, CA, who goes by the handle of Johnnyboy128, not only joined FriendCircles.com to chat I discussion forums, but wanted to start one of his own. Johnnyboy128 is a proud Harley owner and has been riding bikes for 39 years. He hopes to find as many people as possible to talk shop with, and also hopes to get a group together to ride and hang out.

“Everything about Daytona Beach is great for bikers,” he says. “We have the time of our lives here and are interested in trying to make as many contacts and riding partners as possible.”

FriendCircles.com has quickly become one of the top Internet communities for because it caters to members’ needs for specific types of connections. For those who like to use the Internet as a springboard to meet people in their area, like Johnnyboy128, the site offers its “Friendizens” the opportunity to find local activity or date partners, meet with those who share entrepreneurial or business goals, find lost classmates or family members and share photos, poems and ideas.

The site was founded in December, 2004 by CEO Ezer Ratchaga. After tracking activity on various online communities, Ratchaga noticed what current research seems to indicate—namely that people want to find clusters of people who share their hobbies and they want to do it for free.

“It used to be that people would join any kind of online community,” says Ratchaga. “There was a kind of novelty that led people to explore all kinds of chat rooms and forums, and even pay for the service. Now that trend is starting to go the other way. Successful sites have to fill specific needs.”

Early figures on FriendCircles.com’s success confirm Ratchaga’s findings. Only five days after the site’s launch, membership was already at 10,000 members, and according to Ratchaga, 1,000’s of new members sign up every day.

FriendCircles.com differs from other sites in that it pulls its community, literally, from all over the world. The circle of friends stretches from the Philipines to France, Canada to South Africa. Members generally correspond in English, but 100s of other language groups are used regularly by the site’s members. The international aspect of FriendCircles.com is another element of specificity that keeps members flocking in by the 1000’s.

Anyone can join a FriendCircles.com discussion group at no cost. Simply go to friendcircles.com and sign up using an e-mail address and username. Go to the “groups” section of the site and browse through the categories and sub-categories found there. There is not a limit to how many groups you can become a member of. If you’d like to start your own group, click on the “Start a group” icon.

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