QueensSpeech is a new London-based Social Networking and Social Publishing service for the lesbian and gay community. QueensSpeech.com hope to become the new way for the gay and lesbian community to network, share thoughts, ideas and opinions – as well as get published and recognised online.
Each member has their own personal space where they can create as much or as little content about subjects or events that matter to them. Users can discuss articles found on other sites, comment on the latest news, publish stories, create blogs, share bookmarks or build a new network of like minded friends online.
However, unlike many other social networks, QueensSpeech will aggregate this content to build topic-based, glossy, magazine style frontpages that summarise what’s being discussed throughout the gay community, by the community which they are calling ‘conversational publishing’.
The project is self-funded and they are planning to launch the full service sometime in winter 2006. At the moment they are collecting registrations for alpha and beta testing, and have published a blog to discuss the project.
QueensSpeech is a perfect example of a longtail service, where like-minded people form together to serve the needs of their community. I can imagine this site doing very well, it should attract both a very vibrant and active community as well as the “pink pound” from advertisers keen to reach out to this community.
In fact as the social networking phenomenon begins mature, I expect to see many more vertical community spaces like this forming.