Affinity Circles Developing Trusted Social Networks for Professional Organizations

Global Organizations Leverage Social Networking to Improve Member Connections, Encourage Collaboration and Strengthen Knowledge-Sharing

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 19, 2008 – Affinity Circles, Inc., the leading provider of trusted social networks for affinity-based organizations, today announced that four professional organizations will utilize the company’s private-label social networking platform to create online communities for thousands of members located around the globe. They include the Asia America MultiTechnology Association (AAMA), Committee of 100 (C100), Korea Information Technology Network (KIN) and the State Bar of Texas. These organizations will use their affinity circles as a tool to facilitate better connections among members, encourage collaboration and strengthen the knowledge-sharing process.

“Unlike professional networks and directories that are open to everyone on the Internet, affinity circles are secure, branded communities exclusively available to members of an established organization,” said Steve Loughlin, president and chief executive officer of Affinity Circles. “Based on our work with more than 90 affinity-based organizations, collectively representing more than 12 million members, we understand the impact trusted social networks can have on building a strong and engaged membership base. By creating communities around members’ shared passions, professions or experiences, membership organizations can foster more personalized and meaningful interactions, viral growth and sustained levels of engagement, which result in improved member retention.”

Making Professional Connections Online
The State Bar of Texas plans to launch its affinity circle this spring. The organization will provide a branded network for its 80,000 members that will allow them to easily locate and connect with one another, build relationships, share knowledge, access job listings, read member blogs, join specific interest groups and more.

“As the first State Bar Association to adopt social networking, we hope to serve as a model for others looking for new ways to go beyond traditional membership programs,” said Karin Crump, president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, a department of the State Bar of Texas. “We understand that the success of any lawyer’s practice depends upon his or her ability to build a strong network of relationships with colleagues. By working with Affinity Circles to create a secure, trusted social network for Texas lawyers only, our goal is to develop a safe online venue in which members can connect and interact freely, and serve as a valuable career resource as well.”

The Committee of 100 (C100) is a national non-profit organization comprised of American citizens of Chinese descent, many of whom have achieved positions of leadership in business, technology, medicine and more. The affinity circle it plans to launch in April will allow young professionals to tap into the collective pool of wisdom, experience and advice of its members, and to communicate with others who share similar interests.

“Our goal is to connect young professionals with role models, mentors and professional resources that can help them navigate promising career paths,” said Mike Lee, director of development for C100. “Rather than associate our organization with one of the large commercial social networking sites, all of which carry some sort of stigma, we wanted to start fresh and create a community that reflects our brand and the spirit of our organization.”

Other trade associations that plan to launch affinity circles include:

Asia America MultiTechnology Association (AAMA) is Silicon Valley's leading MultiTechnology business network promoting the success of the Asia America region's technology enterprises. Its affinity circle will provide the international network of more than 10,000 members with a forum in which they can connect, exchange ideas and share resources to promote and build their companies and careers.
Korea Information Technology Network (KIN) includes an international network of more than one thousand information technology professionals, companies and investors. By creating an online community that spans time, language and travel barriers, the organization can support a range of professional activities, including business development, recruiting, events and ongoing communication.

Trusted Social Networks Create Value for Members and Organizations

Affinity Circles social networking platform features include:

Customized visual design that reflects the sponsoring organization’s brand identity.
Advanced DataSync technology that enables the organization to seed its community with member data and capture community profile updates in its membership database.
Member identity authentication, site SSL protection and individual privacy settings that ensure a trusted and secure environment.
Easy to use community segmentation and email marketing tools that enable the organization to deliver more personalized member communications.
Value-added sponsorships and recruitment advertising services that provide unique revenue-sharing opportunities.
Optional ability for members to extend new member invitations, scaling the organization’s community marketing efforts and reducing member acquisition costs.
APIs for event and member management services allowing organizations to integrate preferred administrative tools into the community experience.
Hosted solution built on open source technology that is easy to launch and scales with the organization’s needs.

About Affinity Circles
Affinity Circles is the leading provider of trusted social networks for affinity-based organizations. Today more than 90 organizations, including alumni and student groups, fraternities, professional associations and sports teams, have selected the company’s hosted social networking platform to enable their members to build and maintain personal and professional connections in dynamic, trusted online communities. For more information, visit www.affinitycircles.com.

Media Contact:
Carleen LeVasseur
Affinity Circles Public Relations
(408) 264-6767
carleen@affinitycircles.com