What can you do when you establish a new social network in Japan but want to distinguish yourself from Mixi, the current No. 1 (21 million members)? Answer: You start off by pre-populating it with a total of 5,500 actresses and models. That’s what Isao and Oscar Promotion (one of Japan’s biggest artist agencies), the makers behind this new service, did.
Dubbed “be amie”, the social network was launched on September 1. Oscar Promotion says the main concept behind the service is “beauty”, apparently referring to the first batch of members. All artists under contract with the agency have a profile page, will write diaries, submit videos and also sell original goods on the site.
What’s interesting is that “regular” members can befriend their “stars” through be amie, next to joining their communities. It’s also possible to request models or artists for bookings directly on the profile page of the person in question.
This screenshot shows the community page of super-popular actress and model Ueto Aya (click to enlarge):
The service appeals to the vanity of people, giving regular members the chance to set up profile pages that basically look like the ones the artists have – in a collected setting. be amie also enables users to “recommend” other users to talent scouts, meaning all regular members (theoretically) have the chance to get on their radar.
The service aims at counting no less than 10 million users within the next two years.
Serkan Toto