New Web site connects different races

ATLANTA – Joining the trend while establishing its own uniqueness, www.minorityspace.com, a burgeoning social networking Web site, joins the collective as a means of using spare time on the Internet. \nMinoritySpace.com is a site tailored to people of minorities, but open to the public to sign up and set up a page. The site is the brainchild of creators Casey Danford, the president, and Steve Eilers, vice president of operations, for the purpose to not segregate races, but to unite them. \nThe content of the Web site is catered to the African-American community and sets itself apart from the more established and popular profile sites on the Internet, such as of MySpace, because it is more of a community without the heavy advertisements from corporations. The Web site lays stake to bringing minority activities to a more concentrated forum on the Internet than \nsimilar competition. \n“There’s other things going on locally in every city, like black and Hispanic organizations and clubs; we wanted a way to connect all these organizations worldwide using the power of the Internet,” \nDanford said. \nThe key trademark of MinoritySpace.com is that it offers features found on similar networking sites, but it offers more of them. This includes unlimited picture and music uploads, contests, promotions and other features that set the site apart.\nDanford said the site is a landmark because it is the first of its kind in the wave of social \nnetworking sites.\n“MinoritySpace.com is the first social networking Web site created to unite minorities in a structured, safe environment,” Danford said. \nHowever, the site itself runs very much like www.myspace.com. The format of a basic profile page is remarkably similar in structure, and the site even has a feature that allows MySpace users to import their page over to ease the transition from one database to the other. \nDespite the cosmetic similarities, the new Web site is lighter on commercial activity and advertisement and heavy on presenting the online community. \nIn addition, the Web site will share its success with \nthe community. \n“If the Web site makes it big, a big portion of the profits will be donated to minority charities and organizations, where it belongs,” Eile said.