Matt Small knew he had a big idea and, unlike most people, just ran with it.
Small, a straight ally and Chicago resident, cooked up a brilliant idea one afternoon: Why not provide the LGBT community and its allies with a unique, family-friendly one-stop-shop social networking site?
Given the popularity of large social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, Small thought it was odd that an all-encompassing, safe social networking site tailor-made for the LGBT community didn't exist. Small saw a need and met it by founding FriendsYouKnow.com, a unique Chicago-based social networking Web site serving the LGBT community that launched June 9.
FriendsYouKnow.com is a safe, one-stop-shop social networking site created by and for the LGBT community and their allies. It wasn't created to mimic popular networking communities, but to add to what's out there in order to create a new, exciting experience for the LGBT community. Registered users will be able to enjoy personal and professional networking free of sexual content, in addition to news feeds, blogs and more. Here, users can get their LGBT news fix, share information on local and national organizations, discover community activities and groups, review LGBT establishments, network—anything they need and want.
Small, who has worked as a broker and trader at the Chicago Board of Trade for nearly 30 years, is the father of four children between the ages of 21 and 25, so he knows all about the popularity of social networking sites. Both he and his wife have close friends who are either gay or have gay and lesbian children.
'I don't know what it was, but one morning at lunch, I asked them if there was anything like this in the gay community,' Small said. 'I was curious.'
Small's friends let him know about the typical dating and sex sites frequented by the community, but during the conversation, he saw that something was missing.
'There was nothing that was all-encompassing, that seemed like a more family-friendly, secure and safe environment that was a little more upscale in look and feel,' Small said.
Stunned that nothing existed, he decided to take action.
'I just put pen to paper and filled a yellow pad one afternoon,' Small said with a laugh. Small gathered a team to make his ideas a reality, and after roughly 19 months of hard work, the site is ready to officially launch.
In July 2007, Small approached Cathy Renna, an LGBT activist and managing partner of Renna Communications, a public interest public relations firm that helps nonprofits and groups that focus on LGBT issues with their communications needs. Although Renna Communications has always focused on this mission, they saw that this little idea from a straight, Midwestern guy had major potential. So much so, that Renna Communications has equity in Small's company.
'We absolutely believe in this,' Renna told Windy City Times.
'When I heard both about his business model and his general philosophy and the details of the site itself, I got really excited,' Renna said. 'The reality is, there are not many places to go that position themselves like FriendsYouKnow.com .'
'There are many, many ways in which the community can get together online,' she continued, 'but very, very few of them—if any—are this community-focused.'
FriendsYouKnow.com is a paid site, so users don't have to deal with being bombarded by advertisements and spam. As a paid site that requires users to use their real name, members can enjoy additional security and privacy, and not worry about harassment and bullying. Its founder wanted the site to be a safe harbor for LGBT people and their allies.
Additionally, 10 percent of the site's subscription fees will go directly back to the community through donations to LGBT organizations—a crucial part of the business model since its inception.
'Our goal is be the largest donor to the LGBT community,' Small said, adding that several organizations have already jumped on board. For example, if the site had one million subscribers—Small's ultimate goal for the site—it could give between $10 and $20 million per year to LGBT organizations.
See www.FriendsYouKnow.com to learn more.