MakeFive Launches Network to Link People through Opinions and Preferences

VANCOUVER, BC - November 2007 - "Social networking isn't working" MakeFive Creative Director Eric Karjaluoto explains, "The poking, chain letters, and zombie biting is pretty irritating; I have to wonder if it's really the best we can do." With that thought, MakeFive was born. Differing from sites that currently occupy the social networking space, the new website allows people to connect with others through their opinions and interests. "Sites like Facebook are great for staying connected with existing friends" MakeFive Technical Director Eric Shelkie notes, "but we think the real fun is in meeting different people who can expose you to new ideas and influences."

The MakeFive website lets users pick their top choices on almost any topic, from sports and movies to current events and life experience. In doing in so, the site capitalizes on the viral nature of "Ten Things" and "Best of" lists that are often found on blogs and distributed widely through news aggregators and social bookmarking. Articles and blog entries with titles like "Top 5 Ways to Stay out of Debt", "The Best Movies of 2007", and "10 Things Women Want in Bed but Won't Ask For" are common sights on the front page of Digg.

Successful bloggers have long known the attraction of lists and use them often to reel in visitors. Lists break down information in a way that appeals to the casual online reader. Lists are:

- Scannable: The way lists are formatted make them appear organized and digestible.
- Succinct: An elaborate explanation is not required for an argument—just the key points.
- Persuasive: Having several key points is a great way to build an argument
- Easy to make: Creating a list is perhaps the most rudimentary way of expressing an idea
- Generate ideas: Lists have a way of spawning new ideas and arguments

The company founders have based MakeFive on the idea that everyone's a critic, can give a few pointers, and has some insight, whether it's political, cultural, or philosophical. Everyone makes lists and now everyone can share them.

Shelkie stresses, "MakeFive can go anywhere; it's limited only by the collective imagination of the community and so far we've found such limits to be few."

In the rush of Web 2.0 efforts, the people at MakeFive believe their property stands apart. "We think we're looking at something people won't put down, and for good reason," Karjaluoto observes, "we are facilitating an easy and engaging way for people to express themselves in topical discussion. At the same time, we are providing a recommendation system based on user input. You can discover new things from people with similar interests."

MakeFive was founded by the people who run Vancouver interactive design firm smashLAB. By avoiding common investor routes, and personally financing the effort, they are able to focus on the site's function instead of quarterly returns. After a rapid initial design and development cycle, the site is now accessible to the general public at: www.makefive.com



About MakeFive
MakeFive is a great way to meet new people. It links people from around the world, by affording an easy and fun way to start discussions, share ideas and engage in debate. It also provides an opportunity for advertisers to build intelligent campaigns, tailored to audiences who are interested in their announcements. MakeFive is a smashLAB initiative based in Vancouver.