UNIQUE HOBBY WEBSITE SURFS THE WAVE OF SUCCESS

Newly launched website Hobbyworldunited.com has just announced the introduction of another hobby category, ‘Water Activities’, which encompasses Sailing, Water Skiing, Canoe & Kayaking, Surfing and Jet Skiing etc.

In just 8 weeks members from 20 countries covering 5 continents have joined the site. Hobbyworldunited.com is rapidly becoming the online meeting place for hobbyists everywhere.

Originally designed as a website on which enthusiasts could click to chat, learn and even teach others about their hobby, Hobbyworldunited.com has expanded so much in the last 8 weeks that it now includes a ‘blog’ facility where members can talk about work in progress, almost like an online diary, to let others know what they have been up to. Due to such high demand they are even planning to add 2 more hobbies to their already 32-strong list in order to cater for a wider audience.

With quick success evident and potential for wider global growth unmistakeable the question is not only “How have they got this far?” but also “What are the plans for the future?”

Managing Director, Chris Leighton, thought up the site following the completion of her HND in Photography at Anglia Ruskin University. In her opinion, the growth of the site has been down to the close links the site has with specialised magazines worldwide. “Most people who have a hobby tend to read magazines devoted to them. The success of Hobbyworldunited.com has come from our partnerships with these magazines. Members can get exclusive previews of articles from their favourite magazines as well as meet people who read the same magazine. We have links with magazines in the UK, USA and Australia already and are looking to develop more.”

With 24.8m internet users in the UK and 135m in the USA as at February 2005, and 87% of people who use the internet being involved in online community websites, this is a growing part of today’s society. ‘Blogging’ is the internet world’s newest phenomenon and has created a media storm; ‘blogs’ tend to reflect the personalities of their creator, acting as a vent for their imagination, anger, wit and as Hobbyworldunited.com has picked up on, their interests. “Blogging a key part of our growth” says Chris, “they are so personal, and that’s what makes them so popular”.
However, with members from Thailand and Malaysia to Scandinavia and Canada already on the site, what is the next step for the Hobbyworldunited.com team?

“What we really want to do now is bring people together, whether enthusiasts, magazines or suppliers and act as a central portal, bringing everyone in the hobby world together in one place” answers Chris, “our site is unique in the magnitude of what it has to offer and we want to be the first name in the hobby world.”

Ends



Statistical information

* Hobbyworldunited.com receive an average of 14,000 visitors per month
* Visitors spend an average of 12.5 minutes on the site.
* Average page views per day 8,500



For more information or to arrange interviews, contact:
Heather Babb
Hobbyworldunited.com Ltd
PO Box 314
Diss
Norfolk
IP21 4WS
0870 330 2940/41
Email heather@hobbyworldunited.com