What will be the UK’s largest 50-plus social networking web site?

A raft of new web sites are attempting to capture 50-plus Web traffic with the hope of translating it into 50-plus spending.

I think these Web sites are in for a shock. I don’t think their main competition will come from look-alike sites but from a very different place – companies like Waitrose.

For US readers of this blog, Waitrose is part of the John Lewis Partnership that is one of the UK’s largest retailers – Waitrose is a food retailer although increasing sells other household goods, especially electronics.

Waitrose is to Tesco (now one of the world’s largest retailers) what FaceBook is to MySpace – the up-market version.

Waitrose has just updated its Web site and added a slug of social networking functionality. All of the usual stuff; personalisation, forums, video and ‘scrapbook’ folders. All of this functionality on top of a first rate e-Grocery Web site.

It is clear that whoever designed the web site was told to make sure it is 50-plus friendly. Have a look for yourself.

- Tabs (repeated)
- Index visible on every page
- Large type
- Advanced (not complicated) search
- Big graphics

The Web site has some big 'nasties' (note to Waitrose – pay me a shed load of money and I will tell you what they are) but it is pretty good.

We have just moved from day 1 to day 2 along the social networking timeline – imagine what the end of month 1 will look like! Dick Stroud