A social networking portal called Lagipadi.com targets to create a dedicated online network of media professionals in India. The social networking site is active since April 2009 and is still in its alpha version.
Its founder, Varghese K Cherian, who has earlier worked with Ibibo.com as associate product manager, claims that more than 500 media professionals ranging from PR executives, client servicing, creative and media planners to event managers have already joined it.
Is it a just another social network? Interestingly, the website tries to become different by having a few features which are relevant to the media industry. For instance, it has a section called Portfolio, where creative people can upload and showcase their work in the form of images and videos.
A jobs related section, Classified, is also available to the users, where they can post job opportunities in the media industry. Apart from that, the portal also publishes news related to the media, marketing and advertising industry, which it aggregates from various news websites.
The website also empowers users to create their blogs and similar to other networking sites, its members can join groups or communities and start debates on various media issues. Nearly 50 groups on topics such as outdoor ads, print ads and online ads are active on the website.
Cherian says, “The idea behind starting the website is ‘people help out other people’ in the media industry. Ideally, we do not want to make Lagipadi.com just another social networking portal. We want to create an informal knowledge exchange through Lagipadi.com, where people come to interact, discuss and exchange information related to their work.”
So far, the portal has opted for e-mail and word-of-mouth marketing to grow its user base. “Once our user base reaches a critical mass, we will create special microsites for each category of the media industry. For instance, a special microsite for the PR industry will be developed, which will showcase news, job openings and allow members to post queries related to the PR industry,” says Cherian.