Online Media Cultist

So rap star 50 Cent has launched a social networking site called ThisIs50.com.

Would you like to guess how much I think it’s worth?

I’m only partially joking, but I’ll begin with what I think is interesting here. Reuters notes that celebrities are launching their own social networks in increasing numbers, including Kylie Minogue, Ludacris, and the Pussycat Dolls.

We’re seeing an evolution take place. In the pre-MySpace era, when artists wanted to go online, they pretty much had to do it themselves, with the result usually being a crappy website that not many people knew about or went to.

MySpace in particular allowed artists to very easily, cheaply, and quickly create a space online to showcase themselves and their work, and allow fans to gather around that content, communicate with the artists and each other, and sample (and consequently buy) the artist’s work, get alerted to news and concerts, and so on.

Now artists such as 50 Cent, who already have a massive presence on MySpace, are branching out to create their own social networking websites.

And the result, if ThisIs50.com may be used as an example, is a shoddily crafted website that not many people will go to or even know about.

“The thing that separates Thisis50 from MySpace is we control the e-mail database,” Chris “Broadway” Romero, director for new media at G-Unit Records, said.

Sorry, that’s not the only thing, Chris. While grabbing your own platform allows you to collect an e-mail list for marketing purposes, you have to create a web experience that clears a number of bars: why would fans of 50 Cent need to sign up for yet another social networking site? They already have access to him in a sense via MySpace, iTunes, and any number of other online platforms.

Unfortunately for 50 and the G Unit crew, ThisIs50.com clears approximately no bars. You don’t know where you are when you arrive there, save the indication that “If It’s Hot, It’s Here.” You’re then treated to awkwardly sized content widgets and a running blog featuring images and videos with little or no preamble or explanation. A featured video area showcases a “funny video” of Hillary Clinton and a scene from the Borat movie. Huh?

And that’s to say nothing about the tastefulness of some of the images or about the music itself. I assume that 50 fans will be into this kind of thing, but I’ll admit that I’m not enough of a 50 Cent expert to judge this aspect.

Finally, click on a thumbnail picture to go to someone’s profile and you’re forced to register for the site in order to get there.

No thanks, I’ve seen enough.