In my quest to review a slew of social networking sites, surely I can’t ignore Sphinn, which focuses on a niche after my own heart.

The birth child of Danny Sullivan and Search Engine Land, it was built as a social site specifically for Search & Internet Marketing Professionals. Very fitting for a crowd that tends to blog just as much on Beer Bongs and Lunch Boxes at industry conferences as they do the sessions. This network has a lot going for it besides sending out party invites, for example there is a forum which allows for much more personal interaction. It can be a great arena for bouncing new ideas off other industry professionals regardless of experience or knowledge levels.

It looks as though it will be a reliable industry news source as well. Not only will Search Engine Land be providing it’s news feeds but there is an open invitation for others to share relevant news stories that may have been overlooked but you may feel are important or helpful.

I guess one of the most obivous and just as important benefit is it provides an avenue for Internet Marketing Professionals to develop new relationships and keep in touch with new or old acquaintences. Don’t want all that networking to be for naught!

The calendar is also a great feature keeping everyone aware of industry conferences and events.

As with any website that focuses on a specific topic rather than a ‘jack of all trades’ site, Sphinn users have the potential to be very sticky. If the content is revelant and the functionality lives up to initial claims, Sphinn may break the mold, i.e. won’t be considered ‘just another’ MySpace.

Popularity: 7% [?]