Web 2.0 can be applied to many aspects of every day life. Absolutely anything can be created into a social network. Looking for wine? Creating a shopping list? Ready for some sexy videos? All can be found on a social network of some sorts.

Although there are many social networks out there, there are still unique niches ready to be discovered and built upon. You have the basic social networks, like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. These social networks don’t really have a niche, but more of a purpose. MySpace and Facebook allow you to communicate with friends, Twitter allows you to tell your acquaintances what you are up to, and Flickr allows you to share photos. Some social networks, on the other hand, have very specific niches.

Cork’d

Cork'd is a social network with a unique niche: sharing wine.

Cork’d is a social network designed for the users of wine. This social network has a very specific niche: wine. Users on Cork’d can review different types of wines, share wine with their friends, and discover new types of wine. Personally, I’m not a wine drinker (in fact I’m not a drinker at all, I’m not old enough), but it seems that Cork’d is an

Cork'd promotes itself as a free wine sharing community.

effective way to discover and share wine.

Why Cork’d works

Cork’d has a unique niche that is combined with Web 2.0. As I stated before, you can combine almost any unique niche with Web 2.0 and have an affective, and profitable, website.

There are many similar niches that have yet to be discovered. I doubt that anyone could have predicted that there would be a social network for wine, but there are already a few. You just have to explore your own life – what do you do that could be created into a social network? Not everything will work, but most actions that require or allow social interaction, such as selecting wine with your friends, will work as a social network.

Tags: Starting Communities, Unique Niche, Web 2.0, Web Development