Black Box Republic Shows Some Velvet

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My friend Sam Lawrence has come out of hiding and launched his Black Box Republic. Part social network, part reputation engine, part event planner, part virtual currency and marketing platform, I am nothing but 100% optimistic for what he has. First, you should understand that this is a sex-positive site. No, it’s not a porn site. Instead, it’s a site geared for folks who travel in more sex-friendly circles. Here’s the write-up from the landing page:

What makes this fascinating to me is that it points to my long-standing belief that “velvet rope social networks” is the big trend in 2009. Instead of “commons-minded” sites like Facebook and Twitter, which are interesting enough, Black Box Republic is something a lot more intimate that has its members at heart. It’s built with a lot of weight put on reputation and a system called “vouching,” where members allot authority on each other with their “vouches” or votes.

The super duper exciting stuff will be forthcoming, but after a very long talk with Sam as well as April Donato (cofounder and VP of digital relations), I’m excited to see where they talk this.

Because, if you squint, you can see the OTHER kinds of communities such a system will benefit. Sports comes right to mind.

Get your Black Box on, and best of luck, Sam, April, and team.