# Exclusive Social Networking Sites Nike and Google Team Up to Support Soccer Fans By Greg Ponesse | Published 2006-03-28 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nike-google-kick-off-social-networking-site References: [businessweek](http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060320_591107.htm) Nike (NKE) and Google (GOOG), hoping to take social networking to a new realm, have quietly launched the first invitation-only Web site for soccer-mad fans around the world. Joga.com went live late last week and will soon be running in 140 countries and 14 languages. The two companies have been working on the site for the past eight months and are expected to publicly unveil it this week, BusinessWeek has learned. Nike is supplying the content, and Google is the technical partner. But the site looks similar to other social-networking outlets such as News Corp.‘s (NWS) MySpace. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.0/10 - Popularity: 83% | Activity: 59% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Market](https://www.trendhunter.com/market) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Exclusive Invitation-only Networking:** Exploring the creation of invitation-only social networking sites that cater to niche interests. - **Collaborative Partnerships for Social Networking:** Forming partnerships between tech and lifestyle brands to create engaging social networking experiences that cater to niche interests. - **Localized Social Networking Platforms:** Developing localized social networking platforms that cater to specific regions and populations, potentially leading to higher engagement and more reliable data insights. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Sports Apparel:** Sports apparel companies could create exclusive social networking sites for their customers, fostering engagement and community building. - **Technology:** Technology companies could explore partnerships with other industries, such as sports apparel, to create engaging social networking experiences that cater to niche interests. - **Marketing and Advertising:** Marketing and advertising industries could use localized social networking platforms to better target and engage specific populations, improving branding and messaging efforts. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Playful Sport-Centric Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nike-x-lego-group.md) - [Multi-Year Footwear Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nike-and-lego-1.md) - [Search Engine Football Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mini-cup.md) - [Creative Eerie-Themed Soccer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/scary-good.md) - [Athlete-Backed Shoe Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/awaken-your-madness.md) - [Social Sports Applications](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ea-sports-app.md) - [Footwear-Inspired Puzzle Brand Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nike-and-lego.md) - [Virtual Sportswear Ambassadors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/branded-digital-avatars.md) - [Consolidated Sports Innovation Engines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/innovation-efforts.md)