Facebook - for rich people (for just $9,000)
By Doug Gross, CNN
September 16, 2014 -- Updated 1636 GMT (0036 HKT) | Filed under: Social Media
Netropolitan is the creation of James Touchi-Peters, former conductor of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra.
[1] (CNN) -- Would you enjoy social media more
without all those pesky 99-percenters
complaining about their mortgage payments and
high cable bills?
[5] For a mere $9,000, Netropolitan is here to help.
Launched Tuesday, Netropolitan bills itself as
"the online country club for people with more
money than time."
Seriously.
[10] To join, users must pony up $9,000 for dues
and a membership fee, then another $3,000 per
year after that.
If it all seems like a joke -- an elaborate ruse in
an age when Facebook, Twitter and a host of
[15] other social networks are free -- the man behind
the idea assures you it is not.
"This is 100% real, and I believe there is a need
and an audience for this service," said James
Touchi-Peters, Netropolitan's founder.
Touchi-Peters, 48, a composer and former
[20] conductor of the Minnesota Philharmonic Or-
chestra, said he had trouble finding people to
whom he could relate on other social sites.
"I saw a need for an environment where you
could talk about the finer things in life without
[25] backlash -- an environment where people could
share similar likes and experiences," he said.
The hefty initiation fee, he said, "ensures that
our membership remains exclusive, but also
private."
[30] Members must be at least 21 years old and
must register using their real names. Once in,
they may form groups around common
interests, but will have access to posts and status
updates by all other users.
[35] There are no ads, the site is not indexed by
search engines, and moderators are active at all
times to police bad behavior (like spamming ads
for your own business).
Clicking an ever-present button will call up a
[40] "Member Service Associate" to provide help
with the site at any time. That's a nicety that the
folks at Netropolitan want to make sure isn't
abused by its anticipated clientele, though.
"Please understand that Netropolitan is NOT a
[45] concierge service," the site's FAQ section reads.
"Our Member Service Associates will not book
you a charter jet, or find you tickets to a sold-out
Broadway show. They exist solely to help
members technically navigate and find their way
[50] around the social club."
Touchi-Peters declined to say how big he hopes
the site's user base will grow. It has been seeded
with "a select group of pre-qualified members"
and will always be exclusive, he said.
[55] And if it all comes off as just so elitist, Touchi-
Peters notes that it's an online, and mobile, idea
with plenty of real-word precedent.
"We view Netropolitan.club in the same light as
any country club out there," he said. "They have
[60] initiation fees and yearly dues for members.
Netropolitan is an online country club, focused
on connecting members around the world. We
believe there is a need for a community like this,
and we are filling the need."
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/16/tech/social-media/netropolitan-
social-media/index.html?hpt=ter1
Assinale (V) verdadeiro ou (F) falso para as ideias apresentadas nas seguintes sentenças, conforme o conteúdo do texto.
( ) O advérbio “just”, conforme empregado no título do texto, pode ser interpretado ironicamente, já que aparece entre parênteses, referindo-se à quantia significativa de 9.000,00 dólares a ser paga pelos membros que, possivelmente, integrarão a rede social Netropolitan.
( ) O adjetivo “pesky” (l. 2) caracteriza positivamente o comportamento típico da maioria dos usuários de redes sociais.
( ) O verbo auxiliar modal “must” (l. 10 e 30), conforme aparece no texto, sugere obrigatoriedade ou necessidade e, portanto, poderia ser substituído, sem alteração de sentido, por “have to”.
( ) O criador do Netropolitan parece estar mais preocupado em atender aos interesses mercadológicos de consumidores economicamente privilegiados do que em oferecer um ambiente diferenciado de interação, permitindo a socialização de experiências comuns entre seus usuários.
( ) Por se tratar de uma rede social diferenciada, que visa basicamente à satisfação de interesses de consumidores ricos, vorazes por novos produtos e dispostos a pagar qualquer preço por eles, Touchi-Peters acredita que o número de usuários do Netropolitan superará, muito em breve, o número de usuários do Facebook, conforme registros atuais.
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