I’ve ignored more press releases in my time than I care to remember, but I still scan, and sometimes even read, a bunch of them every single day. Comes with the territory, and I’ve long accepted that – I’m sure a lot of PR folks think of those as necessary evil almost as much as we do. Almost.
But as boring as it is to read the same frickin words over and over and over and over again, there are certain times – albeit very, very few – where we manage to distill some actual useful information from the writings (but please, again, stop using words like “leading” and “award-winning” in the first paragraph all the time. Pretty please?).
And then there the rare ones that put a smile on our face. Press releases we actually enjoy reading. Not because they’re ballsy (it’s easy to provoke and get attention by running your virtual mouth) but because they’re whimsy and just the right degree of ballsy, rather.
Take for example this one announcing the launch of MeetYourFriends, some social network (posted in full below for your reading pleasure). It has everything: a headline that draws just the right amount of attention, the basic information and mostly lots of self- and industry mocking humor. Bonus points for distributing the press release on Labor Day.
Will MeetYourFriends ever stand out of the social networking crop? Almost certainly, they don’t even stand a chance. But they’ve already gotten my attention by penning a better, more memorable and attention-grabbing press release than most other companies throughout their entire existence, so that’s gotta count for something. Or something.
Update: actually, maybe you should think twice before signing up. I can’t in any way guarantee this isn’t a clever ploy (yet another?) to get gullible users to provide the makers with their personal data. Update 2: just don’t sign up, it’s better for everyone.
Either way, enjoy the read.
Latest Social Network MeetYourFriends.com Threatens to Bury Rivals ‘Within Days’
NEW YORK, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ — After resolving not to come up with a pretentious name and an avalanche of gimmicks, social network MeetYourFriends.com goes live to a celebration of simplicity and retro fanfare. Having not just received first round equity funding of $50 million from leading venture capitalists, the site is well set to tap into the growing market of 30- and 40-somethings who just want to talk to each other.
Developed by Neil Bryant, one of the founders of Badoo.com, MeetYourFriends will not be launched in a private beta for only a select 500 users. When visitors come to the site they will immediately find they are not immersed in a stunning 3D multi-verse, where they can interact with each other via fully customizable avatars. “It’s going to be beautiful,” says Neil, who is not going to give an overhyped, media-crazed keynote speech.
MeetYourFriends claim to have identified an emerging demographic of users who, according to Neil, are “keen to engage each other in casual chat” and are aggressively aligning their service portfolio to meet this demand. “We wanted to bring some fresh new ideas into the social networking sphere, and with a unique combination of email and live chat we think we may have just achieved that.”
For those who wish to bring up goats and cows on a virtual farm, MeetYourFriends will not satisfy. The site is a back-to-basics social network that will appeal to fans of The Beatles and sliced bread.
There’s no open API so game developers around the globe are not frantically hacking code together, right this minute, in order to launch the latest virtual pets and aquariums across the network. “We are extremely excited at the thought of all the products that will soon not be appearing on the site, contributing to the users’ rich enjoyment of the service,” says Neil.
Following the predicted growth in mobile Location Based Services such as FourSquare and Gowalla, MeetYourFriends gets in the mix through a revolutionary static PC interface, pinpointing the exact location of the user to their computer. “We think it’s important that our users can access the site whenever they are at a PC. We’re looking at a version for Notebooks right now, but it’s some way off,” says Neil.
To calm fears before they arrive, MeetYourFriends will not change its privacy policy or allow advertising once it’s settled on its laurels. “We think Facebook is nervous,” adds Neil. Global domination awaits.
ABOUT MEETYOURFRIENDS
MeetYourFriends.com is a back-to-basics social network that brings together new friends from across the globe. With simple sign-up and fast search, the website offers instant friendship using Direct Messages and Live Chat. Based on secure and powerful web technology, the social community brings the world to your front door for chat, fun, and friendship. Find out more at www.MeetYourFriends.com.
With apologies to AOL and 
