It has been my view for quite a while that smaller social networks will gain popularity. Where people with similar interests flock together, share ideas and collaborate. The Ning.com network enables this and you can easily set up your own smaller social network. All you need is a few Rand to pay for the service. You can then set up the network and invite friends and other enthusiasts to join your network, which you run, using hundreds of features available to enhance, expand and monetize your network.
Lady Gaga has a huge fan base and has decided to start her own social network for her fans. She developed the whole network platform and it is not a Ning-based network. The idea behind her network is for her fans to share ideas and get up to the minute updates from her. When you are on a network that is owned by someone else, you are not the owner of the content you share and you cannot easily make changes to the platform.
I predict that this first step by Lady Gaga will be a testing project for hundreds of new smaller social networks that will pop up around specific interests. Visit Ning.com and start your own network. Just remember to invite me.