THE GAZETTE -- July 21 -- CultureCafe.com works as a user-generated local directory of cultural events, groups, and businesses. The idea for the website came to Ariadne Decker, a Montrealer of German descent, when a search for German books, nannies and playgroups for her child came up empty. "The potential for new social networks is to focus on a niche or a well-designed functionality that people haven't seen. Ideally, both," commented Mark Brooks, a consultant and editor of Socialnetworkingwatch.com. "Facebook is getting a little complicated now," Books said. In his view, every page on a social network needs to have one clear goal. Another sign that social networks are maturing is the presence of serious revenue models. CultureCafe.com will make money through sponsored listings. "People are no longer interested in ads. They want referrals," Brooks said. "Whoever figures out how to package and sell the friendly referral will be the next Google."

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