BoomJ Acquired By Time Lending

BoomJ, social network for the older generation, was acquired by Time Lending California this week. Because BoomJ has the recognized name and web presence, Time Lending has decided to change its name to BoomJ.

Market research company Pew Internet & American Life Project says the demographic targeted by BoomJ (age 35 and older) is the fastest growing group on the Internet. In fact they claim this demographic makes up 40% of social network users.

BoomJ offers predetermined “channels” for its social network users. These channels include Social, Finance, Movies, Politics, Lifestyle, Travel, Health and Shopping. The look and feel of the site is nothing like what you've come to expect from the clean world of Web 2.0. It is noisy, cluttered and badly organized, looking more like an old-school web site than an innovative and easy to use social network.

BoomJ concentrates heavily on the purchasing power of its chosen demographic. Many of its channels offer “deals and steals” on purchases ranging from airfare and travel to clothes and products. In fact, the sales heavy features of the site mask the social aspects in many channels.

I hadn't heard of BoomJ before reading about the acquisition and decided to give it a try. In the end this 35 year old member of their “demographic” has decided to stick with the truly social sites like FaceBook , MySpace and others. I don't like to have to wade through a bunch of clutter, or be constantly sold to.