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Tuesday
Jul072009

Hey Look, It's The World's Douchiest Social Networking Site

First of all, you're welcome. I had to jump through some serious douche hoops to earn this organization's trust and I even put my precious gmail at risk to get a firsthand look. But I did it all for you. My loves.

So you know how MySpace has that weird part in the profile where you can say how much you make in a year? And since kids and bands don't have real jobs everyone ironically puts "Over $200,000," right? Some guy took that one metric really seriously and decided to make that the sole basis for his very own social circle jerk known as

This place has it all, motherfuckers. Networking, little desserts, front desk bells, more networking... fuck. These are all things I want. I know you're jealous but I'm gonna be blunt: You need $3 million to join this elite team.

See.

Oh, I applied for free all right. But not as regular Patrick Fitzgerald Hosmer. I'm a Master of Internet Disguise so I breezed right past the virtual velvet rope as my rich-as-fuck alter ego, John Money.

You think John Money the Billionaire is scared of an online form? Btch Plz.

Seeing the word Billion in a drop-down menu is really weird. Drop-downs are so middle-class.

But it wasn't that easy. Affluence.org had a few tricks up its French-cuffed sleeves. They started off easy with the bio stuff and then they dropped these on me to see if I was for real.

Thank you, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Thank you, Streetboners.

Thank you, my actual Bourgeois taste.

And that was basically it. I passed the test and now I have all this at my disposal:

Wait, what? Who wrote this, MySpace? Do they think rich people don't read? "Receive access to the hottest new trends?" Like what, Digimons or some shit? Headbands? We're top of the food chain, baby, I make the trends. I e-mail you and say, "Pod Racing. Tai Chi. Vampire Baseball. Make that bitch a trend." Fax it around the world. I am John Money.

The Wallstreet Journal wrote this about Affluence.org:

The problem with Diamond Lounge, A Small World and other "elite" social-networking sites is that they tout themselves as high end but can't verify people's wealth or income. Inevitably, the online riff-raff spoil the party of the elites.

Riff-Raff, Street Rats. Sultans Only!

TechCrunch had this to say:

Affluence is the latest company to take a crack at building a community site exclusively for the rich and famous among us instead of the petty riff-raff that make up the bulk of internet users.

JESUS. It's like all the non-millionaires became thieving vagrants just loitering about. Listen, I share my stolen bread loaves with little kids, asshole. Oh wait, no I don't. I'm John Money, Goldmeister.

In Robert Frank's interview with Affluence founder Scott Mitchell, this was said:

Robert Frank: How can you really determine someone's income or net worth?
Scott Mitchell: We have algorithms developed where we go out to public-record providers like Axiom, Equifax and others. We'll enter the first and last name of the applicant, their birthdates and state they live in. We'll get records back on what they might be worth and what the applicant has said they are worth in marketing surveys.

RF: But people lie on those marketing surveys all the time. Are there other backstops?
SM: Sure. Equifax can give us things like income-generating assets, checks on liens and litigation and tell us how much their home is worth. Using those records we come up with a "confidence coefficient," which tells us how likely it is that your net worth matches your application. We also use a service called Intelius that tells us how much your home may be worth given your neighborhood or what you paid for it.

Thank goodness John Money is an actual guy with real estate in his name (??). Liars.

Wanna see my Affluence.org Wall? They call it a "Mantle." It's totes cutesies, guys.

RF: How did you get the idea to start the site?
SM: When I sold my internet business (Tunes.Com) for $180 million in 2000, I had what you might call sudden wealth syndrome. Despite our wealth, my wife and I thought Olive Garden was Italian cuisine's panacea. We thought Apple vacations was how you book travel. We didn't have friends who could recommend travel to the French Riviera. 

It took me years to build up that network. So the site was created to give people a network of other wealthy people who are facing the same unique decisions and challenges every day.

One Million Strong for Sudden Wealth Syndrome. If you wanna live like I'm living, all you gotta do is tell these clowns what your home is worth. If you're too good for that, well, sorry buster. The view's mighty fine from over here, though! 

Being rich on the Internet is extremely pointless. 

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Reader Comments (18)

You should legally change your name to John Money, you'll get more chicks.

July 9, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterTed

finally! a site that suits all my needs.

July 9, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterhelene

You should totally just start trolling until you get band which is exactly when you should make a new account, I mean trolling is annoying sometimes but man they got it coming. And seriousy "facing the same unique decisions and challenges every day" what challenges, he's worth 180 mil? I think we have a new website where any budding young hackers can and should test their skills.

August 9, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterDaivd

Riff- Raff? Street Rat?! I don't buy that.... If only they'd look closer.

August 9, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJake

The only "challenge" involved in having 180 million dollars is finding increasingly outlandish reasons to spend it. MC Hammer, I'm looking at you.

August 10, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterBen

I'm awaiting approval, I'll totally add you if I get approved and we'll douche it up.

August 10, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterDr. K

Well, Jake, since they're the ones who are calling people riff-raff, I think a more appropriate quote would be: "Riff-raff! Street rat! Scoundrel! Take that!"

August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAndrew

Andrew, although you make a very good point, I think you are under a false assumption. The remark that I made was my response to this article. I can see how you might think I might be making a quote from the "Good" people at Affluence.org. I hope that I have cleared up any misconceptions that you, or anyone else, may have had.

August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJake

I think this is the first time ever I've been called "riff-raff" for not having money. I thought that was something that happened in Aladdin. Do they think I'm running through the streets, stealing bread, and singing songs about being rich? Idiots. Thx for the article tho.

August 11, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterwow

Real people with money don't need this site to network. They live above all the little people. We go all the same places you do but our experiences are truly different. You just wouldn't understand it until you live it. By living it you make your connections to the others out there.

August 11, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterDouche of York

Very sad, very sad indeed

August 12, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterdave

Dude, I grew up on welfare and now I am middle class.

I don't need the internet to tell me that Olive Garden consists of prepackaged frozen entrees reheated by cooks hired just out of high school - vocational tech, if you're lucky. Five star dining means a waiter is standing there to catch your fork midair if you drop it, but will hand you a new one anyway before you finish chewing your last bite. I know that wealth means never having to complain that your drinks are watered down, because the "water" is top grade vodka. If this moron couldn't figure out how to locate and utilize the finer things in life, he doesn't deserve to be a millionaire.

But then, what millionaire does?

August 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterKelly

I heart you Mr. Money.

August 25, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterKristina

That's what is wrong with America today, the insane lust for money people seem to have.there are actually very few things you need cash for if you aren't a stupid lazy slob.Food?Grow it yourself.Meat?hunt,trap or fish it.Shelter?BUILD it.POWER?You have many options here.Solar,water,and wind to name just the well known.Beyond the cash to buy material (which in many cases can be had for free or in trade for goods or services you can provide)The only thing you need money for is to pay your damn TAXES each year.Money or lack thereof is a piss poor ruler to measure a man's worth by.

September 18, 2009 | Unregistered Commentert.rex

OH GOD. this is going to be sweet. does /b/ know of this? we're going to 404 the fuck out of it.

September 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAnon

btw, guys, check the business he "sold" http://www.tunes.com/ total bs.

September 22, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterben

LOL. best part is on the site right next to the sign up button is a giant FREE!

September 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJ

Are you fucking kidding me? A social networking site for the elites... just what the world needs. As if it wasnt bad enough that thier are taking over the world, now they can friend request eachother and discuss thier plans for world domination over the interweb. I seriously just lost faith in human kind. This just proves that people can't handle wealth or use it for good intent.

February 4, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterJess Wager

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