Inc. magazine opens networking site for small biz owners

Advertising Age’s Nat Ives writes Thursday that business magazine Inc. has opened a social networking site for small business owners.

Ives wrote, “While the site shares a lot of DNA with Inc. magazine’s editorial mission, it also includes enough openness that it could become something much more than a sidekick to Inc. and Inc.com; the struggle to make the most of magazine websites has increasingly suggested that such a tack is required to draw really substantial traffic.

“Asked whether IncBizNet, whose creators say they are aiming to reach 1 million company profiles, is going to be a business of its own or a supporting player in the Inc. constellation of brand extensions, Mr. Sussman said he didn’t know. ‘It could go either way,’ he said. ‘I want to be honest with you. We’re going to try our best to make it a large business on its own terms.’

“‘The worst-case experience,’ he added, ‘is we create this business-to-business community and directory for our core people.'”

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