AARP will add social networking to AARP.org as part of an overall redesign expected to be completed early next year. Networking will be “a key component” of the overhaul, confirms Dave Irwin, spokesman for AARP Illinois. “Our members are tech-savvy and they’re looking for ways to network with one another,” he said. Social networking features were previewed for attendees of AARP’s big Life@50 event last month in Boston.

It’s no surprise AARP is getting on the Web 2.0 bandwagon. The association is watching social networking challengers like Eons emerge as serious online competition. Eons traffic was running close to AARP’s for several months, although AARP has pulled ahead again in August and September. Data from Compete shows Eons unique visitors at 788,605 in September, compared with 1,759,000 at AARP. Social networking is a great way to expand content on a site and attract viral buzz.

Would AARP members socialize on the association’s site? Maybe. AARP does get huge turnout at events like Life@50; interlacing real-world events with virtual networking can be powerful.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 1:42 pm and is filed under Media, Non-profits, Social Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.