AsianAvenue.com
AsianAvenue.com 494 Broadway, 4 th Floor New York, NY 10012
Content developers for this site targeting Asian Americans want to report news and information that affects this community, especially if it sparks debate among the nearly 500,000 members. A hot topic in the chat areas is the way Asian Americans are portrayed in the media.
"All issues are [viewed] through an Asian-American perspective," says Managing Producer Vickie Nam. The site, launched in 1997, was the first site from Community Connect Inc., a company that builds interactive online communities targeted toward ethnic affinity groups. Community Connect CEO Benjamin Sun agrees with Nam, saying issues that will get the most publicity are those that will ignite passion among the Asian-American community.
Sun says the goal is to provide compelling content and work with community developers and nonprofit organizations that cover Asian-American interest topics. He and AsianAvenue staff want the site to be a good resource for the community, providing social and professional information. "Our mission is really to have a platform," says, Sun, who adds that AsianAvenue.com is the largest and highest-traffic site for Asian Americans. "In traditional media there is no that is compelling for Asian Americans."
WHAT TO PITCH: Editors are looking for events and issues that affect Asian Americans, whether you're representing a manufacturer or an organization that promotes Asian-American businesswomen.
Nam is interested in anything that has to do with career, money, college, or wellness. Books and product-pitches are also welcome. Like many interactive community Web sites, this Community Connect site aims to elicit user feedback in chat rooms.
HOW TO PITCH: Fax pitches to Nam's attention to 212/431-3254. Or mail to the aforementioned address.
COMMENTS: While Nam admits most AsianAvenue members are 23-year-old post-college types, she says she and other content developers are aiming to attract an older audience to the site.
Chinese Americans make up the largest ethnic group among the nearly 500,000 members; Filipino-Americans aren't far behind.
According to the U.S. Census, the Asian-American population has been the fastest growing population segment since the mid-1960s and is currently at over 11 million. According to the U.S. Census, Asian Americans had the highest median household income among the nation's major race groups in 1997 at $45,249, 22% above the total U.S. median. Asian Americans account for $150 billion of annual purchasing power and have the highest educational attainment rate. According to Forrester Research, 67% of Asian American households will be online by the end of 1999 vs. 40% for the general U.S. population.