Saga Zone, created by the insurance and holiday company Saga Group, is becoming the social website of choice for the over-50s. The new social network site which has been running in trial mode for four months, was launched in October and currently has more than 13,000 users.
Like other social networking sites, Saga Zone members can create their own profile pages, set up their blogs, contact friends or join in online discussions. Although there are no age limits on networks such as Facebook (with more than 50 million users) or MySpace (with more than 200 million users) - these sites are heavily populated by younger users.
A survey earlier this year by media regulator Ofcom found that older surfers make up a significant proportion of the internet population, and are much more likely to spend money online. Surfers over 50 account for nearly a third of all time spent online by British web users. According to Nielsen//NetRatings data from April 2007, Over 50s (who make up 41% of the UK population) now account for nearly 30% of all time spent on the internet as seen below.
Saga Zone is not the first attempt on the social networking craze among affluent older surfers. American website Eons launched last year with a focus on the baby boom generation. But despite raising £16m from investors Eons has struggled in the popularity stakes and was forced to lay off a third of its 72 staff last month.
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