Excite, Inc.’s Excite Communities service
officially went public today following what the company is billing as a successful beta launch.
According to Excite, the Communities section has more than
1,000 communities or sections with more than 10,000 users. The
neighborhoods or groups are made up of people who share common interests such as music fans, family
groups, hobbyists and small businesses.
Examples include a category for new mothers and a film buffs section. An Excite spokeswoman said the
majority of areas have 80 to 90 members, and the largest group of 200 is comprised of fans of the rock
group Pearl Jam.
As of today’s launch, users can either create new Excite Communities
or request to join existing ones created during the beta period, all of which are listed in a directory.
Online publishing tools are provided to create photo albums, group calendars, and group
contact lists employing various templates.
“Creating a familiar and comfortable place for people to visit time and again has always been important to
Excite,” said Joe Kraus, co-founder and senior vice president, Excite, Inc., in a statement.
“Excite Communities is about extending relationships that already exist in the real world, enabling
families and friends to create their own gathering space online to communicate with others.”