A social networking site exclusively for the rich and powerful

It has been dubbed, “Facebook for the rich.“  a new social networking website that has quite an exclusive clientele. 

Membership is free if you are wealthy enough to qualify.

Jewelry, private jets, sports cars: By looking at the ads on the website Affluence.org you can tell they are aimed at a very upscale audience.

The CEO saw the popularity of sites like Facebook, which this site does resemble. 

The difference, and it’s big, is that a prospective member has to show them the money.

“We went out and targeted people with a minimum bet worth of 3 million dollars or an annual income of $300,000,“ says Affluence.org CEO Scott Mitchell.

Mitchell says tax records are examined and research is done to verify that people are truly wealthy.

Only one in 40 applicants passes the checks.  Some have no problem qualifying.  Mitchell says one third inherited their money

“Our typical member skews much higher than other social networks.  Our average age is 54.  They have an average net worth of $32.7 million.“

Since launching in September, affluence has attracted more than 30,000 members from all over the world.

Member Bob Smith allowed a look at his page.

“Lifestyle” is one of the most popular sections.  Included are Chicago nightlife, culture in Dubai, and Paris shopping featured.  There are also discussions, articles, and classifieds.

Among Smith’s friends on the site are a publisher, movie director, royalty in india, and a well-known American.

“It’s sort of like walking into the community room of a country club and you say, ‘Oh, what’s going on?‘“ says Smith.

Smith makes a living coaching top executives and likes the Affluence.org because he says it sifts out who is real online.

“Trust is hard when you’re wealthy.  When you have money, position, status of any kind.“

Smith says he’s meeting people from all over the world.  Conversations can range from aliens to a world currency or business.

Smith likes the website because he says members are all trying to accomplish something, whether it be a discussion or helping a charity.

“The people on this site, they’re hungry to give and they’re hungry to participate and for me that’s as cool as it gets,“ says Smith.