Classmates: first impressions

What’s driving the social networking frenzy? «People have a fundamental drive to connect with others, be part of a community, express themselves and maintain personal relationships.» That’s the pithy summation of the business by Classmates Media, which is hoping to capitalise on all the excitement with an imminent $125m IPO. Investors should be wary of the hype. Yes, social networking is hot. Websites like Classmates and rivals MySpace and Facebook attract some 155m users per day, according to c...