Ever since TechCrunch40, the Web 2.0 community has been buzzing about sexy social media startup Zivity.  I was able to have a look at the pre-beta site and so far I’m really impressed with the quality of models and photography.  But even with beautiful women and $1 million in venture capital, they’ll have to be careful with how they align themselves to get enough men’s attention to make it on $10/month subscriptions.
 

The external concept of the site is pretty close to Suicide Girls, except Zivity is moving away from the edgy and alternative space and back into mainstream appearances.  To me this is a welcome step, but they can still go a couple different directions with it.  They can market themselves to be a haven for generic "classic beauties," which of course everyone will appreciate for a few minutes but will only garner them a lukewarm following as a paysite.  It’s impossible to see the substance of these girls now since none of the standard social networking features are live yet, but I do know that to get people to pay real money for erotica on the Internet the models have to offer something more unique than just a pretty face and tits ’til Tuesday.  Members have to be proud enough of the girls they’re supporting that they’ll put up with the inevitable "omgz laffo you pay for porn" ridicule from their peers.  The way I see Zivity really getting hot is if they spin themselves to be the Suicide Girls for the geek community.  Yeah, you can joke that it’s already low-hanging fruit, but there’s so much free "pretty girls" content out there that you have to differentiate to survive, and the geek niche has been largely unfulfilled except for random casual hottest geek roundups.  Extra bonus attracting all the bloggers is that they’re the ones who power the viral movement, and anything they like will grow exponentially. 

Zivity co-founder Cyan Banister has taken the initiative here and posted her own small but cute corset-n-garter set, and is rumored to be posting a topless set in the future.  And all the attention TechCrunch is investing in Silicon Valley’s first adult startup is planting the seeds of acceptable thought in the right minds, but more recognizable names will need to join in before I expect seeing most girls (who hadn’t thought of it before) being comfortable with the concept that being smart and openly sexy really is ok. 

Now do I think that every girl of Web 2.0 should be expected to have her own saucy Zivity page?  Of course not.  But I also know how empowering it is to publicly take charge of your sexuality and don’t want to see anyone scared of showing a little skin.  Zivity’s respectful model requirements actually don’t even require nudity in the least, so the barrier to entry is pretty manageable to at least meet up with a photographer and see if you have any fun.

Even though on the surface Zivity looks like just another photo paysite, the operational nuts and bolts are widely different than comparable sites.  Stay tuned for follow up posts on their commendable contract and revenue distribution models.