With social connection & interaction sites such as Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest and many more taking over our life do we need another one?

An interesting vertical social network has recently launched in the US for parents with autistic children. It’s called myautismteam.com

The concept is a niche network to help parents build their ‘team’ of helpers. They can interact with other parents, discuss issues, share successes and find local service providers based on other families’ opinions and experiences.

It certainly seems to me like a great network for families that can often feel isolated and struggle with the disorder.

It also makes me ponder:

  • Should it be within a mainstream network such as Facebook?
  • Will there be an explosion of vertical social networks based on disorders to help families and providers unite?
  • Can social networks go further and incorporate the medical community?
  • How do niche networks gain mainstream exposure, interest and engagement for volunteering, fundraising, and other donations?
  • Can they effectively expand globally or are they limited to borders?

What do you think?