Social network crosses Atlantic for frequent fliers

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British Airways claims to fly more people between London and New York than anyone else and so hit upon the idea of launching a social networking site specifically for people living in the two cities.

Metrotwin.com was created in September 2008 and provided users with first-hand recommendations of restaurants, bars, shops and venues as well as districts and places of interest in both cities. Members could review and rate their chosen places as well as creating their own profile and saving information they have read for future reference. Every venue also included a ‘Metrotwin Index’ rating out of 100 based on reports and votes from users, which was updated every time a new entry was submitted.

The site offered an automated recommendation system that sent members suggested places to visit based on their viewing history.

Metrotwin.com was designed to help visitors to London and New York access online information about both cities quickly and efficiently by recommending good quality content.

What sets it apart from other venue sites is the ability to ‘twin’ locations, with members suggesting that if you liked a certain restaurant or attraction in New York you would love this one in London, and vice versa.

Initial promotion consisted of personal invites sent to members of BA’s executive club, some of whom also trialled the site in beta, and a ‘fan club’ was created on Facebook to drive traffic towards Metrotwin. The site was not subject to a specific promotional campaign but BA passengers were targeted on the route and word of mouth was relied on for user uptake.

The social media network, whose content is generated by a network of local experts in each city comprised of bloggers, brands and niche online communities, and is thought to be the biggest of its kind from an existing brand.

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