Swingers.
There, I just had to break the ice.
Today, I’m writing about a successful Internet entrepreneur who is tapping into an affluent demographic. The demographic, however, happens to be people who frequently swap spouses.
I learned about this from a news release on the PRNewswire, which was automatically picked up by several news organizations’ websites, including Forbes, Reuters, the Los Angeles Times and even The Denver Post. It read:
“In the United States alone, the number of people involved in the swinging lifestyle is estimated to be as high as 8 million; the majority being highly educated and affluent young white-collar professionals. Yet swinging . . . has had a decided lack of accurate PR, and most Americans’ views on the subject remain steeped in stereotypes and moral judgments.”
I haven’t been a swinger since preschool, when I rather impulsively switched to monkey bars. It’s likely I have some misperceptions too.
“The swinging lifestyle is really not about sex,” the news release said. “It’s about sexuality and it’s about friendship.”
I still didn’t get it. So I called Scott Purcell, 47, who put out the news release.
He works from an office in Denver’s Union Station and has been involved in several Internet start ups.
In 1994, he founded Epoch Networks in California. It was among the first big Internet service providers and grew to 300 employees before venture-capital investors bought out his interests in 1999.
In 2002, he launched a specialized Web browser called Browsercast.
“I call it the world’s smallest Google,” he said.
In 2006, Purcell launched , a site that allows users to write autobiographies. It has 20,000 members, but that’s not big enough.
“It’s not going as well as I had hoped,” Purcell said. “I can’t keep throwing money at it because the masses haven’t taken to it as I had hoped.”
So now he’s launching an online magazine called Kasidie.com ().
It’s a resource for people who want to learn about swinging, and a place where swingers can gather, said Purcell, who is co-publisher with his wife, Nicoleta.
“In five years, I’d love to be the Playboy of the swinging world,” he said.
Purcell said he’s not looking for venture-capital or angel investors. And if he’s successful, the potential is huge.
Keeping standards high
Last month, Penthouse Media Group announced a $500 million deal to acquire Various Inc., operator of . The deal reportedly will add $300 million to Penthouse’s revenues.
Purcell has only put out the first edition of Kasidie, but he’s already persnickety about who can advertise.
No tobacco companies, except for cigar makers. Why?
“That’s personal,” Purcell said. “I can’t stand smoking. . . . But cigars can be classy.”
He’s also not interested in ads from deep discounters.
“I have all the respect in the world for Wal-Mart as a financial company and as a member of the Dow, but it’s not who we want as an advertiser,” he said. “I’d rather see Tiffany’s.”
I clicked through Kasidie in preparing this column.
“What the . . . are you looking at?” one of my co-workers cried.
“It’s research,” I explained.
I read an article that raised the question of whether big- breasted women are less intelligent than their small-breasted counterparts.
Then I read a product review for the “Love Swing,” learning that I wasn’t so misinformed about this niche, after all. They really do ride swings.
They are also of varying political and religious persuasions. I clicked through a photo profile of a woman who described herself as “a sex ninja for the revolution!”
I also read a piece called “Praying & Playing, the Life of a Christian Swinger.”
“In Biblical times, adultery was defined as having sex with another man’s wife or concubine without his permission, not as having sex outside of marriage.”
Then I read a piece called “100 signs that you might be a swinger.”
No 4. “You have over 100,000 frequent flyer miles on Air Jamaica.”
No. 45. “The employees fight to take your order at the One Hour Photo.”
No. 78. “All the men bring their wives to your bachelor party.”
No. 94. “On Monday, you are glad to go back to work so you can get some rest.”
Al Lewis’ column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Respond to him at ., 303-954-1967 or alewis@denverpost.com.
