This is a Test: eSnips Introduces Social DNA

It seems to be getting harder and harder to sell folks on new social networking services in the States as the two primary leaders in the market, MySpace and Facebook, continue to grow exponentially and leave everyone else in the dust. Like Bebo and Orkut, though, the Tel Aviv-based eSnips is getting a good amount of traction in more competitive markets outside the U.S.

Launched late last year, the site does have a pretty solid pitch. The community is based around sharing personal art. Users get 5GB of space for their work: They can upload poetry, painting, music, and even karaoke performances. Instead of casually friending a band, as you might on MySpace, eSnips promotes more engagement with shared interests and even offers the means for artists to sell their work.

This morning, eSnips added a feature called Social DNA. Users are asked to complete quizzes--stuff along the lines of those perennial Web favorites, like "Which superhero are you?" This helps connect them with like-minded members. It's a better-organized method for meeting friends via the Web than most sites have in place.

It's also in line with eSnips' mission statement, which revolves around the creation of buddy lists made up largely of Internet-only friends, rather than real-world friends who dominate many friend lists on sites such as MySpace and Facebook.