Segway Social: Another niche, another social network

The Segway, a personal stand-up scooter with gyroscopic sensors, was once hyped as the future of transportation. However, when it launched in late 2001 it quickly became clear that it was actually the future of scooters that very few people could afford. It created a niche market. And what do niche markets do these days? Create social networks.

The Segway Social site launched this week. It aims to bring together aficionados of the device and give them a forum to share their Segway love. The site features the usual news, photos, maps and personal accounts of using a Segway. It also has a Tips and Tricks section for those new to the device.

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Not surprisingly, it also tries to convince non-owners that buying a Segway is within their means. In the “Great ways to save” box, the site suggests that if you cut back on your “high -priced frappuccinos” (something near and dear to my heart), you may be able to afford a Segway in no time. Below that are some input boxes to prove it. Of course, using their set $4.75 price (which is more than an actual frappuccino, by the way) and multiplying it by a full 365 days you get $1,733.75 — still nowhere near the Segway base-model price of $5,145.

In fact, the “days” input box will only let you enter three digits. If you put in the highest number possible, 999, with again, the set price of $4.75, you still wouldn’t even have enough to buy the lowest-priced Segway!

The site attempts to play up the environmentally-friendly trend by giving users a “Green Calculator” with which you can determine how many pounds of carbon you output a day, as well as how much money you spend on gas a day given your travel habits in an automobile. Oddly, this calculator doesn’t really suggest that getting a Segway would eliminate such things.

Another niche market gets another half-baked social site. If you happen to be a Segway owner, Segway Social might be worth your time, otherwise, this site is not going to convince you to get one.

We previously covered the Segway and its funding here.