Affinity Labs is a company that builds

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

sites for niche groups such as

firefighters A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

police officers A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

nurses Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...

and the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. In January 2008, Affinity Labs was acquired by

Monster Worldwide Monster Worldwide, Inc. is an American provider of employment services, the largest of which is Monster.com. Through online media sites and services, the company delivers targeted audiences to advertisers. In 2010, these operating segments re ...

for

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

61 million. Affinity Labs sites have over a million registered members, as of January 2008. PoliceLink, aimed at law enforcement personnel, is one of Affinity Labs' most active sites with over 717,000 unique visitors per month. Other sites include: SalesHQ, ArtBistro, TheApple, FireLink, NursingLink, InsideTech, GovCentral, IndiaOn, Excelle, AllHealthCare, and the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an communities, HMForces.co.uk, ProNurse, and WerPflegtWen. In 2008 after Monster acquired Affinity Labs, it then bought a French military website, Armees.com for an undisclosed fee, then transferred the site to its Affinity Labs social networking vertical. Affinity Labs still successfully operate across North America but in March 2012 it shut down its European operations. Despite HMForces.co.uk being its most successful vertical, and having shared resources with Military.com, the global recession did not assist its longevity. HMForces.co.uk still has a strong presence on social networking sites to this day, evidence of its popularity. Further references to this military vertical can be found on UK e-commerce sites, and there is also a HMForces blog still surviving despite it not being updated regularly. However most Affinity Labs social networking domains and content have been amalgamated into the Monster Worldwide global brand as of 2021.

History

Affinity Labs was founded by

Christopher Michel Christopher P. Michel (born August 26, 1967) is an American photographer, entrepreneur and investor. He is the artist-in-residence at the National Academies, founder of Affinity Labs, Military.com and Nautilus Ventures. Early life and career ...

in 2006 after he sold Military.com to Monster in 2004 for $40 million. The

Mayfield Fund Mayfield, also known as Mayfield Fund, is a US-based venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage to growth-stage investments in enterprise and consumer technology companies. Founded in 1969 and based in Menlo Park, California, it is one of S ...

and Trinity Ventures invested in Affinity Labs prior to its Monster Worldwide buyout. Between 2010-14, the President of Military Advantage and Vice President of

, was former Navy Admiral

Terry McCreary Admiral Terry L. "T" McCreary (born March 20, 1952) is a retired one-star admiral in the United States Navy and served as the Chief of Naval Information (CHINFO) reporting to the Secretary of the Navy, overseeing the Navy's global public affairs ...

. He oversaw the military Affinity operations in Europe which had a product manager in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

reporting to the former Admiral in the US. However, this operation was closed down in 2012 after Monster unsuccessfully bid for a Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) with the UK's Ministry of Defence. Capita won and signed the contract worth £44 million over 10 years.

References

External links

Official siteHMForces.co.uk
{{Randstad Holding, state=autocollapse Internet properties established in 2006 Monster.com