I was invited to participate in the Zivity’s Beta test. For the last week, I’ve been playing around the site, checking out the features, and keeping notes of my experience. The following are my thoughts so far:

1. I’m still not 100% sure why the site exists.  The nearest competitor I can think of is One Model Place.  Their business proposition is fairly simple and straightforward.  They exist to help you/the user find talent.  Talent can be a photographer, makeup artist, photographer, or someone else.  They offer different membership levels, ranging from free to paid.  Zivity on the other hand is a closed door network.  Members will pay a monthly subscription fee that allows people to look at very attractive women.  Here’s what I don’t get…why would I pay to look at attractive women when so much of that content is free on the web already?
2. The site is shallow in content.  You have model photos, photographer portfolios, your profile, and a message box.  There really isn’t anything more than that.  Think of it as Flickr, but with only high-end, well produced, and scantily clad women.  No men, just women.
3. The browse features are fairly limited right now.  The list of photographers and models is pagenated and allows you to see the person’s name, how many votes they’ve received, the number of photo sets, and the total number of photos.
4. Zivity offers a VOTE system that I just don’t understand.  Members can purchase votes and then apply those votes to photographers and models.  Votes are a way to demonstrate how much of a fan you are of that individual.  But, I ask, why would I pay to vote on top of paying a monthly membership fee?
5. Right now you can’t link to individual photos, which is a bummer.  You can only link to the photo set.  This really cuts down on the ability to share content.
6. The site offers a great way to skim through a profile’s photos.  You can roll over the thumbnails and they expand in size.  It saves me/the user time because I don’t need to click on the photo to see it.  It’s an awesome feature that I’d like to see Facebook and other social networking sites adopt.
7. One of the smartest things Zivity offers is the ability for members to invite other members into the beta.  Most beta launches are too closed door.  By allowing me to invite other people, I can help spread the word.  Smart.