Porn 2.0 meets Facebook - Sex, Shopping and Social Networks

Wired Magazine tells of one of the Facebook "naughty gift" groups starting to organise real life parties for Facebookers to get it on offline:

Some 2.6 million Facebook users have sent 33 million naughty gifts -- including thongs, whips and condoms -- to their friends since the app joined the social network's platform in August.

Like the site's own gifts feature, the items are merely iconic online representations of the real thing. But now Naughty Gifts' developers are hosting bicoastal bashes for app users to party in all their fleshy, costume-wearing glory. Events take place at New York and Chicago this Friday and in San Francisco next Wednesday

Naughty Gifts has 10x more members (no sniggering) than the competing Very Naughty Gifts on Facebook, this may be because Facebookers are a tad coy:

"The kids of MySpace appeared to be more deviant than their Pottery Barn Facebook counterparts," said the St. Petersburg-born developer, a member of several women's advocacy groups including the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus. "Facebook users, much like Southern senators, kept their naughty sides under wraps and it made sense to make an app to bring out the naughtiness."

In fact, we've always wondered if a social net with one's real identity on show would ever be as popular for such activities as say on the anonymous Yahoo Groups or MySpace, as its surely a lot more risky being risque in public. Clearly the Naughty gifts people feel that they can set the libidos to roam free - but even here it would appear there are favourites:

The app's blow-up doll ranks as the most popular virtual gift. Demographically, Canadians and New Yorkers are amongst the biggest users of Naughty Gifts.

Make no doubt though, the endgame is shopping, not sex. Right now:

Users get a virtual budget of $200, refreshed daily, to send gifts. They can choose from 60 items, ranging from conservative ice cubes, boots and lotion to racier handcuffs, pearl necklaces and others that might give pause to those reading at work. Images of items can be proudly displayed on members' profiles, given privately between users or sent anonymously.

Now Habbo and Cyworld make you pay real $ for virtual kit, so why not get peopel to pay real money for getting virtual kit off? We suspect that the M for monetisation word is not far from their lascivious minds however, and its dirty capitalism rather than dirty deeds that will be the ultimate turn-on