Aren't investors supposed to be ruthless believers in the shallowness and depravity of the human race? That seems to be the bet that FriendFinder Networks was making when the Boca Raton-based website promoter decided to stage an initial public offering. The pitch: This could feed the human sex drive in the same way that Facebook feeds human vanity. It already has a million subscribers.
Yet investment analysts are lukewarm about the company's chances. It's not just that they think investors are bashful about investing in porn; they say there's skepticism over whether the company, which changed its name from Penthouse Media Group in 2007, has made enough progress building profit in the the years since a bankruptcy filing.
The company's most successful site is AdultFriendFinder.com
(NSFW), a one-stop shop for porn, swingers and fetishists, but it
offers a wide range of social networking sites, including -- ironically
enough -- BigChurch.com, which seeks to connect people through faith in God.
So whether you're looking for salvation or you're looking to sin, FriendFinder has you covered.