MLB All-Star Luis Gonzalez Launches Social Networking Sites for College Students

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Luis Gonzalez, former all-star with the Arizona Diamondbacks and hero of the 2001 World Series, has launched IsTalking LLC, a company that develops new social networking Web sites exclusively for college students.

“Looking past my baseball career, I wanted to get involved in the technology arena, and there’s no better place to be than in the middle of the social networking scene”

Gonzalez and co-founder, Anthony Conti, a long-time digital executive, founded the company in 2006. The company’s flagship site is ASUIsTalking.com, which is exclusively for students who have an Arizona State University e-mail address. ASU was selected as the debut site because of the size and diversity of the 64,000-person school, and because Gonzalez, currently playing for the Florida Marlins, still calls Arizona his home.

In addition, IsTalking has partnered with the ASU Alumni Association as the exclusive online networking utility for its more than 250,000 members. The Alumni site, ASUAlumniIsTalking.com, serves to keep the University’s graduates connected with one another in their future endeavors.

“Looking past my baseball career, I wanted to get involved in the technology arena, and there’s no better place to be than in the middle of the social networking scene,” said Gonzalez.

Different from other global networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, IsTalking sites spotlight activity surrounding a specific university. The sites allow students to communicate with other students, find common interests and develop relationships. For example, on ASUIsTalking.com, students can create a profile, post pictures and videos, lounge in the “social lobby,” join common interest groups, find out information about upcoming events and much more.

“We focus all content on what is happening around you. On your campus, in your neighborhood and in your world,” said Conti. “This is a place where you are encouraged to share ideas, make connections and discover new friends.”

IsTalking sites aim to be user-friendly and easy to interact with, and seek to attract all types of students, even those who are inexperienced with social networking.

In addition to the ASU launch, IsTalking plans to expand to schools throughout the nation, as the company already owns more than 300 university IsTalking URLs.

About IsTalking LLC

Founded in 2006, IsTalking LLC is a privately-held, Phoenix, Ariz.-based company that develops social networks for college students. MLB all-star, Luis Gonzalez, and business partner, Anthony Conti, founded the company as a means to localize and simplify online social networking for college students. Different from global social networks, IsTalking LLC has developed a unique and innovative social environment for students to interact exclusively with other students at their school. In early 2008, IsTalking launched its flagship site, ASUIsTalking.com. The company plans to expand to more than 300 schools throughout the nation. For more information, visit IsTalking.info or ASUIsTalking.com, or call [phone].