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August 5, 2008 10:32 PM PDT

UrbanDaddy heads south to Miami

by Caroline McCarthy
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Since the new-media press has been gushing about e-newsletter start-ups for the past few hours, here's another tidbit: UrbanDaddy, a daily missive about luxury culture for the young and hedonistic, is set to announce its Miami regional edition, adding to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and a "Jetset" travel edition. (For the record, that's "daddy" as in "mack daddy," as this e-newsletter clearly has zilch to do with parenting.)

UrbanDaddy, which has about 315,000 subscribers and says it's doubling that year-over-year, is particularly notable for two quirky reasons: one, you have to be referred by a friend to join, which puts a choke on viral growth and keeps subscriber numbers on the low end, but gives it cachet. Two, it's a New York-based newsletter start-up that's never been affiliated with the Pilot Group--more unusual than you might think. That investment firm, headed by former MTV and AOL exec Bob Pittman, has quite the penchant for the newsletter niche: it took a majority stake in and then flipped Ideal Bite to Disney earlier this year, and reportedly has just sold DailyCandy to Comcast for $125 million.

It's likely that a sizeable portion of UrbanDaddy's readership can't actually afford the bottle-service nightclubs, private islands in the Baltic, and travel packages to eco-friendly Caribbean golf resorts that are detailed in its daily e-mails. But the company can score advertisements from high-end fashion and liquor brands that are within reach of the guys who want Ferraris, and that's what brings in the cash. (The site has not disclosed revenues.)

UrbanDaddy also operates a small men's fashion blog, Kempt.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
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by karmath61 August 6, 2008 3:06 AM PDT
Urban Daddy is an exclusive email magazine all about keeping you in the know. Urban Daddy is pure editorial, not advertising or PR hype. We have assembled a crack team of cool hunters who are willing to do whatever it takes to bring you the freshest New York City has to offer -- from new restaurants, clubs, parties and special events, to cutting-edge trends, style, service and technology. The best part is, you don't have to do a thing sit back and we'll serve it right to you.
-----------------------------------
Karmath20

http://www.treatmentcenters.org/minnesota
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by benjaminstraight August 6, 2008 3:46 AM PDT
Sounds exclusive.
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About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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