Cute as Hell is a new social network for pet owners that just launched in beta. It's created by Erick Laubach, who also has a travel social network called Driftr under his belt.

Pet-related social networks aren't exactly scarce, but Cute as Hell is interesting because it takes several tried and true viral concepts and integrates them into the network. It can probably best be described as a cross between Cute Overload, Hot or Not (for pets) and MySpace. Two features that make this so are the so called cuteness rating and the Thunderdome. The former lets visitors rate pets by their cuteness, while the latter is a tournament where pets can compete for the title of the cutest pet.

The advantage of this approach is the fact that the site can be fun even if you're not part of the social network; you can merely browse it for cute animals. Considering the popularity of sites like Cute Overload, it might bring in a significant number of visitors. It also engages users to participate in the site more, instead of just maintaining their pet's profile and adding friends.

Other features currently available are social shopping (users can rate and review products), comments and photos; videos, Facebook and iPhone app, as well as questions and answers are coming soon.







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