Niketalk

There is one website that I visit on a daily basis. This website provides me with all of the information that I could ever need when it comes to sneakers. The website that I am referring to is Niketalk. I discovered Niketalk back in 2000, when I was a Junior in high school. I wanted to find a website that could supply me with the most in-depth and updated information with regards to Nike/Jordan Brand sneakers. I simply performed a Google search and eventually stumbled upon the site. Niketalk is a community-based message board, where registered members discuss, give information, and showcase sneakers. Back in 2000, Niketalk was a pretty small community. Since Niketalk’s start on December 9th, 1999, it has grown to over 71,000 members, and over 16 million member posts. It is safe to say that Niketalk is the most popular message board for sneakers, and the destination for anything sneaker-related.

Prior to Niketalk, I would not know when upcoming sneakers would release in the stores. I would have to rely on word-of-mouth, or head to the actual store and ask an employee when a particular shoe would come out. Most of the time, the information that I would receive from others would not be true, or would be pretty vague. With Niketalk, most of the information that is divulged is very accurate. The members provide information about which stores are going to get a particular shoe, when they are going to get them, and at times, the quantity that a store may have. Niketalk has helped me obtain many shoes on numerous occasions.

Niketalk has grown so much that even some Nike employees have become members. These Nike employees have also provided beneficial information on upcoming shoes. There have been instances on Niketalk where a Nike employee has given out too much information. Some employees have leaked information onto Niketalk that was not supposed to be known by the public. Images of Air Jordan’s and Nike’s that are slated to be released have been shown on Niketalk, when they were not supposed to be shown at all. The Niketalk community benefited from these pics, but the folks at Nike were not happy at all. Since Niketalk is a non-profit organization, it would probably be a PR nightmare if they were to take legal action on the website. It has also been known that Nike employees, who are not Niketalk members, snoop around the site to find out which sneakers we like and dislike. Niketalk has essentially become a huge focus group for Nike/Jordan Brand. They watch our moves and we watch for theirs. I am glad that I found Niketalk back in 2000.