Would you pay £2000 to join an online social network? Well the FT is hoping so with the announcement today that its will be launching the first of what it’s calling Members Forums aimed at leading figures in digital, new media, mobile and telecoms. The £2000 includes an access pass to its conferences, which might be the real motive for setting up these groups. It will be interesting to see how the tools and services put in place by the FT compare to those freely or far more cheaply available from the likes of LinkedIn and others.

The idea of focusing on elite executives and bringing them together online is an in interesting one and I can see the logic of the FT helping to do this where sector-specific networks don’t currently exist. The Property and Luxury Goods sector are apparently the next on the FT’s list to be targeted.

Whether members will continue to pay the premiums once larger and far cheaper alternatives become established is another question.