David Hasselhoff starts his own social networking site

The Hoff really does have an ego that knows no bounds. And for that reason alone, I find him utterly fascinating. Is it his curly hair? No. The voice of gold? No. The fact that the rest of the world has loved and appreciated The Hoff in a way America hasn’t? No. I love The Hoff for that crazy ego of his.

Actually I think he knows that he’s kitsch, and he’s just rolling with it. Which could perhaps imply a lack of ego, who knows. But whether the motivation is ego or just a smart PR strategy, The Hoff has done something few celebs have bothered with – he's started his very own social networking site. Dedicated… well pretty much to The Hoff. And really, why waste time with conventional sites like MySpace or Facebook – sites everyday people will access – when you can make your very own version, dedicated solely to yourself?

David Hasselhoff's new social networking site is proving a huge hit. More than 8,000 members have already signed up to Hoff Space. David, 55, launched the site because he was tired of people setting up accounts in his name.

‘I couldn't really get the internet together but because Knight Rider and Baywatch and this Hoff thing has taken off so much around the world, we put together our own Hoff Space,’ he tells BBC Radio 1.

‘I was on MySpace and Facebook and I was getting a lot of phoneys. A lot of people were coming in posing as me or my children and I had to stop it, so I opened my own that is going to be fun and I can regulate it.

‘It's a way of going around the world from Russia, to Japan, to Europe and getting a pulse on all the crazy people out there.’

[From NOW Magazine]

I think dealing with “phoneys” is just one of those things you have to accept when you’re on MySpace or Facebook. And while I get that it’s annoying, setting up your own social networking site has some disadvantages too. No matter what, you’ve got a smaller audience. It’s only going to appeal to people who are specifically looking for David Hasselhoff and are willing to take the time to set up an account just for him. Whereas on MySpace, you have people that are there anyway, and might become your friend and look at your information just because they’re there.

That said, 8,000 members is pretty impressive. And there’s a 50/50 chance I just became a member of Hoff Space in the last ten minutes. And by 50/50, I mean 100 percent.

Here’s David Hasselhoff leaving an Irish bar after a night out in Los Angeles on May 27th. Note the hotness of the shirt. Images thanks to WENN.