AmEx launches social network for cardholders

Traveling to Paris but not sure where to wine and dine? Want to book a trip to Fiji but have no idea which resort is the swankiest? Clueless about what activities to do in Rio de Janeiro? American Express has recently created a social networking community, Members Know, where cardholders can both ask for and provide such travel advice to each other. (Hat tip to Yak Shaving.)
 
In addition to allowing you to ask fellow cardholders for advice or recommendations, it has a Cardmember Favorites guide, which "lets you know where millions of card members are using their cards now." It compiles some of this information into lists, such as "top ten restaurants where local card members in Chicago dine." Why should you trust other cardholders?  Because they globetrot regularly. The Members Know site provides several facts from Mediamark Research in 2007:

--AmEx credit card members are 94 percent more likely to travel frequently than those without AmEx cards.
--They are 90 percent more likely to travel abroad.
--They are 73 percent more likely to take long trips within the U.S.

The network also contains information from travel experts, such as the world's coolest resort wear, the top things to do in Nantucket, the hotels with the best room service and "three things a top sommelier wants you to know."
"Members Know is founded on the belief that card membership is about more than just carrying an American Express card," the site says. "It's also about belonging to a community of individuals who seek more in the world. This is your travel forum, designed to give card members direct access to the expertise and insight you all share."

While AmEx's answer to the social networking rage is an interesting interactive tool, it is available only to those with an American Express card on this list.