Little Monsters

Does Facebook have a new competition? A Palo Alto-based developer on Monday launched a new social networking website that has investors going “gaga.”

Lady Gaga fans like Hayward’s Elizabeth Ortiz are called “little monsters.”

Ortiz proudly shows off her tattoo inside her lip that reads “monster.”

“It’s inspired by Lady Gaga,” she said.

And now the so-called “Mother Monster” Lady Gaga has launched her own social networking website called LittleMonsters.com.

The social networking website was in beta testing for months and just went online to the general public Monday. Like Facebook and Twitter, users on LittleMonsters.com can have followers, chat, post comments and pictures and engage in other activities.

But unlike Facebook, the site is all Gaga all the time.

Palo Alto based company Backplane developed LittleMonsters.com.

Silicon Valley 411 reports the company raised $4.3 million from investors, far more than it needed.

“Clearly Facebook made a ton of money on their IPO, and the initial investors got a really powerful return,” said tech analyst Rob Enderle. “This could get an equally powerful a return.”

LittleMonsters.com could chip away at Facebook’s social networking domination.

If the Lady Gaga-focused website is successful, tech analysts believe this could lead to more celebrities, brands and groups doing the same thing.

Some of the content on LittleMonsters.com is somewhat racy. Nudity and obscenities are currently allowed. Tech analysts believe this could end up being an issue down the road, something Facebook and MySpace had to deal with as well.

Via KTVU.com