• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, August 17, 2007

Fusing two of the hottest trends of the last 10 years, digital media vets Robert Tercek and Matt Edelman are about to launch a self-help social networking site named PeopleJam.

"PeopleJam is a place for individuals who want to get ahead of life," said Edelman, who is acting as the company's CEO. "We've built the first social media company that provides Internet users with the means to figure out how to fit together the seemingly disconnected parts of their lives."

Slated for a September debut, the network is being positioned as a platform for members to commune with hundreds of "life coaches" in areas like health and fitness, relationship, finance, career, and spirituality. The site has already received backing from former AOL Time Warner executive Robert Pittman and TiVo CEO Tom Rogers.

"PeopleJam is designed for people who are serious about achieving more in life. That audience is massively underserved by current online offerings," said Tercek, PeopleJam president.

More than just a platform for consumer-generated media, PeopleJam plans to offer a host of original expert video programming, which it will syndicate to sites like YouTube and mobile devices.

The site will carry five content channels: PeopleLive, focused on health and fitness; PeopleLove, for relationship matters; PeopleEarn, for finance and careers; PeopleBelieve, which explores inspiration and spirituality; and PeoplePlay, devoted to fostering creativity and fun.

Also being produced for the site are "PeopleJam Originals," or mini reality shows fleshing out self-help concepts.

Along with site advertising and sponsorship deals, PeopleJam is also hoping to do a swift business in merchandise such as self-help books. No site sponsors have been named so far.

"In our first 12 months, our advertiser offerings will consist of exclusive launch partnerships, integrated video and rich media offerings, targeted search, affiliate programs and e-commerce," Edelman said.

There is no shortage of health and/or well-being sites at the moment.

Steve Case's RevolutionHealth.com recently saw its traffic more than double from 239,000 visitors in January to 486,000 visitors in March, according comScore. Readership of category newcomers EverydayHealth.com, Healthline.com, and QualityHealth.com is growing rapidly. Category leader remains WebMD Health with an average of 17.1 million unique visitors per month, and Yahoo Health, which earlier this year saw an 83% increase in year-over-year visitors with 6.7 million.

With grand designs for the health space, the media company Gaiam just acquired two healthy living brands--Zaadz and Lime Media--along with a stake in Conscious Enlightenment.

Edelman most recently worked with Tercek at mobile entertainment shop Hands-On Mobile, where he served as vice president of publishing. Previously, he served as senior vice president at Marvel Studios.

At Hands-On, Tercek was chief marketing officer before he left Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he served as senior vice president of digital media.