Netropolitan is like Facebook, except you have to pay $9,000 to join

Would you enjoy social media more without all those pesky 99-percenters complaining about their mortgage payments and high cable bills? For a mere $9,000, Netropolitan is here to help. Launched Tuesday, Netropolitan bills itself as “the online country club for people with more money than time.” Seriously. To join, users must pony up $9,000 for dues and a membership fee, then another $3,000 per year after that. If it all seems like a joke — an elaborate ruse in an age when Facebook, Twitter and a host of other social networks are free — the man behind the idea assures you it is not. “This is 100% real, and I believe there is a need and an audience for this service,” said James Touchi-Peters, Netropolitan’s founder. Touchi-Peters, 48, a composer and former conductor of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, said he had trouble finding people to whom he could relate on other social sites. “I saw a need for an environment where you could talk about the finer things in life without backlash — an environment where people could share similar likes and experiences,” he said. The hefty initiation fee, he said, “ensures that our membership remains exclusive, but also private.” Members must be at least 21 years old and must register using their real names. Once in, they may form groups around common interests, but will have access to posts and status updates by all other users.