News Media Social networking Louise Mensch launches rival to Twitter

Tory MP Louise Mensch has made her debut as an internet entrepreneur, with the launch of a new social network hoping to win over Twitter addicts "who find Twitter frustrating".

Mensch launched the US-only social network, the almost eponymous Menshn.com, on Tuesday as a topic-based site allowing people to debate by subject rather than monitor a stream of often divergent tweets.

Mensch told the Guardian that the site was not named after her. "It's a play on the word mention," she said. "We like it and think it will work fine on a chat site".

With 60,000 Twitter followers, Mensch's decision to take on Twitter could be considered surprising given that she has used the social network to help raise her profile far beyond the normal backbench MP.

Mensch said the site would likely seek venture capital funding in the future because it has "fairly large commercial applications".