Most of us will have heard of the social networking site Bebo. Now we have a new kid on the block – Zebo
There is an article on Mashable about the social networking site Zebo.com. It claims to have 4 million users. Zebo is similar to other social networking sites. You can claim web space, swop addresses, invite friends etc. However the whole raison d’être of Zebo is so that members can list their material possessions, list what they like to buy, how they shop, what they want next and get shopping and product advice from fellow Zebo members.
This is a marketing departments dream. A database of 4 million young affluent consumers.
As Peter Cashmore says in his article “the company is working on multiple ways to monetize its user base. Zebo plans to sell advertising, insert affiliate links and even publish data about the shopping habits of young people. If they really have 4 million users, that revenue could add up fast.”
The word “monetise” is one that has come to be used a lot recently in various discussions around Web 2.0 developments as big companies try to cash in on the whole social networking phenomenon.
From discussions with our pupils in school we know that:
- Pupils enjoy using these social networking sites and technologies outside of school.
- These social networking sites allows our pupils to connect with their peers.
- Using these types of sites our pupils can discover, explore, and contribute to topics that interest them.
- Some of our pupils are creating a range of sophisticated content for a specific audience. This could be web design, photos, video or music.
From my perspective as an educationalist. It is important to use these he read/write technologies to engage and motivate them in a learning context. rather than the blatant materialism of sites like Zebo.
