Woozworld
| Industry | Technology |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Montreal |
Key people | Simonetta Lulli (President & CEO, Nicolas Lee (CTO)) |
| Website | http://www.woozworld.com/ |
Woozworld, originally called Kidstudio 2.0, is a virtual gaming community and social network service It was founded in 2010 and headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Woozworld allows tweens and teens to connect with each other through customizable profiles and interactive activities.[1][2][3]
About
Woozworld allows users to design their own online realities where they can create their own avatar, do fun quests, set up new virtual spaces, and create their own businesses. Woozworld was mainly created for Tweens to express themselves in different ways.[4] The service is designed for tweens, the average age of users being between 8 to 14.[3]
The Canadian Innovation Exchange listed Woozworld as one of the most innovative Canadian technology companies in 2011, and About.com awarded it with the 2012 readers' choice award for Best Website for Teens: Gaming and Virtual Worlds.[2][5][6]
In 2012, Woozworld was nominated by The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in the Best Website category.[7] The company ranked #5 out of 427 on a 360Kid list of highest trafficked virtual worlds in September 2012.[8]
In 2014 Woozworld announced the appointment of Simonetta Lulli as President and CEO. Ms. Lulli was tasked with readying the company for a number of enhancements in technology and growth that were to be completed during the first half of 2014.[9]
Security
Woozworld has a strict emphasis on protecting the private information of its users and creating a safe gaming environment that parents can trust.[3] The company complies with all protective measures set forth by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the company is Privo Privacy Certified. These measures protect children's privacy on the Internet and ensure parental consent before account activation. If broken, Woozworld has the right to ban the offending user.[3]
Woozworld also features a team of in-game workers called moderators that monitor Woozen activity and check for harmful or abusive behavior. This ensures the safety of its members. Members who engage in any behavior that breaks guidelines set by Woozworld faces punishment by moderators, ranging from temporary suspension to being permanently banned from the virtual social network. Woozworld also sets a fun but a helpful learning education about safety online.
Users and About
Woozworld is free to join, while only needing to enter a parent's email and their age. Woozworld is free for all ages to join. There is an option to become a VIP for a certain number of months at a cost, either credit card or online cash earned on exterior websites. VIPs can earn virtual "wooz" and "beex"(the virtual currency) and has access to clothing and other items restricted to freeplay members.
All users have access to the "Woozin", a virtual community designed to appear as social media with a comment section and the ability to post and share text. They can "friend" each other, create virtual relationships, and even raise pets.
There have been multiple reports of hacking, YouTube videos made (such as movies), you can play certain games with other users, and even trade your own items with other people, and some know how to take items from the other user away without the requested items. Members can use "Wooz" and "Beex" to buy items in the virtual "Shopz" and even sell items in their own store. "Wooz" is an exclusive currency which is hard to obtain unless it is bought. Members can also buy and win rooms to fill with items, play games in, build shops in, and even decorate their own house as. Woozworld restricted inappropriate language in 2009.
References
- ↑ Oliver Chiang (10 January 2010), Buying Celebrity Endorsement On Twitter, A Steal For Businesses, Forbes, retrieved February 3, 2013
- 1 2 Peter Hadekel (31 May 2012), Venture financing looking up in Quebec and Canada, The Montreal Gazette, retrieved February 3, 2013
- 1 2 3 4 Sarah Perez (13 December 2011), Woozworld Launches WoozIn, A Facebook For Kids, www.techcrunch.com, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ Robin Wauters (10 May 2010), Tween Virtual World Woozworld Spins Off From Tribal Nova, Raises $3 Million, www.techcrunch.com, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ Sean Stanleigh (10 November 2011), CIX lists Canada's 20 most innovative companies, The Globe and Mail, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ Denise Witmer, 2012 Readers' Choice Awards, www.About.com, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ Children’s-BAFTA-Kids’-Vote–Website in 2012, www.bafta.org, 2012, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ Scott Traylor (2012), Top-Ten-Virtual-World-2011-2012-Comparison-for-Tweens-in-the-U.S.-Based-on-monthly-unique-traffic (PDF), www.360kid.com, retrieved February 3, 2013
- ↑ "Woozworld, the virtual social network for tweens, announces new CEO". February 4, 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2016.