New social media platform bitlanders pays users to blend gaming with social

New York start-up bitlanders aims to capture and engage users by bringing gaming aspects to social media activities whilst encouraging teens to become digital ambassadors for the web.

Image: bitlanders

The social role pay game positions itself as "social media meets the gaming universe." The bitLanders platform delivers a social network and content platform where you upload rich media content and interact with other users.

You can share bitlanders content across social media and build a base of followers.

Here is another social media platform that rewards users for their content and activity. As users progress, the scoring system, the BuzzScore value increases. The BuzzScore measures your reach, influence and your ability to engage your users with your content.

Users with high BuzzScores are rewarded for their work. Film makers and bloggers can get paid for their work. Users can receive payment for the content that they share.

If you invite friends to join the platform using your own personal registration URL you earn 20 percent of the revenue generated by your affiliate users.

BuzzScores are based on the quality of your content, how much it is shared across other social media platforms and how that content is further shared. Subscribers to your profile can increase the value of your own BuzzScore.

The BuzzScore determines how you are rewarded. You can exchange your rewards in gift cards, Paypal or Bitcoin.

Every time you write posts, upload content and share it across other social networks you engage and influence others. You create your profile avatar which can be further customised by shopping for accessories at the bitlanders store.

Users can also spend their Bitcoin earnings in: e-gift cards, used online at OverStock, SureGifts, Flipkart, and on Skype. There is options to purchase phone credit in Italy and Afghanistan.

Users can also make a donation to charities such as the Women's Annex or the Global Medical Relief Fund.

Its corporate responsibility initiatives are laudable too. Its initiative in Afghanistan and other developing countries have helped over 55,000 women to get online.

A large part of the bitlanders user base are teenagers and young adults to encourage them to become digital citizens. Forty percent of its users are aged from 13-17. Avatars and nicknames protect the identity of influencers and users.

The platform promises to provide a "safe and supportive environment for teens to find their own voice and become the next generation of global citizens".

By playing on bitlanders they use "social media for social good and positive change."

There are currently over 400,000 registered users who have an extended database of 125 million friends and fans.

The platform is growing at a pace of 1,000 registered users per day and 250,000 fans and friends see information from the platform.

Users seem to enjoy using the platform which has an average time online of over 15 minutes and a bounce rate below 1percent.

With apps for Android and iOS, bitlanders believes that it is the ideal platform to test and promote native ads and test gaming or task based promotions. It relies on organic reach and engagement of its user base.

It intends that its avatars will access sponsored clothing and accessories (nice idea) to become "Goodwill brand ambassadors to the World Wide Web".

With its "safe and supportive environment" for teens to find their own voice, it might create the ambassadors and provide the platform that really brings that positive change.

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Social networks face fines for failing to remove bullying content

Social networks that fail to remove content that the Australian government's new cybersafety tsar deems to be bullying of an Australian child will face fines of AU$17,000 per day for not complying under legislation introduced into parliament on Wednesday.

The Enhancing Online Safety for Children Bill 2014, introduced into the House of Representatives by Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher, sets up the new eSafety Commissioner role within the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The commissioner is designed to be a one-stop-shop for Australian children, or their guardians, to lodge complaints about bullying content online. The commissioner will be empowered to investigate and seek to have the content removed if it is deemed to be bullying to a specific Australian child.

The scheme will be broken up into two tiers, with the first tier having a voluntary rapid content removal process for large social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, that already have content removal schemes in place as declared by the commissioner.

If the tier 1 social network fails to comply with requests over a 12-month period, then the commissioner may revoke its status down to tier 2.

Tier 2 social networks that fail to comply with legally binding notices to remove content face civil penalties of AU$17,000 per day.

The person who posted the content themselves will also receive a notice and be required to remove the content, apologise, and refrain from posting bullying content in future. An injunction can also be sought through the Federal Circuit Court.

Fletcher said today that the government had avoided imposing financial penalties on end users, because in many cases it is often children who are posting bullying material online about other children.

The legislation was originally proposed in the Coalition's 2013 election campaign. One component for that policy, the opt-out internet filter, was dropped just five hours after it was announced by the then-Opposition, and was not included in the legislation introduced on Wednesday.

The establishment of the eSafety commissioner had also been criticised in the past from the larger social networks, who had complained that it would put an unnecessary regulatory burden on them when they already have appropriate content removal schemes in place. Fletcher told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning that he had listened to their concerns.

"Oh look, we've had vigorous and continuing engagement with certainly Microsoft, Yahoo7, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other players," he said.

"I do want to acknowledge here that the large social media services have significantly increased the amount of resources they allocate to dealing with complaints of cyberbullying and other such content. We are conscious of not imposing any more additional regulatory burden than is necessary to keep Australian children safe online."

A spokesperson for the parliamentary secretary told ZDNet that the legislation was 'light-touch' regulation.

"The design of the rapid removal scheme minimises the impact on industry by utilising social media sites' existing complaints handling processes and online safety initiatives.The two-tier scheme has been developed to minimise the burden on, and regulatory exposure of, social media services that cooperate with the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner."

The regulatory impact statement for the legislation estimates that the average annual cost to Australian businesses will be AU$432,000.

The legislation will be debated in the House when parliament returns in 2015, and once it reaches the senate, will likely go to the Environment and Communications Committee for scrutiny.

View the original article here

Eight social networks worth a closer look

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Summary: If you are fed up with Facebook and tired of Twitter you might want a change of social scene. Try these up and coming social networks that are well worth a look for users and brands.

SHARE: SUBSCRIBE TO: Social Enterprise By Eileen Brown for Social Business | December 2, 2014 -- 18:14 GMT Previous | Next Image 1 of 9
Do you feel that your social networking activities are becoming jaded? Are your social marketing efforts no longer getting the organic reach you need to really connect with your customers? Maybe it is time to reach a new audience on an up and coming social networking platform.
Here we round up some newcomers for you to try.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Related articles:
Ello was created as an ad free social network alternative to Facebook or Twitter. It states that it will never sell user data to advertisers or third parties, nor will it ever show advertisements. It does not enforce a real-name policy in response to Facebook's decision to enforce real names for its users. Many members of the LGBT community left Facebook for Ello.
It received $435,000 in funding from Fresh Tracks Capital in January 2014 and a further $5.5 million in venture capital after becoming a benefit organisation. It has been criticised for its minimalistic design and porn friendly approach.
Alexa rank: 1,705
Image: Ello
Related articles:
Topics: Social Enterprise, Start-Ups, Innovation
Eileen Brown is a social media consultant, author, and social business advisor who has been working with collaborative technologies for over 20 years.
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View the original article here

Social networks face fines for failing to remove bullying content

Social networks that fail to remove content that the Australian government's new cybersafety tsar deems to be bullying of an Australian child will face fines of AU$17,000 per day for not complying under legislation introduced into parliament on Wednesday.
The Enhancing Online Safety for Children Bill 2014
, introduced into the House of Representatives by Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher, sets up the new eSafety Commissioner role within the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
The commissioner is designed to be a one-stop-shop for Australian children, or their guardians, to lodge complaints about bullying content online. The commissioner will be empowered to investigate and seek to have the content removed if it is deemed to be bullying to a specific Australian child.
The scheme will be broken up into two tiers, with the first tier having a voluntary rapid content removal process for large social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, that already have content removal schemes in place as declared by the commissioner.
If the tier 1 social network fails to comply with requests over a 12-month period, then the commissioner may revoke its status down to tier 2.
Tier 2 social networks that fail to comply with legally binding notices to remove content face civil penalties of AU$17,000 per day.
The person who posted the content themselves will also receive a notice and be required to remove the content, apologise, and refrain from posting bullying content in future. An injunction can also be sought through the Federal Circuit Court.
Fletcher said today that the government had avoided imposing financial penalties on end users, because in many cases it is often children who are posting bullying material online about other children.
The legislation was originally proposed in the Coalition's 2013 election campaign. One component for that policy, the opt-out internet filter, was dropped just five hours after it was announced by the then-Opposition, and was not included in the legislation introduced on Wednesday.
The establishment of the eSafety commissioner had also been criticised in the past from the larger social networks, who had complained that it would put an unnecessary regulatory burden on them when they already have appropriate content removal schemes in place. Fletcher told ABC Radio on Wednesday morning that he had listened to their concerns.
"Oh look, we've had vigorous and continuing engagement with certainly Microsoft, Yahoo7, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other players," he said.
"I do want to acknowledge here that the large social media services have significantly increased the amount of resources they allocate to dealing with complaints of cyberbullying and other such content. We are conscious of not imposing any more additional regulatory burden than is necessary to keep Australian children safe online."
A spokesperson for the parliamentary secretary told ZDNet that the legislation was 'light-touch' regulation.
"The design of the rapid removal scheme minimises the impact on industry by utilising social media sites' existing complaints handling processes and online safety initiatives.The two-tier scheme has been developed to minimise the burden on, and regulatory exposure of, social media services that cooperate with the Children’s e-Safety Commissioner."
The regulatory impact statement for the legislation estimates that the average annual cost to Australian businesses will be AU$432,000.
The legislation will be debated in the House when parliament returns in 2015, and once it reaches the senate, will likely go to the Environment and Communications Committee for scrutiny.

View the original article here