Social Media Platform Feature: Worldoo.com - India’s First Unitive Ecosystem for Kids

Who are we?

Worldoo.com is India’s first unitive ecosystem for kids. With Facebook being limited to users aged 13 years and above and LinkedIn for professionals, we realized that there is not a single space on the internet which kids could call their own. That thought triggered the idea of worldoo.com. The core objective of the ecosystem is to provide kids with their own space on the internet.

Since our launch in April 2013, we have received tremendous response from kids and parents alike and the number of users has been growing steadily. We have already clocked in more than 60,000 users and over 11 million page views.

Worldoo.com is a product of our conviction and passion for kids and brands. Understanding human psyche is extremely complex and it is even more difficult to understand a child. Our journey into the world of children has made us realize that there is no set pattern to understanding or unraveling them. The worldoo.com team is a bunch of passionate and creative individuals who aim at providing kids with the best when it comes to content, stories and activities through the platform. It’s a space especially designed for kids, by kids and about kids.

Whom do we cater to?

Worldoo.com has been designed exclusively for kids aged between 6-12 years. We are aiming to bring up a community of kids in an environment where they can express themselves more freely without the dangers of the internet lurking close at hand. Decisions can be taken more freely when there is no fear. Children are the decision makers of the future and hence it is our responsibility to provide them with more avenues to express themselves creatively.

There are a wide range of interesting activities on worldoo.com ranging from cartoons to games, animals, quizzes, art and craft, movies and much more. Children tend to get bored very easily and hence we are working extremely hard to think ahead of them and continuously present them with meaningful yet entertaining content. It is increasingly important for us to keep up with the times as parents trust our ecosystem and are confident that their kids will not deviate to another un-monitored website once they are in on this ecosystem.

With plans to expand in the global scenario, we are looking forward to creating truly enriching intercultural connections among kids. We are seeking to encourage parents to use worldoo.com as a school of internet learning so that they can educate their children to make better use of the internet. With children catching up quickly with new technology, we want parents to start accepting the internet for their kids and encouraging its use in a positive manner, under supervision.

With worldoo.com, we wanted to create a platform where brands can reach out to a large number of kids at a single go and create highly engaging experiences with kids. Rather than the number of ‘clicks’, our focus is on the ‘time spent’ and the ‘brand experience’. We are about digital activation and not digital marketing.

For example, we have partnered with Asian Paints, who have shared their fantastic glow-in-the dark paints for users of worldoo.com to use to decorate their virtual homes called ‘Doo Homes’. This goes above and beyond advertising and kids really enjoy being able to choose what they like from the range. Hence, worldoo.com can be looked upon as a long term sustaining media by brands to become a part of kids’ ecosystem in a really engaging way!

At worldoo.com, we only partner with brands that share content that is suitable and enjoyable for kids. With every brand partnership we keep in mind the need of the children and do not provide anything that parents would dislike their children to engage with.

What do we offer to our consumers?

We offer kids' elements that they look forward to on the internet. This includes their favorite cartoons, games, art and crafts, movies, competitions, quizzes, do it yourself activities, comics and basically whatever is new and trending among kids. For example, we have partnered in the past with movies such as Smurfs 2, Despicable Me 2, Krrish 3 and most recently with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2.

In partnership with these, we have launched exclusive trailers, games, avatars and competitions for the kids to win merchandise from the movies. By focusing on the characters and not on the person behind the characters, we give a chance for kids to escape into the fantasy world of these movies.

Parents are constantly trying to expose their kids to new mediums but at the same time are concerned about their safety. There have been numerous cases of stalking, cyber-bullying and inappropriate content coming across to kids. No parent would want their child to encounter such situations.

The internet is a place where everything good and everything bad is available under one roof. Worldoo.com does not contain flash or pop-up ads that could lead to other websites and is monitored by a team as well. We have taken into consideration parents' worries and developed worldoo.com as a platform which parents can trust to give their kids what is appropriate. It has been our attempt at bridging the gap between kids and parents by giving them what they need.

It is essential for brands today to build a perception of responsibility and take steps towards ensuring the same towards kids. To connect with kids they have to now start blending in and not using methods of direct advertising. Worldoo.com only partners with brands that are responsible in their approach and not with those who would have any negative effect on children.

What motivated us to start up?

With Focus, I had been working with the largest kids brand in India which gave me a chance to interact with a lot of kids and mothers. During this process of understanding the mind space of children and parents, I once saw a mother beating up her child who had unknowingly gone onto a website that was not suitable for him. It was then that I got the germ of the idea.

I came to the realization that when kids take their first steps into the online realm, there isn’t one place that has been made, thought or designed for them. Hence, we conceptualized worldoo.com in a way where a kid gets all he/she wants, in a single digital destination.

What's in a name?

Worldoo.com is a unique platform designed while keeping in mind a child’s need from a social networking platform. It is a ‘World’ for them, by them, and about them and hence it has been named ‘worldoo’. The doo is just a tinge- the way a kid would pronounce it.

How do we see Social Media?

Following in the footsteps of their parents, kids are taking to the internet in increasing numbers. As per a recent report by McAfee, over 70% of 8-12 year old kids in Indian metros are on Facebook, despite the site not allowing users below 13 years of age to have profiles. Some of these profiles are set up with parental approval as well. Social media has thus catered extremely well to the grown ups but has neglected the kids' needs.

Technology however has been catching up with kids sooner than expected with its growing expansion. Worldoo.com is a platform for kids to engage in and to catch up with friends at the same time. On the other hand we have used platformslike Facebook and Twitter to update parents on what’s new for kids on worldoo.com.

In addition to this, we want to educate parents that there isn’t really an escape from the internet. With more schools also adopting modern means of teaching and computer classes gaining ground, it is time that parents are ready to face the challenges that social media poses to their kids and educate them instead of shying away from it.

Currently we are....

Worldoo.com is the first of its kind ecosystem that has been specially developed keeping in mind the needs of a child on the internet.

With over 60,000+ registered users and 11 million page views, we are growing steadily and have received immense support from kids and parents. We are constantly on the move, generating feedback from the user and parents to better ourselves. With partnerships such as movie associations coming back to us to engage the kids in a more diverse manner, we have received a tremendous boost for the future.

We have pioneered in taking online initiatives offline. Two areas of our success have been through the "Please! Please! Campaign" and the "Tara Campaign." Through "Please! Please!" we have sought for kids to raise their voices against what is wrong in society even if it is a small matter. The "Tara Campaign" has allowed kids to donate to needy kids and connect with them over the internet.

Our vision in the years to come is to increase the user base of kids in India and around the globe to create a global community.

Our biggest challenge was…

The initial challenge was to go to the top global content brands like Cartoon Network, National Geographic, Gaming Companies and get them to believe in worldoo.com as an idea. We were elated when they trusted our idea on the first meeting itself and shared exclusive content with us. Most brands tailor-made their content to suit the needs and designs of the platform.

The other challenge was to make the site a visual classic. It took a series of designers and illustrators to create this well designed platform. It took us close to 2.5 years to get it right. The aim was to make worldoo.com a complete environment of entertainment and education, through a world of landmarks, housing a variety of content.

It was essential to convince the stakeholders to believe in the concept of worldoo.com and envision a future for the children and brands on this platform.

We want to dominate the world by…

Just as books were a great source of knowledge for parents, in the same manner the internet has grown to be a strong influence on children. As parents gradually accept the internet as a strong influence in their child’s life, they will be able to take initiatives to guide them in the right direction. Going forward we aim to create a global community of thinkers who understand each other’s cultural, political and economic limitations and opportunities.

We want them to share their experiences with each other and enjoy their growing years without fear on the internet. We want kids to grow up to be responsible thinkers and effective decision makers. We want them to be able to take their online experiences offline and make the best use of it. A step in this direction is the "Please! Please! Campaign" and the "Tara Campaign."

The internet is a tool made to benefit and we want to extend these benefits to kids as well. We want to give kids the most interactive content. Internal content like the Doo Crew and other games and content are constantly being reviewed to increase its popularity.

We’re making moolah by...

Brands have become conscious of their perception among kids. They have realized that loyal consumers are built at the age of 6-12. Hence, they are constantly innovating their marketing approach to suit the needs of a child. We at worldoo.com realized that there was not a single platform for brands to communicate to kids.

Worldoo.com aims to be that medium where responsible and trusted brands can engage and communicate with kids beyond ads and banners. It is the first platform that facilitates seamless communication between brands and customers. Our major share comes from budgets that are allocated to touch/talk with the customer. Our focus on worldoo.com for brands is on the ‘time spent’ rather than on the  ‘number of clicks’. Worldoo.com can be used as a long term sustaining media by brands to become a part of a kid’s ecosystem in a really engaging way.

Industry as we foresee

India is all set the have the world’s largest population on Facebook by 2016. We are thus expecting to provide our kids today with some form of learning until they graduate to such networks. In addition to this, according to a survey by Unilever, Indian children in the age group of 8-12 years are surprisingly more knowledgeable and concerned about global issues, such as climate change, food waste and world hunger, than children in the US and the UK.

They are also portraying an unshakeable and vibrant optimism for their own future, and even for the future of the environment. Hence, the social media industry is gradually beginning to understand the need of kids as well and with the rise of various technology and apps that have been specially designed to cater to kids, we see the rise of a whole new trend of responsible advocacy by brands and the industry alike.