As part of the latest changes Koini have partnered up with the ‘WeeMee’ avatar system allowing users to create their own WeeMee for their profile at KoiniClub.com, where you can dress up and style your own online character. “Sometimes kids don’t want to have a real picture of themselves online which we fully appreciate, but rather than just have a standard anonymous avatar for all users we wanted to give them a chance to express themselves via the WeeMee and it is proving very popular with our users”. Said Jorge Sariego, technical director at Koini.
The WeeMee avatars were created in 2002 by the then CEO and Founder of Saw-You.com, Mike Kinsella, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2003 Microsoft began offering the avatars for use to their Hotmail customers with the new service attracting 150,000 users during the first day of the avatars being launched, with the WeeMee website attracting 1.5 million hits daily. In 2004 the UK’s largest social network, Friendsreunited.com, also introduced the WeeMee to their user base and since this time over 30 million Weemee’s have been created across the world.
“The popularity of WeeMees just keeps on building, I understand it is at around 600,000 new avatars per month now, by allowing the WeeMee API to interact with our site we feel that we are giving our users another piece of functionality that they are used to on other sites. Although our browser and social network sites are aimed at protecting our users we don’t want to alter their experience of the web too much so the WeeMee API interaction is an excellent addition to the site” Added Sariego.
The free software and sites that Koini offer provide:
1. The Koini Safe Browser. The parent can download this onto any computer that their kids use and once protection is turned on, the child is unable to IM anyone or search any sites that have not been approved by Koini or the parent. It is important to note that only the parent can turn off use of this browser.
2. Koini Club. This is a social network for young people from 5 – 17 which is totally customizable. From the parent’s dashboard at Koini.com, the parent can now add children and set the parameters for their web experience. For example, if you have a 10 year old girl and you only want her to interact with other 10 year old girls on the Koini Club site then you can do that. If you have 15 year boy and you want him to be able to speak with 14,15 and 16 year old boys and girls then you can that.
3. Koini Cafe. Parents can have fun too, (although our younglings don’t seem to think it is allowed) so Koini created the Koini Cafe where parents have the functionality of the Koini Club but for adults. Everyone on the site will have been verified and everyone is a parent, guardian, or family member of a Koini Club member so when you are chatting you can be certain you are speaking with the person they claim to be.
You can find out more information about Koini and the WeeMee functionality at www.koini.com
