Mediaboss Marketing

By Richard Nieva, reporter

FORTUNE -- It's cleverly counterintuitive: a social networking service to help kids spend less time on Facebook and Twitter. Afterschool.me, an online directory of educational, artistic and athletic programs, uses social networking elements to help parents find extracurricular activities for their children.

The Los Angeles-based startup currently allows parents to search for activities by zip code. Starting this fall -- in time for the upcoming school year -- Afterschool.me will launch a profile feature where parents can list their children's' specific interests and set other filters such as cost, transportation requirements, and language. What Yelp (YELP) has done for local businesses and Match.com (IACI) for relationships, Afterschool.me wants to do for after school programs. There was no such service, says founder and CEO Evan Fieldman, 30. The company is also planning Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn (LNKD) integrations to better connect parents and organizations.

Fieldman, a lawyer, became interested with what he calls the "afterschool crisis" after working for Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, researching the privatization of public services. He's also been a Big Brother mentor for six years. In 2011, he founded the company as a full-time gig with software engineer Alex Riabov, and received funding from StartEngine, an accelerator fund in LA. It hasn't been the glitziest cause, but the stakes are high: Out of the 60 million students in the United States from kindergarten to high school seniors, only about 14% participate in after school activities that often keep students out of trouble. (By contrast, the national drop out rate is 24.5%, according to nonprofit America's Promise Alliance.)

MORE: The death of cash

But lofty goals don't mean Afterschool.me is non-profit. "We wanted to prove it is possible to address a societal challenge, generate revenue and be sustainable without relying on donations," Fieldman says. Once usership grows, the company plans to monetize through premium listings and by taking a percentage of revenue from certain programs. The goal is also to become a major enough presence that Afterschool.me creates extracurricular activity opportunities as well. Fieldman wants to put the onus on Fortune 500 companies. For example, the company would like to goad companies to follow the leads of giants like Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT), who already have youth programs of their own.

That will almost certainly be a difficult task. For one, the site is still small. (For example, a search for a suburban Bay Area zip code didn't return any programs within 10 miles.) And there are sensitivities around services that involve children -- even if parents are involved. Of course, it may also take a lot of work to convince organizations and school boards to cooperate in a field where adoption is notoriously slow.

Still, Fieldman is used to fighting through dire circumstances. At 22, he was a field operations manager for Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign. On election night 2004, he spent the evening in front of a church in Columbus, Ohio -- a key battleground state -- encouraging voters to stay in line at 11 p.m. despite the pouring rain, even when grim returns were coming in for Kerry's camp. "We wanted people to remain inspired," he says. Same as it ever was.

Read more:
A better after-school special

By Richard Nieva, reporter

FORTUNE -- It's cleverly counterintuitive: a social networking service to help kids spend less time on Facebook and Twitter. Afterschool.me, an online directory of educational, artistic and athletic programs, uses social networking elements to help parents find extracurricular activities for their children.

The Los Angeles-based startup currently allows parents to search for activities by zip code. Starting this fall -- in time for the upcoming school year -- Afterschool.me will launch a profile feature where parents can list their children's' specific interests and set other filters such as cost, transportation requirements, and language. What Yelp (YELP) has done for local businesses and Match.com (IACI) for relationships, Afterschool.me wants to do for after school programs. There was no such service, says founder and CEO Evan Fieldman, 30. The company is also planning Facebook (FB) and LinkedIn (LNKD) integrations to better connect parents and organizations.

Fieldman, a lawyer, became interested with what he calls the "afterschool crisis" after working for Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, researching the privatization of public services. He's also been a Big Brother mentor for six years. In 2011, he founded the company as a full-time gig with software engineer Alex Riabov, and received funding from StartEngine, an accelerator fund in LA. It hasn't been the glitziest cause, but the stakes are high: Out of the 60 million students in the United States from kindergarten to high school seniors, only about 14% participate in after school activities that often keep students out of trouble. (By contrast, the national drop out rate is 24.5%, according to nonprofit America's Promise Alliance.)

MORE: The death of cash

But lofty goals don't mean Afterschool.me is non-profit. "We wanted to prove it is possible to address a societal challenge, generate revenue and be sustainable without relying on donations," Fieldman says. Once usership grows, the company plans to monetize through premium listings and by taking a percentage of revenue from certain programs. The goal is also to become a major enough presence that Afterschool.me creates extracurricular activity opportunities as well. Fieldman wants to put the onus on Fortune 500 companies. For example, the company would like to goad companies to follow the leads of giants like Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT), who already have youth programs of their own.

That will almost certainly be a difficult task. For one, the site is still small. (For example, a search for a suburban Bay Area zip code didn't return any programs within 10 miles.) And there are sensitivities around services that involve children -- even if parents are involved. Of course, it may also take a lot of work to convince organizations and school boards to cooperate in a field where adoption is notoriously slow.

Still, Fieldman is used to fighting through dire circumstances. At 22, he was a field operations manager for Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign. On election night 2004, he spent the evening in front of a church in Columbus, Ohio -- a key battleground state -- encouraging voters to stay in line at 11 p.m. despite the pouring rain, even when grim returns were coming in for Kerry's camp. "We wanted people to remain inspired," he says. Same as it ever was.

Excerpt from:
A better after-school social special

I'm not what you would call the most "tech savvy" person on the planet. Both my iPod Touch and smartphone are several years old, and I'm still really not sure what a Klout even is. When I was told about KYCK, which was described to me as "Facebook and Twitter combined, but for soccer fans," I was largely "meh" regarding the service. After all, I already have Facebook and Twitter. Do I really need another social networking tool, one specifically related to soccer?

Yes. It turns out that I do.

On the surface, KYCK really is like a combination of the best parts of Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. You can choose your favorite teams and get news articles regarding those clubs posted onto your feed, follow and interact with players, friends and random fans, and even "check in" at live matches. In short, KYCK is an ideal tool for soccer fans who also use social networking services on a daily (hourly) basis.

Mac Lackey, KYCK founder and company CEO, has soccer in his blood. "I've been a lifelong soccer enthusiast," Lackey told me during a brief chat on Tuesday. "I grew up playing, played my whole childhood, and my dream was to play for a career." He went to college on a soccer scholarship before playing in the USL League, formerly the USISL. With Major League Soccer not yet in existence and a move to Europe "not a realistic option," Lackey found other ways to make a living via the beautiful game. Prior to KYCK, he built and sold four separate companies, including InternetSoccer.com, a "global (soccer) news portal" that he created in the late 90s. With KYCK, Lackey is now looking to bring the world soccer community together like never before.

KYCK, technically in private beta at the moment, is set to (hopefully) officially launch at the end of July 2012. After being tested by a small group, the service was opened up to a larger but still limited audience. After receiving over 500 requests from roughly 26 countries, KYCK reentered a test phase. It is now in the "request process," meaning those looking to join KYCK can either request an invite or be added by a friend who is already using the service.

One KYCK application that I find especially interesting is the "Events" option, which allows users to "check in" at a game. Such event pages list starting elevens and other information regarding that particular match. KYCK users who have linked their Facebook and/or Twitter accounts with the service will share that event page via their other social networking accounts, allowing individuals not on KYCK to view the event page. KYCK users will also have the opportunity to discuss the match with other fans via the event page. Potential users worried about spamming their Facebook and Twitter feeds with KYCK links should know that users can choose which non-event check-in posts are shared via their other social networking accounts.

Current KYCK users should notice two major improvements to the service in the near future. Videos that are shared via KYCK will be embedded on account feeds, allowing users to watch that video without having to navigate to that file's home website. The biggest change that's coming is what Lackey referred to as "media layers." "Right now, if you're on KYCK, there is your feed...a very traditional feed (comparable to what you'll see on Twitter), and this area called Top KYCKS," Lackey explained. "That is based upon your preferences (teams and user accounts you follow on KYCK). Right now, you have to switch between the two feeds. In the upcoming Version 3, the screen is split 60-40. 60 percent will be your feed, but 40 percent is your real-time content." The 40 percent portion will include both content that deals with teams you have selected to follow, as well as news items that are trending on KYCK.

The mobile KYCK application is a must for users who also own an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Photos and videos can be uploaded to your account directly through the mobile app. Coming soon, the app will also be taking the check-in feature to a new level. Upon checking in via the app (once the latest version of KYCK is launched), you will be informed of other KYCK users who are also attending that match. Lackey told me that he's also interested in working with pubs and other establishments that are close to stadiums in order to inform users of the KYCK app about soccer-related food and drink specials in a particular area, as well as about meet-ups occurring before and after a match. The KYCK app is currently free, although there may eventually be an "enhanced version" sometime down the road.

KYCK isn't just for fans. Lackey told me that several players, such as Jozy Altidore and Omar Cummings, have accounts, and that the company will be reaching out to more players once the service is officially launched.

After playing around on the KYCK website for a brief amount of time, I have to say that I'm both very impressed with the current product, and that I'm also looking forward to the launch of Version 3. Social networking websites are how soccer fans from all over learn about breaking news and how they locate articles, and it's very useful to have one place to find such posts without having to scroll past comments regarding somebody's lunch or pictures of my friend's dog. It doesn't matter if you support a club that plays in Major League Soccer, the English Premier League, Serie A, La Liga or any other professional organization. There's something for all soccer fans on KYCK.

Continue reading here:
KYCK: The Social Networking Tool for the Soccer World

PALO ALTO, Calif.

Facebook has new competition. A Palo Alto-based developer on Monday launched a new social networking website that has investors going "gaga."

Lady Gaga fans like Hayward's Elizabeth Ortiz are called "little monsters."

Ortiz proudly shows off her tattoo inside her lip that reads "monster."

"It's inspired by Lady Gaga," she said.

And now the so-called "Mother Monster" Lady Gaga has launched her own social networking website called LittleMonsters.com.

The social networking website was in beta testing for months and just went online to the general public Monday. Like Facebook and Twitter, users on LittleMonsters.com can have followers, chat, post comments and pictures and engage in other activities.

But unlike Facebook, the site is all Gaga all the time.

Palo Alto based company Backplane developed LittleMonsters.com.

Silicon Valley 411 reports the company raised $4.3 million from investors, far more than it needed.

Read the original post:
New social network site centered on Lady Gaga launches

London: Ever felt low if your friend gets more likes or tweets than you? You're not alone. Comparisons on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter make people feel anxious and under-confident, according to a poll.

The poll also found that more than half said these sites had altered their behaviour, especially suffering a negative impact from social media. Two-thirds said they were unable to relax or to doze off after spending time on the sites.

And one quarter of those polled said they had been left facing difficulties in their relationships or workplace after becoming confrontational online, the Telegraph reported.

Comparisons on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter make people feel anxious and under-confident.

In total, 298 people were polled by Salford Business School at the University of Salford, for the charity Anxiety UK. Of those, 53 percent said the launch of social networking sites had changed their behaviour and of those, 51 percent said the impact had been negative.

The research also demonstrated the addictive powers of internet, with 55 percent of people saying they felt "worried or uncomfortable" when they could not access their Facebook or e-mail accounts.

More than 60 percent of people said they felt compelled to turn off electronic gadgets in order to have a break, with one in three of those surveyed saying they switched the devices off several times each day.

The findings about behaviour changes after using social networking sites came from smaller in-depth research which was then carried out by Anxiety UK.

Nicky Lidbetter, the charity's chief executive said: "If you are predisposed to anxiety it seems that the pressures from technology act as a tipping point, making people feel more insecure and more overwhelmed."

Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist said many people suffered increased anxiety because they failed to take charge of the demands being placed on them. She said: "I think one of the key things is that people have begun to behave as though technology is in control of them, instead of the other way round. We can switch the gadgets off but a lot of us have forgotten how to."

See the rest here:
Facebook, Twitter lowering your confidence?