kaioo

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kaioo is a non-profit social network website that started in November 2007 as a beta version in English and German. It is unique in that all its advertising revenue will be donated to charities chosen by the users. It was founded by the German executives Thomas Kreye and Rolf Schmidt-Holtz.

kaioo offers its users standard features of social networking websites. They can create profiles, communicate with friends, join groups, upload pictures, etc. The site features a "match" function first seen on Orkut: a user can express interest in another user, but that user will only learn about it if he/she in turn expresses interest in the first user.

The unique feature of kaioo is that all advertising revenues are donated to charities. Users can form and join groups favoring specific charities, and the ten charities with the largest groups receive donations at the end of the year, proportional to their support among the kaioo users. The operating costs of the sites are covered by donors.

The site saw some problems during the early beta test phase. It is planned that all features will be implemented by the end of 2007. The site will then allow video uploads and be available in six languages.

The concept and its execution are due to Thomas Kreye, who quit his job as director of Business Development at Bertelsmann early in 2007 to pursue the "dream of a truly social, democratic and completely independent internet community". Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, CEO of Sony BMG who knew Kreye from his time at Bertelsmann, donated 500,000 Euros of his private money to cover the project's first year costs. The organization behind kaioo, a foundation named Toro, is based in Hamburg and has received non-profit status by German tax authorities.

^[1]

1 Privacy
2 The kaioo Wiki
3 Purpose of the company
4 kaioo supporters
5 Sources
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Privacy

Currently kaioo users and the kaioo founders are working on the Terms and Data Protection Guidelines. Kaioo users shall be given the right to decide about modifications of the Privacy Terms. Since all data belong the users they shall decide, how their data is handled. Kaioo does this because as a government approved non-profit community they do not need to maximize their profit and do not have any interest in using data against the will of their users. The privacy terms of kaioo.com can be edited in the wiki of spreadkaioo.com. Users are currently working on a new wiki, that is fully integrated into kaioo.^[2]^[3]

[edit] The kaioo Wiki

The privacy terms and the general terms and conditions can be modified by every user in the kaioo wikis. The wiki also has the purpose to help organize kaioo marketing. Users can upload pictured and embed youtube videos. Also groups can discuss and publish their thoughts. There is also a forum that is fully integrated into the wiki and uses wiki formatting.

Some users now try to help programming a new kaioo wiki that is integrated into kaioo. Until now there are two external wikis, one in German and one in English. The new Wiki will be multilingual and integrated as good as possible into kaioo. ^[4]

[edit] Purpose of the company

According to the articles of association

" the company’s purpose is the support of science and research, education, art and culture, assistance to young and old people, support of public health services, support of indigent and destitute persons, of environment protection, the preservation of nature and monuments, help for persons persecuted on political and racial grounds or for religious reasons as well as for refugees, expellees, evacuees, war victims, war widows and orphans, the war-disabled and prisoners of war and support for development aid. "

In order to fulfil its purpose kaioo operates an"internet-based fund-raising platform", where private persons and companies can set up networks and generate donations of any kind.^[5]

[edit] kaioo supporters

Since kaioo was launched there have been many ardent kaioo users supporting the project. They created youtube videos, discussed about imporovements,distributed flyers and organized festivals and meetings. There is especially a group of about 20 people who intend to become a supporting association for kaioo. Every week they have a conference call together with the kaioo founders. ^[6]

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