How to survive in 200+ VW jungles

Virtual Worlds Management today released its updated Youth Worlds Analysis. Based on comprehensive research available through Virtual Worlds News, we’ve found that there are now over 200 youth-oriented virtual worlds live, planned, or in active development.

Looking across the range of worlds available, the majority of virtual worlds monetize their user base with a combination of revenue streams, mixing subscriptions, advertising, and virtual goods sales. Out of those, micro-transactions and subscriptions are the most popular, with 59 and 57 worlds using them respectively. Another 46 worlds include advertising in their mix.

[Source : Virtual Worlds Management Jan. 26,2009]

WOW! but I think it’s no more surprising phenomena from 2008.
Every times we met industry experts or publishing side guys, we got same questions over and over again.

“What are your core competences? What is your winning point? How can you survive in competition?”

Our strategy is very simple.

1. Only stay focused on kids and parents.
2. The safety is our first priority.
3. Make an effort to provide best playground for my kids and family.

That’s it.

SJ

DinoKids in PrimaryGames.com

I am glad to inform that now DinoKids is also available at PrimaryGames.com.

You can check it at Here.

PrimaryGames is a great website for kids, made by ex-teacher.

It is a fun site for teachers, parents, and kids featuring free educational games, coloring pages, interactive e-books, holiday activities, musical postcards, crafts, worksheets, and more.

Thanks to the partnership between the two services,  kids in DinoKids.com and PrimaryGames.com can meet and play together in the world of DinoKids.

- Jaeseok

Some tips for parents to guide their online kids

As I am a dad of a child and online virtual world developer for kids, personally I recommend parents to monitor your digital kids by following tips:

1. Keep an eye on the screen

Set up the home computer in a central location so you can see what your child is doing. Lend a hand or suggest an activity that matches your child’s interest or abilities and pay attention to the directions his or her activities take.

2. Be suspicious of “free” offers

As in the real world, free lunched are rare, and this is a concept children can’t understand. Don’t expect young children to understand the well-worn caution: “If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

3. Read before you click

Before you or your children click on the “I agree” button, scour terms-of-use agreement and privacy policies to make sure you aren’t agreeing to share information you don’t want known.

4. Set search engine preferences

By default, most search engines are designed to filter out pornographic results. Google’s default setting is “moderate.” By clicking Google’s preference link, you can select “SafeSearch”, which blocks Web pages containing explicit sexual images and text. The “moderate” setting only filters images.

5. Get a free e-mail account

Create a free e-mail account via Yahoo or Hotmail to use when registering for sites, rather than your personal or business e-mail address. If you find yourself being inundated with promotional offers, simply cancel the account.

6. Keep plug-ins up to date

Children’s online sites typically use Adobe Shockwave or Adobe Flash, both available as free downloads.

[Sources : An Ethnographic Study for Consumer Reports WebWatch May 6, 2008]

SJ