INTERVIEW: SocialGO

As part of CasualGaming.biz’s Social Networking month, we spoke with Dominic Wheatley, CEO of SocialGO creator Bright Things, about exactly how the company’s service works.

CG.biz: SocialGo offers users something very special. In brief, could you explain what the services offers?

DW: The chance for anyone to create their own fully customised social network. We have thousands of people using it in so many ways – from Michael Jackson fansites, to selling baby clothes to churches to hang gliding, mountain biking and Club Penguin fans.

CG.biz: Who is SocialGO designed for – is it a professional tool, or something for consumers and smaller groups?

DW: Virtually anyone can use SocialGO.com to create their own ‘Facebook’. It could be for a local church or Scout club or video game fansite. However, because we have tools that let the networks run their own ads, bill members for membership or access to certain parts of the network and indeed include a trading platform for shopping (GOkart) it’s ideal for businesses.

CG.biz: How do you make money from the SocialGO service?

DW: We have a free version, but it doesn’t have all the features that a serious network owner would want. So we charge $25 a month for the Premium subscription service, and for those who want us to design their network for them and give additional support, it’s $150 a month – very reasonable. We also sell apps (think iPhone App Store) and themes and we’ll be opening a games store too. We already have a large number of Premium customers, growing every day. But of course members pay nothing unless the network owner wants to charge them.

CG.biz: Can you elaborate on the funding options SocialGO offers those who use it to create communities?

DW: The simplest way is to use our Member Billing feature to ask for dues or donations. A lot of networks use that. Then either get sponsorship banners or just set up an account with Google and run their ads – and wait for the money to roll in. If the members could trade stuff with each, say second hand games, then our new trading platform will allow the network owner to scoop a small percentage of each trade to their PayPal account.

CG.biz: What’s the biggest difference between what SocialGO offers those who use it to host communities compared to Facebook and the other big names?

DW: To start with, the network owner owns all the members, the data and content. They can export them and move to another platform. This is not so on the big platforms and is a key point. Why build a 100,000 person network and hand it over to Ning or Facebook? Also, you can run your own ads or bill members. You have total control to ban members, delete any content from anyone’s profile page – not something that others let you do. You basically become a mini Mark Zuckerberg. It’s all yours.

CG.biz: Can SocialGO realistically succeed when MySpace, Bebo and the like already court so much of the consumer’s attention?

DW: We are not a network – we are a service. Over a million people have already joined networks created by network owners using SocialGO, not joining SocialGO, and we’ve hardly started. But we don’t care whether a network has 25 or 10,000 members – the key for us is the $25 a month subscription from each network created. Also, SocialGO networks are sanctuaries based around a common interest. They are places to meet new people who share that interest, whereas the big networks are about meeting your mates.

CG.biz: What are the best examples of SocialGO put to use?

DW: Where do I start? The best place to see examples of great networks is on our blog where we feature new ones all the time.

CG.biz: What can SocialGO offer those hosting or running casual games?

DW: The tools to build a community which is very Facebook-like and keeps people coming back because suddenly it’s not just the odd forum but a full set of social networking features where people can engage with each other, post photos, videos, blogs, message each other and indeed we even have video chat. Once the community is thriving, members of the network can be marketed to – for example, we have a ‘Message all Members’ button that sends a message to members normal email inbox, but because they’ve joined the ‘club’ doesn’t appear as spam. Permission based marketing at it’s best.

CG.biz: What other services does SocialGO provide?

DW: There are loads of apps (widgets) in our Widget Store that do everything from letting you manage your own banner ads (Lab Ads) to linking up several networks where members can use a common ID login (Lab Connect). One sports company in the US has 16 different networks connected to each other this way. So EA could have a network for each game, but members could go from network to network with the same ID. Then there’s Visitor Radar (shows who’s visited  you) Video Roll, Photo Booth and many more. We also sell ‘themes’ in Our Theme Store for the artistically challenged – just pick a look that suits you and bingo! You’ve got a fantastic looking site.

CG.biz: How do you see social networks evolving in the coming months and years, particularly in relation to games?

DW: I believe that the next big wave in social networking is micro networking. These diverse and specialised networks are places for people to gather with a common interest. In a way it’s going to replace forums that having been doing that job for a while, but in a much more Facebook-like way, which is what people want now. It’s a natural progression. Plus the ‘ownership’ angle is very important, because these networks can become very valuable – lots of people make a living from them.

And from a marketing point of view, SocialGO is an invaluable way of building customer loyalty and customer communication. Imagine a network based upon an upcoming game, involving thousands of potential buyers and keeping them informed of progress, screenshots daily, blogs from the programmers, day of release promotions, gathering feedback etc. It’s the cheapest and most effective form of marketing ever, and the network can be promoted by posting the URL on the publishers website, on ads and packaging etc. And using the membership to link to other game networks, sequels and company products is an easy form of cross promotion.

www.socialGO.com

www.brightthings.com