Most parents nag their children to spend less time on the computer, but at least the kids who are playing games at Ecobuddies.com are learning something about the environment online. The website is a green virtual world for children ages 5-12, where kids log on as adorable hamsters - or avatars called ‘Buddies’ - and play games, chat with friends, and also, oh, so subtly learn about eco-friendliness. They drive virtual electric vehicles, recycle, and have the opportunity to write about the environment in the site’s newspaper, “The Evergreen Globe.” Buddies enter the site through a hub in the middle of the earth and then travel in a tube to the coast and other locations. They can buy houses and furnish them, dress up in costumes, and play a variety of games, from bowling to hang gliding.
Vancouver-based Ecobuddies Interactive, Ltd . was launched in October 2008 as a socially responsible site that focuses on educating children about environmentalism as they play. According to Colay Plangg, Ecobuddies’ CEO, the idea behind the site is to combine concepts of environmentalism with laughter and play rather than making learning about being green a deadly serious thing. He says the combination of fun and learning combine to make the idea of green living much more accessible to children.
Trained staff monitor the site to make sure it is safe, and Ecobuddies has a moderator button, chat logs, and a full chat/safe chat option that allows parents to keep track of their kids’ online conversations and activities. And with live moderation during the site’s busiest hours, any potential cyber bullies or simply kids using foul language are kicked off Ecobuddies for either 24 hours or permanently, depending on the infraction.
Former social worker, Ferma Ravn-Greenway , is co-owner and chief marketing officer of Ecobuddies. She says that users have already created more than 100,000 accounts on the site. Ecobuddies is a Certified Green Site , which means it pays to make sure it’s carbon neutral by donating money to eco-friendly organizations. The site makes a profit through its membership program. While kids can play on the site for free, in order to have access to special items in the games, they (or rather their parents) have to pay a membership fee. Users can choose a monthly, six-month, or annual membership. In addition to constant monitoring of Ecobuddies by its staff, Ravn-Greenway says she uses Twitter to reach parents concerning kids safe on the Internet. She pushes for more parental involvement because as we all know, kids are smart and know how to hide what they’re doing on, and offline, so parents need to stay on top of their children’s time on the Web.
This August, Ecobuddies is starting a new program called Buddies for Baby Animals to help get kids more involved in taking care of the earth. Starting in August, there will be one day each month where 10 percent of membership costs go to an organization that helps a baby animal of the user’s choice. The animal choices in August are: baby sea lions, baby hippos, baby orangutans, baby orcas (killer whales), and baby sharks.
No comments:
Post a Comment