Xercel Blog

Smart Sammy

As business owners, managers and leaders of community organizations, we all should be concerned about the exposure and potentially life-altering experiences that the internet and social networking web sites have on our youth.

You’ve probably heard of social networking web sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. Sites like these have more than 200 million active members. We feel there is a responsibility to educate youth and adults about the perils of social networking and an opportunity to provide a channel to effectively use these tools to improve one’s life.

The internet has become a powerful tool for information and education but it has also become a growing and equally as powerful tool for child predators and others seeking to negatively impact an individual’s life. MySpace recently reported they removed 29,000 active known sex offenders from their web site. This does not cover the unknown sex offenders or those who have used an alias to create their online profile. Many of the problems taking place on the internet occur through the use of social networking web sites and chat rooms that allow an individual to meet and communicate with people that they do not know as well as share information and photographs of themselves. The most susceptible targets are middle school-age youth through college-age students.

Xercel and Collective Voices have partnered to launch Smart Sammy. An interactive, online education tool for youth through adults.

Through weekly online quizzes based on new information, statistics and experiences released about social networking web sites, youth and adults will be educated and re-educated on an ongoing basis about the issues that exist with social networking web-sites through incentive based rewards.

The incentives being offered for participation in the quizzes include discounts and special offers to each participant and selecting a specified number of winners through a sweepstakes drawing. The winners of the sweepstakes will win prizes that are recognized as prized possessions by the targeted segments such as iPods®, computers, shopping sprees, family vacations, etc. The promotion of the weekly contest and winners of the sweepstakes will be publicized through targeted local media channels.

We are planning for a late fall launch. If you'd like to help, please contact Patty at Xercel: 215.255.6955

Posted at 12:00AM Sep 20, 2007 by Xercel Blog in General  |  Comments[1]