Chief Executive Officer of Piczo, the Jeremy Verba Interview

Please provide an overview of Piczo and its origins
Piczo is a social networking site for teenagers worldwide. We have recently announced the ramping up of our UK operation. This move reflects the significance of our user base in the UK and indicates our commitment to further strengthening the company’s footprint in the UK and Europe. We are a venture-backed global company and have a loyal following of users across the world in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Our growth has been 100 percent viral. We sent out 100 emails in 2004 and in July, 10 million unique visitors were on Piczo.

What sets Piczo apart from its competitors?
Several items set us apart. In two years, we have experienced growth on an exponential scale with no marketing or PR, and we’re still growing. We also have access to a traditionally elusive demographic for advertisers: our users are typically 13 to 16 years old. Additionally, by excluding user search, Piczo’s ‘walled garden’ approach makes it a safer and more socially engaging place for young people to build more meaningful relationships with friends. Piczo is more engaging than other social networking sites as users have total control over all creative aspects of their profile as opposed to having to take a formulaic approach, it is truly a blank canvas for social expression. This means that they can create multiple pages which truly express and reflect their own lives and personalities.

How is Piczo approaching advertising partnerships?
The Piczo model is clearly one which appeals to teens in the UK and mainland Europe given the high proportion of this audience already using our site. What makes Piczo interesting in a nutshell is that it allows brands to have adjacency to a hard to reach demo that is consuming a new type of media and using it in new ways to self express and share their views online. The nature of the medium allows brands to interact with this audience in new and innovative ways.

What is your background in online media?
To date, my career focus has been on internet and interactive businesses within fields of media, entertainment, communications, and online services.

Before becoming CEO for Piczo, I was responsible for building and running the Voice Services division at AOL. Prior to AOL, I was President and COO of HearMe (formerly Mpath Interactive). Additionally, I was founder and President of E! Online, one of the first businesses focused on delivering entertainment news and services online.

Commments

The CEO state: Piczo is more socially engaging place for young people to build more meaningful relationships with friends" How is typing in stead of actually talking to someone building a meaningful relationship. 2) What about safety? By targeting 13-16 yr olds, how do you protect them from the peds that are rampant on the internet?

Posted by Beth C

Dear Beth C,

Without a widespread regression in the level of technology prevalent in the world today - something, that bar the realisation of some dystopic vision of the future, seems unlikely - we must embrace the level of technology available to us, and the means in which it allows us to communicate.

I think that there's something to be said for the relationships that internet sites such as Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Piczo, allow young people to develop. It's unlocking a collective creativity that will translate into a meaningful benefit to the economy in future, and for all the posturing of the conservative elements of society, has shown no significant adverse effects on the development of today's youth.

This study here, by think tank Demos, takes an innovative look at the role the internet plays in the communication between youth today.

The second point, regarding the safety of young people online, is a valid one. Although the use of 'peds' as a term for - I assume - paedophiles, illustrates the odd hysteria that exists in our culture; I don't think that there's any evidence to suggest that they're 'rampant' on the internet. Yes, there are documented instances of grooming, and unfortunate cases that have resulted in a physical manifestation of a relationship developed in the virtual world, but they are a very small percentage of users. It's up to regulators to try and stop this practice, be they in the public or private realm. Removing access to technology is not the answer and would be a negative step in our progression as a society.

Do you not find some consolation knowing that we have established this dialogue through the use of web 2.0 technology? It's a neat example of institutions that previously lacked a feedback mechanism to now communicate quickly and efficiently.

Phil.

Posted by Phil Vandelay

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