The spotlight has always been on Mark Zuckerberg when it comes to Facebook. Little is known about the co-founder and Zuckerberg’s then roomate –Chris Hughes. This time with the recently launched Jumo Beta – its his claim to fame.
Jumo is a social networking site which promotes various social causes. Rings a bell? Yes, Jumo is being popularly referred to as the social networking version of the popular Facebook Application, Causes. Jumo seeks to bring the users closer to the social issue they are passionate about.
How does Jumo work?
- Since it is a social networking site, you need to create an account. You can only sign up for Jumo if you already have a Facebook account.
- While you’re signing up, you can choose which category of issues you are interested in – like Education, Health, Poverty, etc.
- Next, depending on the categories you select – you will get several organisations which you may follow with a single click.
Jumo: Pros and Cons :
- The majority of Facebook users are in the 13-24 years age group. The target audience is far too young to donate sufficient funds for social causes.
- The number of social networking sites will saturate users.
- Jumo’s financial plan seems highly unstable. It started with about $750,000 as a grant from Omidyar Network. Mostly it would make its share as a cut from the donations made to the institutions it hosts. Whether or not this financial structure would change in the long run, we’ll have to see.
- What works for Jumo is the intention of this network. The intention of involving the youth with issues using the medium of social networking might spur a strong positive emotion.
- It also helps to build a ‘community’ of like-minded individuals. One can ‘talk’ by writing an influential piece on an issue of interest. Protests, donations, volunteering – all have a higher probability of involvement with the youth using Jumo.
Overall, it is surely refreshing to see a social network which is truly ‘social’ in nature. May be with Jumo we can all turn a new leaf in our virtual lives. Have you registered with Jumo? Share your views with me through your comments.
Link: Jumo