Posts Tagged ‘14-19’
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Infocow: a site for young people made by young people
This morning, I went along to the ICA for the launch of Infocow, a really social site connecting young people (aged 14-19) to useful and reliable information and services on line.
Infocow came out of a three-year Futurelabs project called Greater Expectations, which was funded by BECTA. The project aimed to use digital technology to equip young people with the information and contacts they need to take control of their lives.
I was really excited to see that it doesn’t shy away from integrating with social networks and encouraging young people to make informed decisions about their privacy – refreshing as so many opt for the “pretend the rest of the internet isn’t happening” approach when it comes to under 16s. We all know that young people’s engagement online is hugely influenced by recommendations and online sharing, so features like Facebook Connect make sense for this audience.
The other thing that really stood out was the involvement of young volunteers, as well as teachers and other stakeholders, throughout the development – a process which is outlined in the research report. The brand, the name (love the logic), the social features and the simple, easy sign-up all seem to have been built with the end user in mind, rather than predetermined objectives or monitoring requirements.
From what I’ve seen and heard today, it seems that this site is an example of how genuinely involving the target audience right the way through can deliver great results – not to mention offer the opportunity to film a Windows 7 spoof, which I’m hoping to see on YouTube soon…
Decide for yourself at www.infocow.org.uk.
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