Kids today have it so easy. Back in high school, when you wanted to make friends and your mom suggested you join the yearbook staff, you knew better. Spending your afternoons in the school basement, chronicling the lives of athletes and upperclassmen didnt seem like much fun. If only your high school yearbook was anything like this, maybe you wouldnt have spent so many afternoons watching Saved By The Bell reruns.
New Hopes MyYearbook has created a massive online party that allows members to meet by playing games and chatting. But this partys guest list got a little more exclusive this week as MyYearbook announced Celebrity Chatter, a stream from MTV and VH1 that gives members access to celebrities like Lady GaGa and Miley Cyrus. Members can ask questions and get the latest news on shows, music videos and premiers.
Over the first few days, we have over 500 questions that these celebrities have answered from MyYearbook fans, says CEO Geoff Cook.
Much like Twitter, once these celebrities create a verified profile, their status updates will appear on the MyYearbook homepage for fans to view and respond to. Celebrities who joined Celebrity Chatter for its launch received $2,500 for the charity of their choice, which they can then promote through the sites Causes application.
MyYearbook has become one of the 25 most-trafficked sites in the U.S. by creating applications that keep users on the site and browsing for extended periods of time, making them a better target for advertisers than sites like Twitter, which allow for quick, directed visits. By adding games and even a form of virtual currency, Cook says visitors are not just stopping by this party; they are staying and that is helping grow his business. After launching the original chatter stream six months ago, the site has seen over 1 million posts and Cook expects that the addition of celebrity guests will keep their young demographic clicking.
We are trying to make MyYearbook the best place to meet new people online, which is quite a bit different from a Facebook which is about connecting with your real-life social crowd, says Cook. Our visitors are more in a discovery mode. You are not necessarily looking to check in and see what friends are up to. You are looking to potentially waste time and linger and meet new people.
For the sake of the next generation, Cook and his team hope this beats the high school basement and Saved By The Bell reruns.
Source: Geoff Cook, MyYearbook
Writer: John Steele
