A New Twist on Social Networking:  Cash and Prizes for Active Users of Meta Search Engine eZanga.com

NEW YORK – OBSNews.com - Social networking is big news across America and the globe with companies like Facebook and MySpace gaining millions of users and significant media publicity.  With the goal of helping users create community among their online peers, social network sites usually give free tools and resources to users to encourage them to spend more time on a given website.

Internet users have flocked to these sites to connect to and communicate with their network of friends and acquaintances.  The business model for many of these social network sites is an advertising-supported model that banks on user eyeballs.  But many web devotees suggest that free services alone may not be enough to get people to stay loyal to a network.

One company that is launching a greatly expanded version of its existing loyalty rewards program based on compensating users for interacting with the site, is the ‘meta’ search engine eZanga.com (http://www.eZanga.com).  eZanga.com’s CEO, Rich Kahn, said his company has always rewarded registered users of its search engine with things like cash giveaways, free Wii and Xbox systems, and free iPods.  Kahn’s company has given away an estimated “$100,000 in cash and prizes” over the past five years to users and indicated that his site is very popular with devotees of internet contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways.

Expansion into a social network that pays

eZanga has upgraded its platform to a complete social network and calls it HopOnThis.com (http://www.HopOnThis.com).  The new social network highlights the company’s popular frog mascot theme.  Members can interact with family and friends to share pictures and videos as well as meet new people.  Active members are rewarded with points that can later be redeemed for upgrade features and free prizes.

Some ways users earn points include:  referring friends to the network, creating and updating to a blog, and sending friends comments, pictures, videos, and the like.

Once a user has generated enough points they can go to the “Prize Closet” and redeem points for cash, free downloads, gift cards, and entries into monthly drawings.  Companies seeking exposure for their products are encouraged to contact HopOnThis.com to provide prizes to the network in exchange for free advertising on the site.

SOURCE: OBSNews.com