StudentsKnow.Com Introduction

© 2008 StudentsKnow.com, LLC

StudentsKnow.com | IntroductionStudentsKnow.com | Introduction

Paul JanowitzFounderJuly 2008

© 2008 StudentsKnow.com, LLC 2

The ProblemThe Problem

• Why? We asked a simple question – what connects a student reading a book in Nebraska with another student reading that same book in California?

• We came up with this surprising answer – NOTHING.

• Where was this great Web 2.0 study group, open-class learning and collaboration?


The SolutionThe Solution

• StudentsKnow.com is a multi-media knowledge sharing social network built especially for college students to facilitate social learning and increased educational comprehension.

• StudentsKnow.com serves as an online knowledge marketplace with a built-in revenue sharing model for content creators and sharers.


StudentsKnow.comStudentsKnow.com• StudentsKnow.com will help revolutionize how college students study, learn, earn and share

knowledge. We connect students across all colleges/universities, classes, majors and interests to create a truly unique student-2-student learning environment.

• Users can view and search content by class name, book title, subject, professor and more to get linked directly to videos and podcasts to help them in school. These are created by fellow students and expert tutors. Think of StudentsKnow.com as the best resource for original information synthesized by students and tutors, for students.

• Built on a social network platform, with a viral loop, integrated revenue sharing and Facebook integration – leading the way in leveraging next generation media for learning.

• Our goal is to be the first and largest interactive student-2-student social learning network that extends beyond a class, school or geography. StudentsKnow.com connects students across multiple points allowing for truly interactive learning and teaching.


The AssetsThe AssetsObjective: To access a savvy, prohibitively cynical audience we mobilized a passive approach to site promotions. Site pioneers were early adopters, savvy enough to recognize a valuable tool without prompting. Any over-the-top or “look here” messaging would be ineffective.

•Site Partnerships: We’re continually searching for site partnerships that will help expand our user base, while providing partners access to our engaged, niche audience. Partnerships must meet two criteria: 1) Facilitate learning for our audience and 2) Generate revenue for the StudentsKnow.com community.•Community Tools: In order to facilitate site adoption among both content viewers and content creators it was imperative we cultivate a community of students helping students in which both parties were able to use communication to their benefit. To achieve this we integrated tools to promote dialogue amongst peers that benefitted two differing perspectives. Content creators are able to use sharing features to promote content internally and externally. Content viewers are able to use various messaging features to request or critique content as well as generate revenue by sharing content created by others.•Marketing Tools: Instead of force-feeding our message/value proposition to the masses we facilitated word of mouth, viral and other salient non-traditional methods of site promotion. Site pioneers were recruited using community driven vehicles such as social network seeding and StumbleUpon in which the community was able to rate, rank and critique the site. Once recruited, we leverage routine user update emails to continually equip users with brand/site information to enable them to become our site advocates. Traditional banner ads were created for placement on partner sites to create a loop in which both StudentsKnow.com and site partners are able to share user bases.


SitePartnerships

Community Tools (website)

Marketing Tools

The AssetsThe Assets

Share StudentsKnow!(Facebook App.)

User Update Emails

BookRenter.com

Barnes & Noble

MonsterTRAK

Ad Networks

Message Board

Profile Comments (semi-private messaging)

My Favorites (profile)

iTunes PromotionMerchandise (Zazzle)

Welcome Email Facebook/MySpace Company Page

Social Network Seeding

Social Media Widgets

Banner Ads

StumbleUpon

Community Ratings(A to F)

Email Tool(forward to friend)Share (embed link)


The LearningThe Learning• StudentsKnow.com enables and incents students to extend their

educational comprehension by leveraging current social network and interactive sharing technologies. StudentsKnow.com offers students the ability to learn in an entirely new and interactive way:• Watch content that is timely, specific and meaningful• Interact with content through comments, discussion boards and related tags• Create content and be incented through revenue sharing• Share content and be incented through revenue sharing

• By combining learning styles, comprehension levels, and social networking (student-2-student knowledge sharing), StudentsKnow.com will effectively create a social learning platform that will extend beyond the classroom.

• And, with a revenue model, social platform and integration into Facebook, StudentsKnow.com is at the forefront of open learning and already integrated into the interactive framework students are using.


The $The $• Revenue is generated from within video and page

ads• We track all views downstream – videos and

podcasts can be embedded in 3rd party sites, Facebook, blogs, etc. and still receive revenue

• 50% of all site generated ad revenue goes to the video creator

• 5% of all revenue goes directly to education charities


The Viral LoopThe Viral Loop• Self-incentivized and sustaining viral loop• Create a video and you share in the ad $ associated with it• Get people to watch your video and make more• Share anyone’s video and you make ad $ based upon views• Want more content to help you study – get more people to

join and create videos that you need• Rinse and repeat

• Multiple mechanisms to create viral loop• Facebook application• Social media widgets (RSS, Digg, Zazzle…)• Email tool• Embed code


The MarketThe Market

• Estimated 230,000,000 members on social network sites in 2007

• 3 out of 4 internet users view online video• StudentsKnow.com target audience is college

students 18-25 – the largest users of video, social networks and the most sought after demographic in marketing

• StudentsKnow.com leverages the Facebook platform and user base – 85% coverage in 4-yeear colleges


Partner Resources and IncomePartner Resources and Income

• Direct tie-in to BookRenter.com – if an ISBN is entered into the video tag users see direct link and pricing for that book

• Barnes&Noble – web-services direct buy coming soon and direct search and order widget

• MonsterTRAK – full job and intern search of MonsterTRAK database via StudentsKnow.com


The TechnologyThe Technology

• Ruby on Rails deployment• Super-fast encoding and clean playback• In-video advertising• Banner ad network and partner direct buy• Ability to track entire content sharing stream

for ad revenue sharing – on the site, on blogs, via Facebook or any embed code


The Facebook AppThe Facebook App

• Students can log into their Facebook account and immediately see their favorite videos, and any new videos posted for their specific class, on a book they are reading or any other feed they have subscribed to

• Facebook application allows for easy external sharing of site content and video feeds


The Facebook AppThe Facebook App

Fully functional and contained Facebook app

Site functionality with account access, custom feeds, newest and invitations

Watch videos directly in Facebook and share form within the app


The SiteThe SiteSimple navigation, best-in-class usability

Tag Search or Category Browsing

Community created grading Top Posters

instills motivation and shows success

Template Ad space increases ease of sell and ease of ad network implementation

Intro to easily explain how site works and how to make money

Ability to post video or podcasts


ContactContact

• Paul Janowitz – Founder– [email protected]– www.studentsknow.com

StudentsKnow.Com Introduction

Business

revenue sharing share

social learning platform

content creators

interactive learning

content viewers

critique content

social platform

watch content