hi5 Expands Virtual Currency Program with Custom Browser AppMarch 18, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — Mar. 18, 2010 — hi5, the largest social entertainment site focused on gaming, today announced the availability of its new branded app for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari web browsers. The new custom browser app is designed to drive participation, monetization and loyalty among the site’s 50 million monthly visitors. Created using the Conduit® Platform, the hi5 browser app allows members to log in to their account, connect with friends, access their favorite hi5 games, update their profile and status, receive desktop notifications and earn virtual coins in real-time, from wherever they are on the web.
“As a leading social entertainment site, we’re always looking for new and creative ways to engage our audience with our content,” said Michael Trigg, vice president of marketing, hi5. “Our new browser toolbar supports our revenue model by increasing the time that users are spending on our site and creating more opportunities for our community to earn and use our virtual currency.”
hi5 takes social engagement a step further than traditional social networks such as Facebook and MySpace with a focus on unique entertainment activities including animated avatars, personalization features, virtual goods and gifts. The hi5 virtual currency, hi5 Coins, is integral to all activities on the site and is used for direct user payments for game content and virtual goods. hi5 members can buy coins directly from the hi5 toolbar and earn coins based on their interaction with hi5 content to purchase virtual goods.
“In order to make virtual currency a viable model, community members must get real value from it,” said Adam Boyden, president of Conduit. “hi5 has built their entire social entertainment site and new app around activities that involve deep engagement of users and virtual currency is a great way to facilitate that. Using the Conduit platform, hi5 will not only earn money, it will also keep users coming back more often and spend more time on their favorite social destination online.”
About hi5
Founded in 2003, hi5 today is among the top 20 largest web sites in the world and the leading destination site focused on social gaming and entertainment. Combining a robust social platform with premium content and game mechanics, hi5 delivers a fun, expressive, and interactive entertainment experience to millions of users around the world. Available in over 50 languages, the site features localized games, virtual goods and other content that is monetized through hi5 Coins, a global virtual currency supporting over 60 payment methods and 30 currencies worldwide. For more information on hi5, visit http://www.hi5networks.com.
About Conduit®
Conduit enables web publishers to distribute their offerings directly and through its global network of more than 200,000 publishers and their 60 million users. Conduit is the inventor of the SaaS platform that allows web publishers to create and distribute their content and products on a custom community toolbar using all the leading operating systems and Internet browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. The free, powerful Conduit platform has earned the prestigious TRUSTe Trusted Download certification. With the Conduit Open™ initiative, launched in 2009, Conduit is creating new distribution opportunities by simplifying the sharing of content and applications via community toolbars across the World Wide Web. The platform has been adopted by major brands such as Fox News, Habbo, iWin, Major League Baseball, NHL teams, Softonic, TechCrunch, and Travelocity, as well as thousands of small and medium organizations in 120 countries around the globe. If you want to Conduit Your Site, visit: www.conduit.com.
Press Contacts:
Shelley Risk
Horn Group for hi5
415-905-4037
srisk@horngroup.com
Dayna Verstegen
Conduit
+1.650.340.1550 #101
dayna@conduit.com