A new social networking site, Geonick, was made available to Internet users in Colombia.
“Geonick is a social network based on geo-location and the infinite world of personal interests and hobbies. The Spanish website draws a personal and private map to suit every individual user and people are able to connect with people with similar interests. We want to become a useful and practical social tool to discover new contacts based mainly on the quality and affinity of connections related to our hobbies,” explained Pau Jene, the CEO of Geonick.
The CEO reported positive growth of the site as a whole and said that the “number of members from other Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Colombia is rising rapidly.”
Geonick is marketed as a place to find like-minded people who share your hobbies and interests. The website follows a travel theme, with everything visualized on a map using hot air balloon logos to pinpoint locations. All of your interests are compiled in an online “passport” that you can share with other users.
When registering with the site, you are first asked to enter a few basic details, such as a user name, email address, date of birth, languages and an approximate location. Exact locations are never asked for or shared with other users and members can choose whether or not to show their date of birth to other members.
You are then given the chance to list your favorite hobbies and interests, as well as special or significant places. Once these details have been confirmed, Geonick creates an “affinity map” tailored to your specific interests. The map marks the locations of other users who share your interests and you can also search for individual activities. Members are encouraged to communicate with others from the community and can even advertise and trade on the site.
A key selling point of Geonick is its privacy policy, which Jene is keen to emphasize at a time of increasing distrust of social networks that use members’ personal information.
“Geonick is aimed at a mature audience who may be critical of some social networks and offers a social experience based on respect for users’ privacy and control of personal data. [Geonick] allows the use of a ‘nickname’ and the most important thing is that we do not use personal data for marketing purposes.”
Geonick is still in its early stages, having formed eight months ago in Spain, where it has already established a strong user base. Initially the website was only available to Spanish users, however since February, people from all over the world can register. The CEO reports positive growth and says that the “number of members from other Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Colombia is rising rapidly.”