COI uses social networks to beat cyber bullies

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New Media Age

18/10/2007

The Central Office of Information (COI) has gone live with the first interactive element of a campaign against cyber bullying. Social network Piczo, which boasts two-thirds of British teens as members, has gone live with a site encouraging them to support the cause by embedding branded badges and wallpapers in their own Piczo sites.

Bebo and MySpace are to follow with similar branded profile pages over the next month.

The Piczo site also has a 'shout box' like those on users' sites, allowing them to communicate their own experiences and thoughts in an informal way. Users can also take a quiz to find out more about the issue and how to get help.

Last month the networks, along with MSN and Yahoo!, all joined the Department for Children, Schools and Families in creating a taskforce to drive attention to cyber bullying. The initiative was kicked off last month with a display ad campaign.

The sites will also link to Childline, student advice site Need2Know and Direct Gov's information page on cyber bullying.

Agencies i-level and Profero worked together on the campaign.

i-level's account manager Ed Turner said, "We did a lot of research into what teens thought about the issue before working on the strategy. What we found was they don't differentiate between what happens online and in real life, so we had to talk to them differently."

The campaign will run until the end of the year, with hopes to include mobile and to target parents.

Earlier this year the taskforce worked together on the NSPCC's 'Don't hide it' drive to get children talking about abuse.

 

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