In the Know: Buzzword - "Wugging"
25/02/2008
Even by the standards of online jargon, "wugging" is an inelegant word. However the concept is an attractively simple one. "Web-User Giving" harnesses the ad-funded business model that has proved so central to online, but gives it a feel-good twist by diverting part of the ad revenue to charity.
It seems a virtuous circle - everyone wins. The consumer gets to give to charity for nothing; the advertiser gets positive association as well as clicks and impressions; the media owner gets increased traffic, and a higher premium on their inventory; the charity gets the donations.
The concept is mainly associated with either the simplest of calls to action - 'click this ad once a day to give' type messages, or games to entice the user to remain on the site (most successfully in recent times, freerice.com using a genuinely challenging vocabulary quiz). However, search engine Everyclick has quietly taken strides to apply the "wugging" concept to search, with half of all click revenue going to charity. Launched in 2005, the AOL-powered engine aims to hit profitability this year, and has already raised an estimated £400,000 for its chosen causes.
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