You’ve probably heard of social networks such as MySpace, Friendster and Facebook. Now there’s a new social network which has expanded on the networking concept. Nuzizo.com is a social network which is divided into “neighborhoods” in a virtual city. Each neighborhood has a separate cultural theme where users can create a profile, upload photos, blog, send messages or even express a “vibe level.”
The neighborhoods in Nuzizo form instant social groups. When a person becomes a “citizen” of Nuzizo, he or she takes up residency in a selected neighborhood. The neighborhoods have clear themes — often ethnic in nature. For example “Rumi,” has a large Persian community. “Bharat” is home to a community with roots in India. Bollywood is popular in this neighborhood and a lot of techies have made their online home there.
One of the most popular, fastest growing of the 23 neighborhoods is Al-Arabia, with 1,780 residents. According to the website, Al-Arabia is influenced from all parts of the Arab world. The sounds of the adhan can be heard over loudspeakers and modern melodies are welcome, too. The cafes are buzzing with talk of politics, commerce and local gossip. The architecture in the neighborhood is considered to be some of the most beautiful in the city.
Unlike other social networking sites, citizens of Nuzizo don’t simply blog, post photos and share media clips, they really get involved, as they would through participating in their own, real city. For example, activity on the site increases both a citizen and that neighborhood’s reputation or “Rep” (measured by a point system). Increased Rep points allow citizens to use advanced features of the site. This makes the site fun while allowing citizens to contribute to their community at large. Citizens also send and collect DAPs, which are animated gifts that express an emotion or just break the ice.
Nuzizo, which is still in beta, was conceived and created by Said Amin and Darren Romeo as a “celebration of culture, humanity and unity.” New neighborhoods will be opening soon including “New Jerusalem” and “Turkish.” The designers are still looking for ideas for other neighborhoods and are also asking for suggestions on how to make the current neighborhoods more authentic.
