Title: Monetizing Social Networks
1Monetizing Social Networks
- Unleashing the Power of E-learning
2Introducing CyberTutor
- The Concept
- Create an interactive environment where college
and graduate students can capitalize on their
knowledge base by offering online tutoring
services, (both live and recorded) to other
students anywhere. Allow them to produce income
without any out of pocket expense, knowledge of
computing or timely set-up. - With the proliferation of broadband network
access, anyone with an inherent knowledge base in
a particular subject, and the desire and teach
can be compensated for that knowledge and will be
able to set up their own online tutoring service. - By acting as the knowledge broker, (i.e.
facilitating the transaction between interested
parties) we can charge a nominal backend fee that
is unseen to the buyer and viewed as an innocuous
cost of doing business by the seller.
3Current Reality of the Learning Environment
- Inherent Knowledge Base
- Students all across the country and the world for
that matter possess an inherent knowledge base
that is highly specific to their chosen fields of
study. - This knowledge, up to this point, has only been
confined, and could only be shared on a
localized basis. This attempt to find buyers of
knowledge is accomplished through bulletin
boards, flyers, word of mouth or forums at the
local level. - All of these are inherently geographically
limited and based on the ability of the learning
participants being able to get together
(Physically). - These restrictions can now be lifted, through the
use of an interactive online classroom.
4The Opportunity
- Develop an application that allows for the
transfer of knowledge across the web in a web 2.0
environment. - Promote this new application through a recognized
social networking platform - Differentiate ourselves from Webex and the myriad
of online conferencing applications through a
learning specific approach and solution.
5Leveraging the Facebook Universe
- Facebook, with over 21 million registered users,
and adding a purported 100k per day has opened up
its network to applications that can add real
value to their users. - These users are primarily students from both high
schools and universities across the US. This
social network is utilized for everything from
instant access to friends to networking based on
academic pursuits or outside interests. - Facebook opened their app hoping to bring in
various designers of supporting software that
will make the user experience richer and more
robust. They are hoping to stay ahead of the web
2.0 curve and become the portal of choice for
their users. - The ability to create a unique application that
shoehorns into the Facebook platform and in
effect monetizes the very social nature of the
network will revolutionize the way many people
currently view social networking.
6Our Intentions
- We intend to create a flash based communications
GUI that allows students from anywhere to create
educational content, hold online classes, and
generate revenue from wherever they are.
Conversely student looking fro academic support
in the form of Tutoring will have access to a
vast array of talent from all over the country. - These Tutors can teach other students over the
web. - The Tutors will be able to hold live classes with
single or multiple students in attendance - These Tutors have the ability to set-up
prerecorded classes as well as host live classes
with multiple students. - They will have the ability to set their own
pricing guidelines that will be market driven, as
we as be given tools to advertise their services. - We will create a e-learning business platform for
them, so they can in essence set up shop and
generate revenue in a very short amount of time
with NO fixed costs - No need to buy a domain name
- No Need to purchase or download software
- Just create content, classes advertise and
generate revenue
7Our Intentions
- We are creating a portal from which these tutors
can easily set-up and manage their own tutoring
business and students can find the educational
assistance they desire - In this portal tutors can
- Define their own areas of expertise
- Advertise for their services
- Solicit for students
- Schedule live classes
- Take payments for services
- The potential students can
- Look for classes they can attend
- Leave feedback for other students about the
teachers and classes - Pay for any tutoring necessary in a secure
environment - Network with other students in a forum based
environment
8Why This Makes Sense
Major Universities cost to attend continues to
skyrocket Public University 12,500 per
year Private University 24,700 per year
- Inherent Need
- The cost of failure in the high priced world of
US Universities forces the hand. - Student s struggling in a particular subject
must seek help - Parents and students themselves will pay whatever
it takes to get through
- Knowledge Asset
- On the other side of the coin are the Graduate,
Doctoral, and Assistant Professors. - These people are starving. They make a very low
wage based on their skill set and are often
forced to seek additional work to pay the rent. - They have a massive wealth of knowledge based on
very specific subject matter
If we provide the academics a way to profit from
their knowledge within the confines of a cyber
environment we will have married the need with
the solution.
9The Functionality
- Our API will consist on 3 distinct parts which
will flow seamlessly together as one environment. - The classroom learning / teaching environment
- A flash based interface which facilitates
interaction between teachers and students - The classroom lecture builder
- A flash based interface which will allow teachers
to build tutorials for use in their classes - This app will closely resemble Microsoft
PowerPoint in that it is a slide based approach
to learning with the ability of the builder to
integrate text, video and pictures - The community
- This will be the IPS where all core functionality
outside of the flash environment take place - Building teacher pages
- Transaction functionality
- Uploading of files
10A Compelling Model On the Micro Level
We are building a model that will have
significant impact at the micro level (i.e. the
individual) boosting potential as well as
actualized incremental revenue for the
individual that mimics the true value of the
knowledge based asset.
11The Revenue Model Defined
- This application will generate incremental
streams of revenue in the following ways (these
fees will be detailed out in the following
spreadsheet) - Classroom fees
- A set fee to host a class no matter the of
attendees - Fees for the upload of content to support the
class - A of gross revenue generated per class
- Fees for replay of recorded classes
- Advertising revenue from the portal site
12Cost Structure
- Fixed Costs
- Web based hosting for the portal solution
- Somewhat fixed based on initial projections, but
subject to incremental variance based on volume
(i.e.. adding another dedicated server) - Phone / Internet support for the application
including the following - Billing and revenue support
- Dispute resolution
- Technical support
- These are fixed at the onset based on a minimum
projected volume but will scale incrementally as
volume increases - Admin and support
- Accounting personnel
- Marketing and sales personnel
- Management
13Cost Structure
- Variable costs
- Flash hosting
- Use a complete sliding scale based on utilized
bandwidth. - Negotiate a long term hosting contract with a
quality provider that allows for unmitigated
growth. - Marketing and Sales
- Incremental spend on sales and marketing based on
volume and market penetration
14Marketing
- Penetrate the Facebook network and best utilize
their tools - Utilize conventional advertising
- Multilevel Marketing
- The Black Box
15Marketing
- Penetrating the Facebook social network requires
extensive Buzz marketing. - In-Facebook marketing
- Plug ourselves into the social network through
the following - Register our API with Facebook to be put on their
website - This will garner access to their social network
and relatively inexpensive advertising. - Engage social networking hubs who will see our
API as a socially viable alternative to the
current structure
16Conventional Advertising
- Target graduate students and above by finding
where they congregate both online and in reality - Online forums that concentrate on academics
- Local coffee shops in university environments
- Banner advertising on service based websites
(Craigs List) etc - Internet Radio
17Multilevel Marketing
- Dedicate 5-10 selling spaces at each college and
university throughout the US. - These selling spaces get a portion of the revenue
of every CyberTutor they sign up in an ongoing
fashion. - These resellers are engaged at the local level
and are a physical workforce that will draft
tutors, who may not otherwise be engaged
18Income Streams as a Factor of Volume Excluding
Fixed Costs
19Proforma Income Statement
203 Year Proforma Projections
21Initial Capital Requirements