FAQ

Help Center: General FAQ This FAQ covers most questions commonly posed by folks before they actually start using Zurker on a day-to-day basis. Basic Questions What is Zurker? Zurker is a third-generation social app released ... Zurker is a third-generation social app released into private alpha testing in December, 2011. It's special because it's owned by its members. This unusual DNA will help Zurker develop the best social app available, which in turn will propel Zurker to becoming the dominant social network in the coming decade (and beyond). Who owns Zurker? Members like you and me. Here's a list.... Members like you and me. Here's a list. What is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding is a relatively new but exploding so... Crowdfunding is a relatively new but exploding social phenomenon whereby a project is funded fully or partially by large numbers of Internet users. The contributors may or may not receive something in return. In the case of sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, funding comes mostly in the form of donations. On Zurker, contributing members get something in return. Why hasn't anyone done something like Zurker before? The idea of a cooperative isn't that new. However... The idea of a cooperative isn't that new. However, it probably hasn't been implemented on the net yet because enterpreneurs who found startups tend to want to retain as much equity as possible. There probably will be a lot more sites run on the "community equity" principle after Zurker shows that it is a powerful and fast way to build a valuable enterprise. Is the goal of Zurker to unseat Facebook? Social networks do work better if they are bigger... Social networks do work better if they are bigger. If, in ten years from now, Zurker isn't the biggest and bestest social network in this end of the galaxy, it will probably have failed. What is the difference between Zurker and Facebook? There are a number of differences, but the key di... There are a number of differences, but the key difference is that Facebook is owned by a select few investors, whereas Zurker is owned by a large number of members. This means that decisions about how to develop the site are driven with the users' best interests in mind, rather than business development decisions. Is Zurker open source? Not yet. Bear in mind, we just entered alpha test... Not yet. Bear in mind, we just entered alpha testing in December, 2011, and at this stage the risk and security issues outweight the benefits of releasing the source code. But open source is definitely the direction we want to move in. Running an open source project is actually quite complicated - there is a huge amount of coordination involved. What's the point of Zurker since we already have Facebook and Google+? Zurker is fundamentally better than FB. FB and G+... Zurker is fundamentally better than FB. FB and G+ are driven by corporations with their corporate goals. Zurker is owned by its members. Its product is designed to do just one thing, work well for the members, and corporate revenue is passed on to the members. How can Zurker succeed with Facebook dominant globally? Facebook is dominant right now, but it started of... Facebook is dominant right now, but it started off as a small startup nobody had ever heard of. Facebook had a clever strategy for growing quickly, and replaced the dominant social networks of the time (MySpace and Friendster). Zurker is starting off as a small startup nobody has ever heard, but we have a clever strategy for growing quickly and developing an awesome product until we replace the dominant social network of our time. Who runs Zurker? Zurker is currently managed by the custodians. As... Zurker is currently managed by the custodians. As the project develops and the Zurker population grows, our role will diminish and the community will be tasked with crucial decisions. Owning Zurker How can I own a part of Zurker? Getting hold of vShares is easy. Just refer you... Getting hold of vShares is easy. Just refer your friends to Zurker. You can also buy vShares. What are vShares? vShares are stakes of ownership in the corporatio... vShares are stakes of ownership in the corporation which will be incorporated to own and operate Zurker, once enough vShares have been allocated. Here's our page about vShares. Why should I support Zurker with funding? It may turn out to be quite the shrewd business d... It may turn out to be quite the shrewd business decision. Venture Capital investors are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Most people never have the chance to invest in startups, and wouldn't know how. Here at Zurker we have a product you can use, and if you like it, you can easily invest a modest sum. In addition, note that Zurker relies on small contributors from many users for funding. So please do pitch in even if it's just a few bucks. When will Zurker pay me? Not anytime soon. Zurker is not a pyramid scheme ... Not anytime soon. Zurker is not a pyramid scheme and as such you will only reap rewards once Zurker turns a legitimate profit from sales of products such as advertising, sponsorships or fees. We will continue to develop the site in beta for at least six months, and make no serious attempt at monetization during this time. Even after coming out of beta, it will probably be a while until we are earning enough to cover costs, as the initial focus will be on growth rather than profitability. Could Zurker be a scam? Just about every new startup is potentially a sca... Just about every new startup is potentially a scam. A bunch of entrepreneurs with varying degrees of technical ability somehow secure funding from Venture Capital firms. Many startups burn through the funding, spending money on things like fast cars, without ever turning a profit. The Venture Capital firms are OK with that because the few that do succeed, bring phenomenal return on investment. At Zurker we practice Open-Book Accounting so at least you know we're not buying sports cars. Note that if Zurker were a scam, we most likely wouldn't be limiting members' monetary contributions to 500 per member (the limit is in place to ensure that no single member dominates Zurker). This is something a number of members have argued about vociferously. But we refused to accept their money; scammers tend not to do that. Is Zurker MLM? No. Zurker is not MLM. Members do get credit for ... No. Zurker is not MLM. Members do get credit for referrals but it's single-level only. Does a vShare in Zurker US mean I own part of Zurker Australia etc as well? No, each Zurker is owned by members of that parti... No, each Zurker is owned by members of that particular corps country/region only. Where will Zurker be incorporated? Ideally each Zurker corps will be incorporated in... Ideally each Zurker corps will be incorporated in the region or country it is associated with, the exception being Zurker Worldwide which may be incorporated in the US or off-shore. In some cases, government red tape may mean that it will make more sense to incorporate off-shore or in the US. There are numerous complex legal and financial considerations which will drive decisions such as this, and when the time comes we hope to have the expertise available, within the Ideas secion of Zurker, or in the form of counsel and consultants, to make an informed decision. Can I sell my vShares? A vShare is an agreement between the co-founding ... A vShare is an agreement between the co-founding developers and yourself that you will own a stake in the venture to be established. An agreement between two parties can't be sold so our understanding is that it would be odd, and potentially illegal, to allow the trading of vShares. However, Zurker is a democratic, member-led platform. If the demand is there, we'll look into it further and possibly enable vShare transfers. Using Zurker What are the Zurker corps? Zurker has been organized in the form of nine reg... Zurker has been organized in the form of nine regional corps. Each is a precursor to a local corporation, and accepts members only from that region. United States United Kingdom India Philippines New Zealand Canada Australia Residents of the EU, Norway, and Switzerland may join Zurker Europe. The demarcation is geographical and cultural rather than political. Zurker Europe Residents of all other jurisdictions, including China, Japan, and Brazil, become members of Zurker Worldwide. Zurker Worldwide Why has Zurker been partitioned by regional corps? This is a good question, and the answer is compli... This is a good question, and the answer is complicated. We have decided to release Zurker in the form of regional corps mainly because being operated on a country-level ensures that geographically and culturally diverse market conditions and sensibilities are understood. This is why most multinational corporations have teams set up locally. For example, it's hard to sell butter in India if the management and marketing teams are in Denmark. For this reason, each Zurker corps is an independent entity owned by residents of that country/region only. Having users from other countries own shares in other countries would be excessively challenging for technical, administrative, operational, and financial reasons. Note that you CAN connect and interact normally with members on other corps. A member of Zurker UK can subscribe to a member of Zurker India, for example. I am a resident of the United States but I am travelling. Can't I sign up with Zurker US? Focus on enjoying your trip, and sign up when you... Focus on enjoying your trip, and sign up when you get home. And don't forget to take lots of photos you can upload to Zurker later. Why doesn't Zurker have this feature? That feature? And the other feature? Zurker is being developed by a small (but dedicat... Zurker is being developed by a small (but dedicated) development team with limited funding. Don't expect it to be the most awesome platform just yet. We are growing this project as funding comes in, with your support. Zurker has already grown enormously since December, 2011. Every month our product gets a little better. One day, it will be mind-blowingly awesome for public launching. Should I "connect" or "subscribe"? Connects are two-way connections, so a connect mu... Connects are two-way connections, so a connect must be approved by the person you are connecting with. In most cases, a connect is great because you find out what they are doing, and they can keep up with what you are doing. In the case of a celebrity, or a person whom you feel might not necessarily be interested in keeping up with you, choose subscribe. Promoting Zurker Do you have any tools such as email templates I can use for promoting Zurker? No, please send personalized invitations to your ... No, please send personalized invitations to your friends. Am I allowed to invite people to Zurker via my blog? Yes. Yes. Can I invite people who live in countries/regions outside of the jurisdiction of my own Zurker corps? Yes, but you will not receive any credit for inte... Yes, but you will not receive any credit for international referrals. You should still invite them, though, so that you have a more meaningful experience using Zurker.

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