Allvoices Provides Citizen Journalist with a Global Incentive to Showcase Their Work, Make Money

New Model for User-generated Content Features Aggressive Compensation for Contributors and Hyper-targeted Opportunities for Advertisers

SAN FRANCISCO — May 6, 2009 — Allvoices, Inc. (www.allvoices.com), the first open media site where anyone can report from anywhere, launched a new incentive program and site enhancements designed to reward excellence in citizen journalism with a unique model for consumer-generated media.  Built on the success of the company’s first program, Excellence in Citizen Journalism, the Build Your Allvoices Brand initiative rewards contributors from around the globe with cash and creates the first platform where news consumers, citizen journalists and advertisers engage around high-quality user-generated content. 

Along with the new incentive for citizen journalists to develop their personal brand, Allvoices has added features to help contributors quickly build a large audience.  Starting today, registered contributors’ posts to Twitter will update in real time on their Allvoices profile pages, and contributors’ stories published on Allvoices will automatically be posted to their Twitter accounts.  An opt-in email feature has also been launched to send contributors’ published articles to their email contact lists.  This combination of features and incentive are just part of an exciting new model for citizen journalism which helps advertisers and contributors make money through the development of:

Individual Brands (Persona) – Using today’s technology, journalist brands don’t need to be anchored at traditional media firms.  Quality and originality does matter, and Allvoices provides the platform for contributors to showcase their unique talents.  Through the power of the platform, each individual brand attracts a different mix of audience, fans and even advertisers.  Premium advertisers will support premium brands, and Allvoices ensures the right advertisers are placed next to the brands they would support.  This pairing is enabled through an algorithm in the system which ranks report authenticity and contributor credibility.

Tools to Build Brand – Allvoices is a unique platform for sharing news and opinion.  It provides instant exposure, credibility, engagement and an unprecedented opportunity to build an audience.  Contributors can build either a micro- or mega-community with which to engage on the site by utilizing all the site features.  The contributor level and rate at which they are paid is determined by their ability to generate quality content, effectively engage on the site and extend their reach to a global audience.  Contributor reach is measured right on their profile pages, details their level of influence by country and is viewed by mousing over the small globe labeled “reach” under their contributor profile picture. 

An Innovative Approach – Allvoices is the first participatory journalism site to bring readers, contributors and advertisers together in a true consumer generated media environment.  Contributors get paid based on the strength of the brand they build; advertisers benefit from a true Return of Engagement with readers and contributors in niche or broad categories, and the model scales to meet any level of content or traffic demands. 

Citizens, aspiring journalists, writers, bloggers, students, photographers and videographers from around the world are encouraged to participate in the cash incentive program which started on May 1, 2009 and ends on December 31, 2009.  Contributors will be rewarded based on the quality of their submissions, response from the community and strength of their brand, and are ranked in the following three categories:

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