Social Currency - a Concept Changing YouTube's Landscape

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GoBoka Play with the Jamaican Woman Annmarie Richards

GoBoka Play’s idea of social currency is simple - Play it. Like it. Share it. And we’ll take care of the rest.

Provo, UT (PRWEB) April 29, 2014

With the idea that a view on YouTube has monetary value, three YouTubers are showing the world how to convert YouTube views into currency. They call it “social currency.”

The three, Matthew Butler, Joel Robbins, and Jennifer Ljung believe their YouTube channel, GoBoka Play, can empower their regular viewers by partnering with corporate sponsors to fund a cause in exchange for views.

They recently released a YouTube video with this strategy to help a Jamaican woman who has raised 32 kids. At the end of the video the three explain that if the video receives 50,000 views by April 10th their sponsor, the Make Life Better Foundation, will donate a computer lab to the Jamaican woman’s cause.

Watch the touching video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTFL9l5SkDU.

“We feel like so many people watch these compelling videos about someone or a cause in need of help and the videos usually end asking the viewers for money, but in this economy money is not easy to come by.” Robbins said. “GoBoka Play’s idea of social currency is simple - Play it. Like it. Share it. And we’ll take care of the rest.”

The video reached the 50,000-view goal in two days. So the group followed through with the promise to donate a computer lab and released this video showing how they surprised her with the computer lab giveback on live television.

See the surprise here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4x9r4zyc-Y.

“We wanted to change the donation process, so instead of begging our viewers for money we decided to reach out to corporations that are already spending money on advertising and asked them to reallocate that budget in exchange for a guaranteed number of views before they donate anything.” Said Ljung

As a YouTube based group with a focus on videos they have coined the term Play it Forward in place of paying it forward.

“Doing something in exchange for views has been done before,” said Butler. “But we’re not aware of anyone that has taken this approach to empowering viewers to further a cause by partnering with a sponsor.”

Reading over people’s comments on various social platforms there is a lot of positive feedback to the idea. People are saying things along the lines of ‘simply watch this video to help Jamaican kids in need.’

Butler says, “Give it a shot, see how it feels to play it forward.”

Contact GoBoka Play at gobokaplay(at)gmail(dot)com.

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