friendsgossip - connect your world!

friendsgossip - connect your world! Where friends meet their friends from all over the world, spend time with each other online and discover new interests. We are one of the most innovative online networks (social media network) for all internet users between the ages of 14 and 99. From 14-year-old teenagers to managers of major companies to senior citizens, everyone can sign up and get in touch with everyone else. Already more that 10,000 registered members worldwide are using our platform to chat with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances about this and that, to exchange tidbits of gossip and to stay in contact. The platform allows you to make new contacts, to find old friends, and to communicate easily via the internet.

Anyone can register - for free! - or be invited to join by other members. The only conditions for creating your own individual profile are that you are at least 14 years of age and that you provide us with your real first name and a valid e-mail address. Every member has access to the same functions: you can send and receive messages, search for friends, invite friends to join, create photo albums, chat or make blog or forum entries.

friendsgossip offers you the chance to stay in contact with other internet users all over the world. In addition to the German portal, there will be an English version starting in February 2009.

friendsgossip is a project of gossip media in Hamburg, Germany and has been online for the whole world since December of 2008. The platform was developed and founded by and .

Where did the idea for friendsgossip come from
friendsgossip grew out of several ideas that these two outgoing, travel-crazed and very busy people from Hamburg and Mörlenbach had for staying in contact with their families, friends, acquaintances and colleagues.

A few of the reasons for developing friendsgossip:
- staying in touch with friends and acquaintances from all over the world
- finding old friends
- finding out who knows whom
- finding new contacts and friends or simply getting to know people.
- To be able to network hassle-free over a central and innovative portal
- To have worldwide access to contacts at any time day or night

There are two ways:

- you can be invited to join by a registered member
- or you can register yourself and fill out a profile

Then you can have a look around and see if you like the portal, and if you know anyone here. As soon as you've found a friend or invited someone to join you can contact other gossipers - either by chatting, writing messages, writing your own online "diary" (blogging), posting events - and much, much more.

We at friendsgossip are very concerned about protecting minors. That is why the minimum age for becoming a member is 14. The friendsgossipportal helps young people get to know computers and the internet in a fun way, helps them get in touch with other young people and to be creative (media education). In addition we attempt to support individuals and set positive examples through social activities and with the help of the community.

Our game rules (no sex, no violence, no politics) also ensure a friendly atmosphere. A voluntary age filter ensures that young members are protected from contact with adults and that they can stay among themselves. For many of the functions and contents, users can choose who may see their information and what information should remain private.

Our large support team and countless voluntary helpers are constantly and responsibly on the lookout for the occasional entry that is undesirable and unsuitable for minors, and such entries are removed immediately from the platform.
Our feedback form also offers members the opportunity to notify us of inappropriate content or photos at any time. Experience has shown that this type of community control works very well. For extreme cases, we are in close contact with law enforcement officials - again, for the protection of our members.

friendsgossip is and will remain free of charge for all users. Our financial support comes from classic advertising banners on the one hand and from special, innovative forms of advertising like reference programs and premium-rate services for our users on the other.
In some cases advertisements will be placed according to age or gender, or will be for a limited time period, in order to provide our users with offers that are relevant to them. We are constantly on the lookout for new advertising partners.

We are serious about the protection of our users' information and conform to the strict German data protection laws. Users' information will never, under any circumstances, be forwarded to third parties, nor will it be sold. In order to adequately protect user information from "outside attacks" by hackers, we work with professional internet security firms.
Users themselves can also help to protect their own data, beginning with reading the Terms & Conditions and choosing a password carefully, up to logging out properly when they have finished their sessions. In particular, each user should carefully consider whether he or she really wants to show all other gossipers the personal information contained on their profile page. Each member can individually regulate their privacy settings.

The further development of the platform is strongly influenced by ideas and suggestions from our own ranks, in the sense of Web 2.0 - that means from our members. The communications area will most certainly be further developed, to reduce the networking time and to optimize the contact management.
In addition, friendsgossip will become more international and more mobile (from your cell phone to the platform and back). But who knows what tomorrow will bring

friendsgossip - connect your world!