Tag: buySAFE

uKnowKids Epilogue and Announcement

On January 14, 2020

In Entrepreneurship, Steve Woda, uKnowKids

Ten years ago, in partnership with Tim Woda and a group of amazing investors, advisors, employees, and family, I set out to make the digital world a safer place for kids and their families by founding the digital family safety company, uKnow.com and its flagship product, uKnowKids.

The first company I founded after graduating from Wharton in 2001, buySAFE, focused on making e-commerce safer for consumers and more profitable for merchants. If you have ever seen the Norton Safe Shopping Guarantee on an ecommerce website, you have been protected by buySAFE.

Keeping e-commerce shoppers safe was interesting work, but in my view, helping parents protect their kids online and on mobile devices was far more important, and so I left buySAFE and started uKnow.com in 2009.

The uKnow / uKnowKids team was inspired by a personal tragedy that impacted a child in my extended family, and so we used our digital security, data intelligence, and tech startup expertise to help moms and dads struggling with the challenges of parenting kids in this digital age.

In 2009, the digital world still seemed relatively new, and compared to today’s technologies, it was pretty basic. Apple’s iPhone 3GS was the hot tech product that year and its big features were a 3 megapixel camera and a digital compass. Symbian, not iOS or Android, was the dominant mobile phone operating system in the world. MySpace was HUGE.

Things have changed quite a bit since then. MySpace is gone, and in its place, Instagram, Snapchat, Kik, WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessenger, and TikTok have all become popular apps with kids. None of these things existed when uKnowKids was born.

Over the past decade, we created smart tools for parents to protect their kids from bad guys and bullies; we coached families and educators on digital citizenship; and we helped more than a quarter million families keep their kids safe online and on their mobile devices in more than ninety countries around the world.

Thousands of parents have written to us with personal stories describing how uKnowKids helped to save their kids from harm and improved many young lives.

I am proud of the products we built, the educational content we developed, and the positive impact we had. I am grateful for the parents that put their trust in us, and for the influencers, teachers, investors and policy makers that helped us create and tell the world about uKnowKids. I am thankful for my uKnowKids teammates who have worked tirelessly and sacrificed along with me. I am especially thankful for my wife and family who have supported me through thick and thin.

A fellow entrepreneur once described entrepreneurship as the following..

“It’s like a man riding a lion. People think, ‘This guy’s brave.’ And he’s thinking, ‘How the hell did I get on a lion, and how do I keep from getting eaten?”
– Toby Thomas, CEO of EnSite Solutions

My uKnowKids journey ends here, and it was an exciting, scary, challenging ride for sure. In the end, I am a better dad, husband, coach, teacher and entrepreneur because of my uKnow / uKnowKids experience.

Last week, I was pleased to announce that Bark.us is taking over where we leave off. The uKnowKids mission to protect digital kids will live on with Bark.

While uKnowKids made a positive difference in the world, many digital family safety problems remain unresolved as the big tech companies make it harder and harder for parents to keep their kids safe in this new digital world.

I am confident that our users and our legacy are in great hands with Bark’s impressive team. While I am disappointed we could not complete this mission independently, I am also pleased to hand the uKnowKids baton to Bark. The world will be a better place as a result of the work that Bark does in the future.

As for me, I am on to my next adventure. I don’t yet know where that will take me, but as a serial entrepreneur, I expect it will be an exciting, challenging ride once again.

In the short run, I will spend time with family and do advisory work with Bark and other tech startups when interesting opportunities arise.

I will also stay involved in the digital safety / security world by using my network and voice to advocate digital family safety with the big tech companies, policy makers, and the media on behalf of parents and their kids. We need to keep up the fight here.

As my next venture takes shape, I will be sure to share it with you here on my blog. In the meantime, I wish you and your family the best in 2020.

Good night uKnowKids!

Sincerely,
Steve Woda

Daily Roundup for 2008-03-31

By golf

On March 31, 2008

In Bookmarks

How To Create Your Own Wikipedia Page – Search Engine Guide Blog

Most savvy SEOs know that Google is placing an increased weight on links from “authority” websites. Wikipedia, a free internet encyclopedia that can be edited by any user, is certainly one of the top authority websites in the eyes of Google and I´m certainly not the first SEO to observe that an awful lot of Wikipedia pages are currently ranking quite highly in the SERPS. Many of you likely have tried to place your website link on a Wikipedia page. What most probably happened is a zealous Wikipedia editor likely removed your link very quickly because the prevailing view is that appending your external link to the bottom of a previously created page adds little to the community and likely only benefits you.

Wild Planet Toy Store Boosts Conversion Rates by Using buySAFE Seal

The results are in: Wild Planet Toy Store (Shopwildplanet.com) has reported an increase of 10.4% in conversion rates since the site adopted the buySAFE Seal. Wild Planet Toy Store partnered with buySAFE, Inc. in early 2007 to test the effectiveness of the buySAFE Seal. The store has integrated the buySAFE trust solution into its ecommerce website so that all of its pages display the Seal. Its shoppers are able to guarantee their purchases with a buySAFE bond up to $25,000 . After testing for almost six months across a base of over 150,000 store transactions, Brian Almashie, CEO. of Wild Planet ssaid that “The results speak for themselves: Conversion and revenues are both up more than 10% … I can’t think of anything else I could have done so easily to have such an impact on my business.”

Daily Roundup for 2008-02-27

By stevewoda

On February 27, 2008

In Bookmarks

A CEO Manning the Phones Each Day?

When Alden Kellogg discovered a glitch on Wesabe, he went to the personal finance tracker’s home page, looking for a tech support number or e-mail. Instead, he found a link labeled "Talk to Jason, CEO of Wesabe." The page invites users to reach CEO Jason Knight by phone during a four-hour period seven days a week. Kellogg, a 35-year-old attorney in New Orleans, called the number in July, and Knight picked up.

Amazon.com Tests Retailer Ads – Seattle Times Newspaper

Amazon.com Inc. is testing a new paid advertising program that will drive shoppers away from products on its own Web site. When shoppers click, the advertiser’s site opens in a new window. And Amazon makes money for sending the user along _ sometimes more than if it had held onto the shopper. Razor-thin retail margins have prompted Amazon to look beyond directly selling and shipping merchandise to customers.

Daily Roundup for 2008-02-11

By golf

On February 11, 2008

In Bookmarks

Would Microsoft-Yahoo! Mean More Competition? – eMarketer

On the surface, Microsoft’s $44 billion offer to acquire Yahoo! seems to simplify the US search market share race. The combined firm would be second in online ad revenues to No.1 Google, and ahead of AOL. In 2007, Google rang up nearly $6 billion, while Yahoo! had about $3.4 billion and MSN had $1.4 billion net revenues.

McAfee’s New Secure Web Platform Steers Millions of Consumers to the Secure Internet

McAfee, Inc. today announced that it is making the Internet safer for all users by completing the acquisition of privately held ScanAlert, Inc. ScanAlert is the creator of the HACKER SAFE web site security certification service, which protects over 50 million e-commerce transactions per month and proactively advises consumers about which sites are safe for shopping. The ScanAlert technology will be integrated into McAfee’s award-winning safe search and surf technology, SiteAdvisor(R), which just reached a significant milestone of its own: It has been downloaded more than 100 million times by consumers who request SiteAdvisor’s Web site ratings more than a billion times each day.

Daily Roundup for 2008-01-18

By golf

On January 18, 2008

In Bookmarks

Online shoppers worrying about privacy – baltimoresun.com

Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit card information and other personal data soared to unprecedented levels. Sixty-one percent of adult Americans said they were very or extremely concerned about the privacy of personal information when buying online, an increase from 47 percent in 2006. Before last year, that figure had largely been dropping since 2001.

Asia-Pacific B2C E-Commerce Awakens – eMarketer

In 2006, B2C e-commerce sales for the five major markets in the Asia-Pacific region totaled only $59.1 billion, and Japan accounted for a tiger’s share of the sales. But things are changing.

eCommerce’s “Shoot the Messenger” Strategy

By golf

On April 20, 2007

In ChannelAdvisor, Counterfeits, eBay, eCommerce, Online Fraud, PayPal, Trust and Safety, Web/Tech

When it comes to online fraud, the e-commerce industry seems to hate looking itself in the mirror. Specifically, e-commerce executives cringe at the mere mention of the existence of online fraud. Their first reaction is almost always to blame the messenger for sharing tough information about the industry rather than actually tackling the core issues driving the online fraud that victimizes consumers for millions of dollars every day.

I ran across the following quote from Scot Wingo of ChannelAdvisor in this blog post regarding eBay’s VP of Trust & Safety appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show:

"Unfortunately it’s never a positive when there’s someone with Oprah’s reach out there associating eBay+fraud so I think it was a net negative."

I have learned from experience that Scot Wingo is a very smart guy, and he has proven to be a vocal educator regarding the e-commerce industry. When necessary, he has also had the courage to stand up and point out what isn’t working in the e-commerce industry. My interpretation of Wingo’s comment is that Chestnut’s appearance wasn’t a good thing for eBay’s short-term prospects or stock price. I would agree with that. However, I do not believe Wingo was suggesting that coverage and discussion of online fraud problems are a bad thing for eBay or e-commerce in the long-run. If that was his suggestion, I would disagree with that.

Scot’s comment did make me think about an alternative point of view that I have heard many times from e-commerce executives over the years. I often the hear the following question from execs almost verbatim:

"Don’t you think that by talking about online fraud you are blowing the issue up way beyond proportion and scaring consumers away from e-commerce?"

When I hear that question, I cringe because it displays a fundamental lack of wisdom. Wake up everybody!

Today, more than 50% of all online surfers don’t buy ANY merchandise online! That is a ridiculously high number, and when surveyed, these non-buyer internet surfers overwhelmingly cite distrust of and nervousness about e-commerce transactions. Is that because the industry talks about the online fraud problem too much? No! It is because online fraud is, in fact, a huge problem as reported by many sources including the Federal Trade Commission. Almost everybody knows somebody that has been burned on the internet. Don’t you? The 50% of internet surfers that avoid eCommerce do so because, to date, the industry hasn’t solved the problem for consumers.

The industry consistently takes half-steps so that it can tell the press and consumers that "we are doing something". My honest opinion is that it is a bit of joke (You will want to tune in tomorrow for a very specific example that will probably shock you.), and any smart e-commerce executive knows that is true.

Buyer protection plans and merchant rating systems are simply not enough. If, for example, eBay’s Feedback Rating system and PayPal’s Buyer Protection were enough to make it completely safe for consumers, why does Chestnut have to go on Oprah and explain the issue? Well, of course, he wouldn’t.

If a crime happens in your neighborhood, most people want to know about it immediately so that they can take specific steps to protect themselves in the future. It is no different in your online neighborhood. Ignoring the problem of online fraud and shooting any messenger that points out that a problem exists is not going to help solve the problem.

In the long-run, Oprah’s coverage of online fraud is a very good thing for eBay, e-commerce, online merchants and consumers! Let me say that again… Disclosure, coverage, and discussion of the online fraud problem will help and inspire the industry to identify solutions that will be critical to the success of this industry in the long run.

The minute an effective, comprehensive solution to online frauds is adopted, consumers will buy merchandise on the internet like never before. The minute we stop blowing smoke and we start solving the problem will be the minute e-commerce starts to tap into the ~100 million internet surfers who we can’t currently count as customers.

Consumers want us to make it completely safe for them to buy online. We owe it to folks to do just that. Don’t shoot the messenger! Understand the problem. Discuss and debate it. Then solve it!

Proposed solution to e-commerce-related fraud:
A trusted, objective, regulated third party needs to investigate the backgrounds, history and financial stability of online merchants and then, if the third party is willing to endorse the merchant, the trust & safety company needs to put its money where its mouth is by fully protecting consumers for any deviation from the promised terms of sale. Obviously, that is what buySAFE does.