Netvillage.com Adds Gamification Services to Its Social Networking Solution

Laurel, MD, October 31, 2014 --(PR.com)-- netVillage.com, who provides small businesses with software to build their own branded Facebook-style social network, today announced the addition of gamification tools to their popular Social Networking software platform The combination allows a web site owner to improve consumer loyalty and engagement by incentivizing users with points, badges and special offers for performing positive actions on their site.

Gamification is the use of game mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. Generally, gamification applies to non-game applications, such as consumer-oriented web sites, in order to encourage people to adopt the services. It also strives to encourage users to engage in desired behaviors in connection with the service. Gamification works by taking advantage of a person’s psychological predisposition to engage in gaming, and can be used to encourage people to perform chores that they ordinarily consider boring or even unpleasant, such as completing surveys, monitoring other’s behaviors, or tracking their weight.

“We will be using Netvillage’s game mechanics to help save the Earth,” indicates Doug Bell, CEO of Ecopoints.com, a site dedicated to planting trees based on member’s purchasing behaviors. “Our members will collect points as they shop and be able spend them to plant trees. As they plant more trees they can ‘level-up’, or earn a ‘special badge’ for participating in select planting projects. These tools are absolutely essential to our business model.”

The rise of this type of game thinking creates substantial opportunity for social networks. Brands like Nike and Groupon, government agencies, as well as educational institutions are beginning to use game mechanics such as points, badges, levels, challenges, leaderboards and rewards to create and engage community while igniting viral growth. Integrating these features within a full menu of interactive social networking services (such as Netvillage’s chat rooms, discussion boards, shared document libraries, etc.) is the next step in web services.

About netVillage, Inc.
NetVillage is a leading provider of interactive communication and collaboration solutions (Social Networking) for creating, hosting, and managing social web sites, or special-interest user groups. They provide a complete set of tightly-integrated Social Networking services that provide solutions for businesses wishing to create revenue generating virtual e-communities. For further information call 1-888-NETVILLAGE, or visit www.netvillage.com.