After just two years, Zoopy has become a major player in South Africa’s social media space – and, with telecommunications giant Vodacom acquiring a stake in the company last year, that status is set to grow. So, what’s in store for Zoopy users?

Zoopy CEO Jason Elk explains that when the site was launched on 7 March 2007, it allowed users to store their multimedia in one place, with a single URL to send to family and friends. “Today, users upload, discover and share videos, photos, audio and text via computer (www.zoopy.com) and mobile phone (m.zoopy.com),” he says, quickly pointing out that Zoopy is not a social network. “The focus is always on the content, and as time progresses, it becomes a living archive of our users’ media and lives.” That makes it different from Facebook or MySpace, because it remains interesting and valuable no matter how many people are using it.

So, why use Zoopy over similar sites, like YouTube? For a start, it brings all your media into one place, at one URL. It also has servers on every continent, as well as local South African hosting, which means that media downloads at high speed. And, with a file upload limit of 200mb, you have a lot of space for creating longer, high-quality videos. Elk also points to the benefits of Zoopy’s mobile site, which allows you to do everything you would on the web from your cell. “All told, there isn’t a better site for localised content,” he insists.

This creates interesting opportunities for marketers. Apart from the usual onsite display ads, marketers can tap into potential audiences through branded landing pages. More exciting, though, is the chance to sponsor a show on Zoopy TV, a separate platform within the site which features shows produced by Zoopy’s content team. “For marketers who want to dive into the ever-advancing Web 2.0 or video/audio platforms, we have all the bases covered,” Elk says.

That’s definitely been aided by Vodacom’s investment, which Elk says will enable Zoopy to continue growing with the resources required to bring other more exciting, useful and innovative additions. And for Vodacom, the pros include a strong presence in the social media field, especially the non-mobile space where the company has previously remained a stranger, as well as the ability to present new mobile offerings to customers.

What’s in store for the site, and its users? “We’re going to be giving Zoopy some real-world impact, for those mobile phone or computer users who haven’t yet discovered our interactive content community,” Elk replies. “Ultimately, we’re focused on growing our member base into an even more significant and involved group of people, capturing and sharing their lives across all types of media on our site. Of course, we also have some very solid revenue targets, and have outlined a few different ways of achieving them.

“Users should expect more ways to share and improve their media,” he continues. “There will be more country and location filtering, and more shows on Zoopy TV. Expect more competitions and more infiltration into real-world communities that, until now, haven’t recorded or reported on their lives in video, photo, audio or text formats.”

Lisa Witepski is a born writer and social networker. She doesn’t have her own website.