Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is pretty extensive so you should find answers to most of your questions here.Fundamental
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Who owns Zurker?
Users like you and me. Here's a list.
Why hasn't anyone done something like Zurker before?
The idea of a cooperative isn't that new. However, it probably hasn't been implemented on the net yet because enterpreneurs who found startups tend to want to retain as much equity as possible. There probably will be a lot more sites run on the "community equity" principle after Zurker shows that it is a powerful and fast way to build a valuable enterprise.
Is the goal of Zurker to unseat Facebook?
Not specifically, but social networks do work better if they are bigger. If, in ten years from now, Zurker isn't the biggest and bestest social network in this end of the galaxy, it will probably have failed.
What is the difference between Zurker and Facebook?
There are a number of differences, but the key difference is that Facebook is owned by a select few investors, whereas Zurker is owned by a large number of members. This means that decisions about how to develop the site are driven with the users' best interests in mind, rather than business development decisions.
Is Zurker open source?
Not yet. Bear in mind, we just entered alpha testing in December, 2011, and at this stage the risk and security issues outweight the benefits of releasing the source code. But open source is definitely the direction we want to move in. Running an open source project is actually quite complicated - there is a huge amount of coordination involved.
What's the point of Zurker since we already have Facebook and Google+?
Zurker is fundamentally better than FB. FB and G+ are driven by corporations with their corporate goals. Zurker is owned by its members. Its product is designed to do just one thing, work well for the members, and corporate revenue is passed on to the members.
How can Zurker succeed with Facebook dominant globally?
Facebook is dominant right now, but it started off as a small startup nobody had ever heard of. Facebook had a clever strategy for growing quickly, and replaced the dominant social networks of the time (MySpace and Friendster). Zurker is starting off as a small startup nobody has ever heard, but we have a clever strategy for growing quickly and developing an awesome product until we replace the dominant social network of our time.
Who runs Zurker?
Zurker is currently managed by the custodians. As the project develops and the Zurker population grows, our role will diminish and the community will be tasked with crucial decisions.
Owning Zurker
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What are vShares?
vShares are stakes of ownership in the corporation which will be incorporated to own and operate Zurker, once enough vShares have been allocated. Here's our page about vShares.
Why should I invest in Zurker?
It may turn out to be quite the shrewd business decision. Venture Capital investors are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Most people never have the chance to invest in startups, and wouldn't know how. Here at Zurker we have a product you can use, and if you like it, you can easily invest a modest sum.
In addition, note that Zurker relies on small investments from many users for funding. So please do invest even if it's just a few bucks.
Could Zurker be a scam?
Just about every new startup is potentially a scam. A bunch of entrepreneurs with varying degrees of technical ability somehow secure funding from Venture Capital firms. Many startups burn through the funding, spending money on things like fast cars, without ever turning a profit. The Venture Capital firms are OK with that because the few that do succeed, bring phenomenal return on investment.
At Zurker we practice Open-Book Accounting so at least you know we're not buying Maybachs.
Is Zurker MLM?
No. Zurker is not MLM. Members do get credit for referrals but it's single-level only.
Does a vShare in Zurker India mean I own part of Zurker Australia etc as well?
No, each Zurker is owned by its members only.
Where will Zurker be incorporated?
Ideally each Zurker will be incorporated in the country it is associated with, the exception being Zurker Worldwide which may be incorporated in the US or off-shore. In some cases, specifically India, government red tape may mean that it will make more sense to incorporate off-shore. There are numerous complex legal and financial considerations which will drive decisions such as this, and when the time comes we hope to have the expertise available, within the Ideas secion of Zurker, or in the form of counsel and consultants, to make an informed decision.
Can I sell my vShares?
A vShare is an agreement between the co-founding developers and yourself that you will own a stake in the venture to be established. An agreement between two parties can't be sold so our understanding is that it would be odd, and potentially illegal, to allow the trading of vShares. However, Zurker is a democratic, member-led platform. If the demand is there, we'll look into it further and possibly enable vShare transfers.
Using Zurker
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This is a good question, and the answer is complicated.
Zurker is currently available in the following countries. Each Zurker accepts only members of that country.
United States
United Kingdom
India
Philippines
New Zealand
Canada
AustraliaResidents of the EU, Norway, and Switzerland may join Zurker Europe. The demarcation is geographical.
Zurker EuropeResidents of all other jurisdictions become members of Zurker Worldwide.
Zurker WorldwideFor several reasons, the developers have decided to release Zurker on a country by country basis. Each country's Zurker is an independent entity owned by residents of that country. Having users from other countries own shares in other countries would be excessively challenging for technical, administrative, operational, and financial reasons.
Note that you CAN connect and interact normally with members on other versions of Zurker. A member of Zurker UK can subscribe to a member of Zurker India, for example.
I am a resident of India but I am travelling. Can't I sign up?
Focus on enjoying your trip, and sign up when you get home. And don't forget to take lots of photos you can upload to Zurker later.
Why doesn't Zurker have this feature? That feature? And the other feature?
Zurker was developed by a small (but dedicated) development team with limited funding. Don't expect it to be the most awesome platform just yet. As of December, 2011, Zurker is a starting point. Buy a few vShares, and your investment will go towards more features and all manner of good stuff you'll like.
Should I "connect" or "subscribe"?
Connects are two-way connections, so a connect must be approved by the person you are connecting with. In most cases, a connect is great because you find out what they are doing, and they can keep up with what you are doing.
In the case of a celebrity, or a person whom you feel might not necessarily be interested in keeping up with you, choose subscribe.
Promoting Zurker
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Am I allowed to invite people to Zurker via my blog?
Yes.
Can I invite people who live in countries other than India?
Yes, but they will only be able to sign up if their local version of Zurker is online, and, furthermore, you will not receive any credit for it.
Today I heard about Zurker, it's a social networking site that aims to be better because.. Because that's what Nick Oba told Wired:
How is it better than Facebook?Most people will have read "Zurker is better because I said so", I hope you did too.
Zurker is better because of its DNA: Zurker would never implement something purely for the purposes of monetising the user base, such as Open Graph. Zurker is better because it is the future. A good way to think of it is this: Facebook is the 10-tonne dinosaur, while we are the little shrew-like mammal. We may look small and insignificant, but the future belongs to us, because we are better adapted for the new environment of openness, transparency, and people power.
This lead me to another article on Zurker titled Be wary of cooperative social network Zurker by Lea Simpson, I went through the post and then did what I often do, read the comments. It is incredible to see so many evangelical replies, it's as if Jesus Christ came back to earth and gave them Zurker. This looks like an orchestrated response, normal comments wouldn't be so outrageously praising.
BTW, reading this could help understand who Nick Oba (or should I say Naoki Oba) is.
Zurkerscam.com
So I now go to Google, and just type "zurker", nothing else. On the first page is zurkerscam.com, I am so glad to find a website that might have some critique I can read to at least get the other side of the story.
I am honestly surprised when I see zero critic, tl;dr:
Is Zurker Scam?No, it's not. There is zero doubt to me that this site was created by a person heavily invested in Zurker. Zurkerscam.com is a website designed to catch Zurker skeptics and to explain how great it is.
Domain Owners
I of course did a 'whois' so see who own's what domain. Both domains use anonymous cloaks (hide the domain owner's identity). On zurkerscam I get it, but on zurker.com ?Interesting and funny thing, zurker.com and zurkerscam.com were both created in september 2011, strange.. . :
Domain Name: ZURKER.COM
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
[...]
Creation Date: 03-sep-2011
Domain Name: ZURKERSCAM.COM
Registrar: NAME.COM LLC
[...]
Creation Date: 25-sep-2011
Looks like someone at least made the effort of not using the same registrar.. .
Oh but wait, they also have zurker.eu and EU domains aren't cloaked but the whois info must be obtained from eurid.eu :
Name: Naoki Oba
[...]
Organisation Name.com LLC
Same registrar as zurkerscam.com, of course that could just be a coincidence.. . I must be true to myself and give them the benefit of the doubt.
WT-HTML !
I know this may seem unheard of to speak of a website's HTML, but seriously, I can't trust a website that wants to be the next Facebook when their HTML code is so bad. Not just bad, really really bad. Zurker is selling a web based application, not organic cheese directly from the farm. I expect at least a DocType and I don't expect to see the layout done using tables. 2012 and tables ?I am not even exaggerating in saying that even a beginner would not make so many mistakes. On a purely technical level I wouldn't trust the product itself solely based on this. All I can say is WT-HTML !
Throw in Keywords to Make People Wet
Open Source, Cooperative, anti-corporate, anti venture capitalist, driven by democracy, are a few of the words thrown in to get people excited, make them feel like rebels taking back the power (and the code is not open source).That's all crap, because in the end you do not have any power on a social networking website if you are not root on the server that runs it.
You do not have any decisive power when you own 0.000001: You can buy additional vShares for $1 (£0.62) and one vShare is the equivalent to ownership of 1/1,000,000th of the Zurker in your territory You can buy more shares ! What happens if you buy many many of them ? I am going to guess that there is no maximum limit to how much you can own, nothing about this on their FAQ. (update) I have been told that the maximum is 500 vshares per user, I can't confirm this but let's say that's true.
I wonder if owning more shares gives you more voice, it would seem logical that it would be like that. If so it's not really a democracy, and by the way, from the FAQ: Can I sell my vShares?
A vShare is an agreement between the co-founding developers and yourself that you will own a stake in the venture to be established. An agreement between two parties can't be sold so our understanding is that it would be odd, and potentially illegal, to allow the trading of vShares. If only the answer was a clear as the answer to "Is Zurker Scam?"
As per my various jobs and occupations I have read much spam, from reading it I have learned a lot. Quality Spam (never thought I would write those 2 words together) consists of phrases and various words chosen to make people want them to be true. Reading Zurker's websites, interviews and fan's comments feels like reading spam.
