WebbliWorld

Kids are responding to the idea of a safe internet hub.

WebbliWorld was launched back in July last year, so we're now celebrating a year 'on the net'! We've learned a lot since then about what kids look for and how they use the internet. What they are responding to overwhelmingly is the idea of a safe 'hub', where we bring the best content from around the web into WebbliWorld. They email regularly with suggested sites and games to include. We check all these suggestions and include everything suitable. (So many games sites have plenty of great, appropriate games but also feature violent and adult material.) I think this really proves that most kids don't want to go on 'unsuitable' sites, they want to be in a place that is meant for them but that is fun, exciting and challenging, too.

We've always known that the user-experience is key, which is why we are now embarking on a new phase of development that will make WebbliWorld even more fun and interactive.

Here's to another fantastic year!

WebbliWorld launches new Princes' Quest competition.

To celebrate the launch of the new Princes' Quest DVD, WebbliWorld have launched a brand new competition.  There are 8 copies of the DVD up for grabs.  All the kids have to do is answer a very simple question.  Check it out, here.

Coming soon...WebbliWorld goes virtual!

No one can say we don't listen to our users. We created the WebbliDrome in response to their desire for a cinema, we made a jokes page at their request and now we're about to go virtual because our users are clamouring for an interactive space!

We're at the planning stage right now, but we can tell you that it's going to be exciting, unique and educational, too! 

So, watch this space for more updates.

WebbliWorld supports Earth Hour 2008.

WebbliWorld is promoting Earth Hour 2008 to help kids understand that even their smallest actions CAN make a difference. Kids are bombarded with negative messages about the environment and it can leave them feeling helpless and depressed. We think the WWF initiative, Earth Hour, is a fantastic event that the whole family/school can get involved in.  It's a simple enough thing to do - turn off your lights and unnecessary appliances for one single hour. 2.2 million people did it in Sydney last year and cut their carbon emissions by over 10%!  That's the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road.

In fact - we really don't want to see any activity on WebbliWorld in that hour! Turn off your computers for 60 minutes and help the earth breathe easier!

Tangshan Tigers Winners

We had a great response to our Tangshan Tigers competition. The lucky winners are WebbliShmikles, WebbliKaria, WebbliWindyWendy, WebbliMistyMoo and WebbliRadar.

They each win a set of Tangshan Tigers adventures, published by Puffin, a cuddly WWF tiger and an exclusive WebbliWorld T-shirt.  Kapow!

Well done to all of them!

Feeling lucky? Check out our latest competition.

WebbliWorld plans Phase 2!

Phew!  There's been so much happening behind the scenes here in WebbliWorld that we've had no time to update our blog. We're in the middle of planning Phase 2.  I can't reveal too much yet - but  I will say that it's going to be even better, brighter and just as safe! We'll be keeping all the things kids love about WebbliWorld - creating characters, building WebbliStaks and checking our the latest sites around the internet.  But, we'll be adding lots of new functionality making the whole site much more interactive.  We've had so much fantastic feedback from kids, parents and teachers alike and we've taken all that on board in our plans for Phase 2. Watch this space!

New Tangshan Tigers Competition

To celebrate the launch of a new action-packed adventure series from Puffin called Tangshan Tigers, we're running a brand new competition.  All you have to do is find the Golden Key which is hiding on one of the pages on WebbliWorld. As usual, we've stacks of great prizes including Tangshan Tigers books, bookmarks and WebbliWorld T-shirts. So, who are the Tangshan Tigers? They're masters of martial arts and fighters of crime! Find out all about them, here. You can read the first chapter of the Stolen Jade, too. We've also got a martial arts expert, Don Ravenscroft, to take you through the basics of taekwondo.  Kapow!

WebbliWorld creates new kids' blog - WebbliBloggers

We know kids really want to have their say on WebbliWorld. As safety is our top priority we decided that the best way to allow them to free-text their thoughts, ideas, hopes and dreams was on their own blog. Every comment is pre-moderated so they have the freedom to express themselves safely. We hope WebbliBloggers will become a really dynamic exchange of views and a fun place to chat. As usual, we'd love to have your feedback.

Read the winning entries from our Puffin Competition

It was great to receive so many imaginative entries for our Puffin Competition. We asked kids to write a story about how they would save Bernie the Iceberg from the threat of global warming. A hefty subject, we know. (You can watch Bernie's animated film on Wanda's page.) The entries were all so different.  Some were even completely off brief but were great fun anyway. It made us think - every great author has to start somewhere, so why not on WebbliWorld? Over the coming weeks we'll be publishing the best of the bunch on site.  You can read WebbliCheesy's winning entry, here. And, WebbliBooman's runner-up story, here. Coming soon will be more entries and a great set of poems, too. Don't forget to check them out. Let's hope they inspire more kids to write. Should we be doing more to inspire our budding authors? Let us know.

New WebbliToolBar and Buddy System – more fun, much easier to use!

We want kids to get the best from WebbliWorld and all the exciting things the site has to offer. One of the best ways to ensure this is to listen to what our users have to say.  We receive huge amounts of positive feedback from kids and parents alike, which is really inspiring. It’s been really helpful in showing us how we can improve navigation within the site to enhance the overall WebbliWorld experience.  The result is our brand new Toolbar.

A clear drop-down menu allows kids to navigate easily from page to page.  They can also see if they’ve received any new comments, whether they’ve received a Wanda’s Award or whether another Webbli has requested to be their buddy.

This brings me to the new buddy system. This adds another friendly dimension to the comments system.  Kids can form a list of buddies – they can view WebbliStaks to find other Webblis with similar interests and invite them to be their ‘buddy’. Once logged in, their buddy list and the toolbar will alert them as to which of their buddies is online. This really brings the community to life as kids can leave comments for other Webblis, knowing that they will read them straight away.

Adding to and improving the site is one of the joys of working on WebbliWorld. And, it’s great to see the community taking shape. Our next exciting addition will be the WebbliDrome – our Aardman-designed cinema where kids can watch films and rate and comment on them. Watch this space!