WeeWorld
{{Short description|Scottish social networking and messaging website}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name = WeeWorld
| type = Private
| industry = Social Network
| predecessor = {{unbulleted list|WeeWorld Inc Limited}}
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{unbulleted list|Mike Kinsella (CEO)| John McGuire (COO)|Celia Francis (CEO)}}
| products = Social network, social game, virtual worlds, avatar
| foundation = Glasgow, Scotland
{{Start date and age|df=yes|2000|03|20}}
| defunct = {{End date and age|2017|05|11|df=y}}
| founders = {{unbulleted list| Mike Kinsella & John McGuire}}
| location_city = Glasgow
| location_country = Scotland
}}
WeeWorld was a Scottish social networking and messaging website, originally created in 2000 by a company based in Glasgow, Scotland, with smaller offices in London and Boston, Massachusetts. The company created WeeWorld.com, which hosted a massively multiplayer online game aimed at teens and preteens. The game was known for its brand of virtual world-based social simulation and customizable avatars known as "WeeMees". By the time of its dissolution, there were an estimated 180 million WeeMees created worldwide.
The company was run by English technology executive Celia Francis (who joined the company in 2004){{cite web | url=https://nrep.com/news/nrep-appoints-tech-executive-celia-francis-to-board-of-directors/ | title=Nrep appoints tech executive Celia Francis to Board of Directors }} at the time it went into liquidation in 2014. Its joint liquidators, Tom MacLennan and Iain Fraser of FRP Advisory LLP, effectively sold the IP behind the site to Metis Partners in 2015. It was thereafter sold to Opinurate,{{cite web|title=Big bids expected for WeeWorld owned by Glasgow firm in administration|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13290576.Big_bids_expected_for_WeeWorld_owned_by_Glasgow_firm_in_administration/|website=eveningtimes.co.uk|publisher=Evening Times|date=September 4, 2014|access-date=September 20, 2018}} who closed the website down in 2017. As of {{currentyear}}, the site redirects the visitor to an unverifiable gambling service.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150317006541/en|title=Polaroid Investor Group Named as Preferred Bidder for Online Site Blipfoto|date=March 17, 2015|website=Businesswire.com}}
WeeMees
A WeeMee was an avatar that could be exported to Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. WeeMees appeared primarily on WeeWorld.com. WeeMees could be used to chat in a virtual world, play games and participate in forums. Users customized their WeeMees with trendy clothing, accessories and interests to make their WeeMee unique.
By June 2005, nearly 5 million users had created a personal WeeMee. In October 2006, Iain Bruce of the Sunday Herald reported a new WeeMee being created every 5 seconds,{{cite news|url=http://moreresults.factiva.com/results/index/index.aspx?ref=SUNDHE0020061009e2a800003|title=WeeWorld conquers the planet|last=Bruce|first=Iain S|date=October 8, 2006|publisher=Sunday Herald|access-date=2009-05-25}} and by April 2008 more than 21 million had been created with more than 600,000 new ones created each month. By 2012, there were 50 million WeeMees, and thousands were being created daily through the main website and the mobile app "WeeMee Avatar Creator".{{cite news|url=http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/04/18/weeworld-s-weemee-s-gather-momentum|title=WeeWorld's WeeMee's gather momentum|last=Takahashi|first=Dave|publisher=The Standard|access-date=2009-05-25}}
=Background=
The avatars were created in 1999 by the founder of the now-defunct website Saw-You.com,{{Cite web |title=Company Details |url=http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/94c4c631b56d477001d60db5ba455b4f/compdetails|access-date=2009-03-26}} Mike Kinsella{{Cite web |title=Patent Document by Founder and Inventor|url=http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2004023336.html|access-date=2009-03-26}} in Glasgow, Scotland.{{cite web
|url=http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2009/05/14/no-recession-in-weeworld-teen-socializing-drives-growing-virtual-goods-revenues/
|title=No Recession in WeeWorld: Teen Socializing Drives Growing Virtual Goods Revenues
|last=Roush
|first=Wade
|date=May 14, 2009
|publisher=Xconomy
|access-date=May 25, 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/microsoft/Weemees-to-find-homes-.2523120.jp|title=Weemee offers chance of virtual fortune|last=Muray-Watson|first=Andrew|date=September 21, 2003|publisher=Scotland on Sunday|access-date=May 25, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.netimperative.com/news/2005/03/29/WeeMee_investment/?searchterm=None|title=WeeMee firm gets investment boost |date=March 9, 2005|publisher=Net Imperative|access-date=May 25, 2009}}
WeeWorld partnered with corporations such as AOL, MSN and Skype.{{cite web |date=29 September 2006 |title=WeeWorld forms a partnership with AOL? |url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/09/29/weeworld-forms-a-partnership-with-aol/ |access-date=10 July 2009 |publisher=TechCrunch}} In 2003, Microsoft began offering the avatars for use to Hotmail customers via the MSN chat service.{{Cite news |date=2003-09-25 |title='Weemees' move into the big time |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3139754.stm |access-date=2025-03-28 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Telecompaper |url=https://www.telecompaper.com/news/weeworld-extends-msn-partnership-to-ten-countries--517977 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.telecompaper.com}} The new service attracted 150,000 users during its first day, totaling 1.5 million hits daily. In 2004, the UK's largest social network, Friendsreunited.com, introduced the WeeMee to their user base.{{Cite news |title=Saw-you.com signs Friends Reunited deal|url=http://news.scotsman.com/friendsreunited/Sawyoucom-signs-Friends-Reunited-deal.2491892.jp|access-date=2009-03-26 | location=Edinburgh|work=The Scotsman|date=January 5, 2004}} In December 2008, the virtual technology firm DA agreed to develop a 3-D version of the avatar.{{cite news |date=December 18, 2003 |title=DA develops 3D animated avatars |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428084548/https://econsultancy.com/nma-archive/42738-da-develops-3d-animated-avatars |work=accessmylibrary.com |publisher=New Media Age}}
In the early 2010s a number of WeeMee apps were released for Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices, including "WeeMee Avatar Creator", "Talking WeeMee" and "WeeMee Vacation".{{Cite web |last=scottishgames |date=2012-04-26 |title=A Pocket Full Of Wee - Games, Gab & Griffins |url=https://scottishgames.net/2012/04/26/a-pocket-full-of-wee-games-gab-griffins/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=The Scottish Games Network |language=en-GB}}
=Celebrity WeeMees=
Along with using their own custom WeeMee on Weeworld.com, users could access the pages of celebrities who had WeeMees with their complete likeness.{{Cite web |date=2011-09-03 |title=WeeWorld - WeeMee {{!}} Avatar {{!}} Games {{!}} Virtual World {{!}} Social Network {{!}} Forums |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903114921/http://www.weeworld.com/blog/celebs.aspx |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=web.archive.org}} In addition to official celebrity WeeMees, the game included "Fan Clubs", which were run through WeeWorld and allowed users to interact with other fans of particular celebrity figures.{{Cite web |date=2011-09-03 |title=WeeWorld - WeeMee {{!}} Avatar {{!}} Games {{!}} Virtual World {{!}} Social Network {{!}} Forums |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903004619/http://www.weeworld.com/blog/fanclub.aspx |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=web.archive.org}} Popular celebrity WeeMees included Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson, Jason Derulo, Greyson Chance, Willow Smith, Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Raven-Symoné,{{cite web |date=2008-11-19 |title=Raven Symone Joins WeeWorld |url=http://thevirtualscoop.com/raven-symone-joins-weeworld/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707031407/http://thevirtualscoop.com/raven-symone-joins-weeworld/ |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=2009-07-12 |publisher=Virtual Worlds News}} The Pussycat Dolls{{cite web |date=2009-01-15 |title=Industry Buzz & Snippets: 01/15/09 |url=http://www.marketingvox.com/industry-buzz-snippets-011509-042801/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112131342/http://www.marketingvox.com/industry-buzz-snippets-011509-042801/ |archive-date=2011-11-12 |access-date=6 July 2009 |publisher=Marketing Vox}} and the Jonas Brothers.
Many celebrities had their own virtual clothing lines on WeeWorld, which users could use to dress their own avatars. Through a partnership with RCA Records, WeeWorld promoted artists such as Alicia Keys and Avril Lavigne through virtual merchandise sales and advertisement of the artists' WeeMees.{{cite web |title=RCA Extends Relationship with WeeWorld to Promote Alicia Keys |url=http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/rca-extends-rel.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525134715/http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/rca-extends-rel.html |archive-date=25 May 2008 |access-date=9 July 2009 |publisher=Virtual Worlds News}} Only Derulo and Snoop Dogg attested to their direct involvement with the game, listing promotions for their respective avatars on Twitter. https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg/status/210835264686399488 https://mobile.twitter.com/jasonderulo/status/34718885890498560
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weeworld}}
Category:Companies established in 2000
Category:Companies based in Glasgow
Category:Entertainment companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2017
Category:American social networking websites