Interview With EmoSocial Network Respectance

In this item we promised our readers to start a series of interviews with interesting CEO’s, brand managers, serial entrepreneurs and founders of compelling companies. Well here’s our first CEO interview. It’s with Richard Derks, co-founder of Respectance, the world’s first social media approach to sharing memories. Yes, an interesting subject indeed!

Richard and I were colleagues 9 years ago at Finnish Telco TeliaSonera. Last week Richard flew from San Francisco to Amsterdam so I had the opportunity to interview him. In interactive marketing we mostly try to create emotions, but losing the one you love most, needs no emotions added. So I was looking forward to ask Richard some questions…

For starters, I did not know how to call Respectance. I had heard terms like obituary or condolences websites. Or should I call it: a social network for relatives of passed away people? I learned that Respectance is an interactive community that used emo-social media, the combination of rich media combined with relevant content, to provide an outlet for emotional expression of sharing memories.

Well let’s kick-off the interview! Question 1: How long have you guys been busy with Respectance? Answer Richard: We officially launched 24/7/2007 but we have been building on this site for almost a year. And the idea is much older; we have been waiting for the best possible timing. We think that’s the best thing about Respectance; the timing could not have been better.

Question 2: How have you been doing so far? Answer Richard: We’ve gotten great reviews from media and because we’re a very special type of social networking site, we also manage to get into non-tech related media. Being the first ones providing Emo-social media, we got picked up by many interesting people. For example, we were featured on Better TV (Better Homes and Gardens Television) and then syndicated to millions of households. See the coverage about Respectance in our press room.

Question 3: You probably understand we want you to share some of your results with our ViralBlog community?Answer Richard: One of the best site results we’ve seen from Respectance includes a 24% increase in members since October 1st 2007. We also know that while unique visitors are great, the best participation we’ve seen within our site comes when 2-3 family members advocate on behalf of a tribute and then invite the rest of their family to get involved. The majority of our users come from the US and Canada and the Netherlands are close behind. The site has gotten international traction, helped a lot by big events. This really has taken us by surprise.

Question 4: What can we expect in the near future from Respectance? Answer Richard: Respectance is expected to be the number one source for Emo-social media and we plan on extending the service to cover off other milestone events in ones’ life including marriages, births and graduations. We plan on expanding our group section and working with large scale charity organizations to teach them how to fundraise within our site.

Question 5: What does social media mean for you and your co-founder Todd Wilkinson? Answer Richard: Emo-social means the world to us. While other social networking sites allow users to upload photos etc, we are the only social media site dedicated to connecting family and friends around a specific and extremely impactful life event. We are helping individuals heal while also providing a place where they can compile a collective history of someone they love. This is better than any photo album or even home video because it ensures that each family member and friend is given a chance to engage in the story. It also ensures that the information lives on and can be accessed by more than one person from more than one country.

Igor closes the interview by asking Richard: can we do an update interview next year again? Yes you can, Richard smiles. To our community I would like to ask: what are your thoughts about this interview? Any help to you? And, what is your opinion about Respectance? If you have any questions to Richard, post them below! And last but not least: who do you want me to interview next?