Launched in August 2006, Xomba's mission is to create a thriving community of members who earn profit from posting articles(Xombytes) and social bookmarks(Xomblurbs). Combining key elements from social networking sites, weblogs and contextual targeted advertising, we have created a community that is a nurturing environment for anyone willing to post and share their own ideas. It is our hope that our members will develop into successful contributors to the publishing industry.

Jobs at Xomba

History of Xomba

During March 2006, Nick Veneris was working a boring desk job when he was struck with an idea of how to create a website that could share its revenue with its users. This idea would later be transformed into Xomba.com. Having only been out of college for a little over a year, Nick contacted his former boss and friend, Brett, about the idea. On March 17, 2006, St. Patrick's Day, Nick and Brett became partners and began to plan out what would later become Xomba. After an exhausting five months, Xomba was launched in August 2006 without any major venture capital.

Nick's share of the startup capital was about $1,700 in rolled coins that his parents had given him when he graduated from college. He quit his day job and picked up a part-time job while working on Xomba full-time with the help of some volunteers. He remained broke until taking his first paycheck from Xomba almost a year after launching the site. With a steady paycheck, Nick was able to quit his part-time job and continue to help Xomba grow.

In September 2007, Xomba hit a rapid growth spurt that would catapult it into success. Traffic was growing and users began to report that they were beginning to earn money.

In December 2007, Xomba officially hired its first employee and original alpha-tester, Jeremy Nettles (Baldwin), who brought new, fresh ideas to the website.

In July 2008, the Xomba Hall of Fame was created to honor our most dedicated users.

After an exhausting year and a half, Xomba launched its third redesign in July 2009.  Nick and Jeremy's vision of a social networking site for people who like to write finally materialized.  

In August 2009, Xomba would hire its second full-time employee, Kristen Malmed.  Kristen joined the team after impressively completing a summer internship with Xomba. 

Follow the Xomba team on their blog by clicking here.

The Xomba Team

 

Nick Veneris, CEO

Nick graduated from the University of North Florida with a B.S. in Communications. He was born and raised in Gloucester, Virginia and now resides in Jacksonville, Florida. Nick is dedicated to revolutionizing the Internet in a way that allows users to own part of the website that they belong to. Thus, forming a true Internet community and social platform. When he is not slaving on the keyboard, Nick enjoys reading various novels, listening to 50's rockabilly, playing video games and criticizing B-horror movies. He dreams of one day becoming a real-life Han Solo.

Feel free to follow Nick on Twitter @nickveneris

Jeremy Nettles, Community Relations Manager

Jeremy Nettles joined Xomba in December 2007 after volunteering for the company since the beginning. He has a B.A. degree in both Political Science and Philosophy from the University of North Florida. Jeremy loves music (especially The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, New Order and The Cure), movies (especially Star Wars, Annie Hall, Magnolia, Fanny & Alexander, and Goodfellas) and video games (especially Mario Bros, Europa Universalis, Ogre Battle, Rock Band, and Madden Football). Jeremy also knows that Boba Fett could capture Han Solo anytime he wants to.

Kristen Malmed, Online Communications Specialist

Kristen joined Xomba in August 2009 after interning for the company for the summer. She is in her last semester at the University of North Florida. With only one class to go, she will then earn her B.S. in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. Kristen was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and after moving around the United States for eight years, finally landed in Sebastian, Fl. She moved to Jacksonville, Fl in 2004 and still resides there. Kristen does not know who Han solo is and definitely does not wish to ever be him.

Gag Reel

The Xomba staff tries to have as much fun as possible at work. We have captured a few of these moments for your entertainment. Check out our Gag Reel on Flickr!

Abmox, Xomba Mascot

Abmox came to Xomba sometime around 2007. While little is known about him, he seems to enjoy dressing up in costume to promote many different pages and features on the site.  Abmox has become the most recognizable face of Xomba.  Currently, he's been modeling a new line of t-shirts that will soon be revealed. 

Rob Jones, Freelance Illustrator

Rob Jones is an artist and illustrator based out of Jacksonville FL.  While Rob is not the creator of Abmox, all the current Abmox's you see are drawn by him. Rob has been creating exciting and new adventures for Abmox since 2008. He is the creator and artist of the comic strip Perfect Storm, which is updated on Mondays on his web site, www.perfectstormpublishing.com.  Check out his work there and on Xomba, just look for the purple alien!

Feel free to contact us by clicking here.