BlogSafety.com, a Social Network for Parents Concerned About Social Networking, Goes Live With Support From Leading Social-Networking and Internet Companies |
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By: BlogSafety.com Posted: 2006-07-11 04:43:22 |
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We've all seen reports about the dangers of social networks, but there's no need to panic -- there is a need to get discussion going, say the directors of BlogSafety.com, a highly interactive Web site from the founders of SafeKids.com and NetFamilyNews.org. The site includes expert advice plus an interactive forum for parents grappling with ways to help their teens safely enjoy this new always-connected world of "Web 2.0."
BlogSafety is a not-for-profit project of the tax-exempt Tech Parenting Group supported by a consortium of the leading social-networking and Internet companies: AOL, Bebo, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5, LiveWorld, MySpace, SixApart/Livejournal, Tagged and Xanga. "These companies," said BlogSafety advisory board member and Mayo Clinic professor Dr. Daniel Broughton, "have put aside their competitive differences to support an essential cause: protecting children through education and awareness." Dr. Broughton, cofounder and director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is joined on the advisory board by the leading social-networks researcher Danah Boyd (UC Berkeley), veteran Connecticut youth officer, Det. Frank Dannahey, and software pioneer Daniel Bricklin. While it has kid-tech news and regularly updated expert advice, the site is far more than an informational resource. At its core is an interactive forum where parents, teens and experts can discuss the impact on kids of this new, user-driven phase of the Web, and vice versa. "It's a social network about social networking and family technology," said co-founder Anne Collier. "A vibrant discussion is already under way with parents, teens and experts mixing it up daily," she added. Besides, said co-founder Larry Magid, "why should kids have all the fun?" In addition to financial support, sponsors have agreed to assist parents who post questions in the forum by providing BlogSafety staff with direct access to key support personnel so that parents' questions and concerns can be addressed promptly. The site is hosted pro-bono by LiveWorld, a leading provider of private-label online community and social-networking sites for major brands worldwide such as eBay, HBO, MINI Cooper and TV Guide, The LiveWorld platform includes the same interactive technology and moderated format that these and other corporate clients use to keep visitors engaged and coming back. "Over time, the site will add blogging, polls, and other social-networking features that the platform supports," Magid said. BlogSafety.com is co-directed by technology journalists and Internet safety experts Larry Magid and Anne Collier, co-authors of the soon-to-be released MySpace Unraveled: What It Is and How to Use It Safely (Peachpit Press, July 2006). Magid is technology analyst for CBS News and an occasional columnist for the New York Times. Collier is editor of NetFamilyNews.org, the leading source of family-tech news. |
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