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imbee: Social networking for youngsters
If your child is out-growing Club Penguin but still too young for MySpace, imbee might be a way to bridge the gap. Billing itself as "the first social networking site for kids," imbee offers safe surfing options for the 8 - 14 crowd and a way for parents to keep an eye on their little social gadflies.Signing up for a free account with imbee is a swift and straightforward process that requires a minimum of information. Kids must provide a parent's email address which, of course, is easy enough to circumvent but we appreciate the effort.
As a nice added touch, adults can set up their own parent account to access tools that will help them supervise their child's activities. To prove you're an adult, you'll need to either provide credit card information online, fax an information form to the company, or call customer service to provide an address and driver's license number. Although such measures may seem intrusive, it's probably enough to stave off nefarious adults or kids trying to game the system.
Once registered, kids can join groups, watch videos and listen to music, create a blog, upload photos, and send messages to other imbee members. Like similar social networking sites for kids, the more things they do on the site, the more virtual credits they rack up to spend in the virtual store.
Overall, imbee looks like it's shaping up to be a good -- and safe -- place for kids to hang out online. We like that parents can unobtrusively monitor their child's activity and also pre-approve blog posts, profile changes, and so on, if they are so inclined.
After spending some time touring the site, however, it does give off a slight "training wheels for My Space vibe." That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as kids are learning how to use the Internet and sites like this responsibly. We hope, though, that as kids become more accustomed to meeting other children online to play, they don't forget to, you know, go outside once in a while.
So, parents, what are your thoughts on social networking sites aimed at kids? Are they a great way to broaden your child's social circle or collateral damage for kids who already spend too much time online?
[Via ParentDish]
Comments
7
Subscribe to commentsAbhijeetJun 28th 2007 11:46PM
What stops an adult from impersonating as a kid here? This is no more secure for kids than MySpace.
Gail KaufmanJun 29th 2007 7:30AM
Nothing stops someone who decides to "invade" something. This site makes an effort to prevent it. It's up to the parents to monitor *any site randomly. I'm signing up my 7 & 10 yr. olds today. Then I'll keep my eye on it, as I do Penguin.
keevesJun 29th 2007 8:02AM
Do children as young as 8 need to talk to each other via the Internet on some social site? I think I'm glad i grew up at an age where this wasn't even am option!
MikeJun 29th 2007 11:04AM
Abhijeet - if you bothered to actually sign up for the service you would see that the folks at imbee authenticate all users. There's also a parental dashboard that allows any parent (I'm a parent of a 9 and 11 yr) to see what your kids are doing.
This is not anything like MySpace - this is a place for kids to hang out and for parents to check in.
I like it. My family has been very happy with this site.
Lisa HooverJun 29th 2007 12:09PM
Keeves, I agree with you. My three children really enjoy Club Penguin but, if left their own devices, they'd be on it 12 hours a day (and TV, and Gameboy, etc). I clamp down pretty hard on the amount of time I let them hang out on sites like that -- and the Internet in general -- and it's always way down on the list of things to do after baseball practice, playing outside, having friends over, reading, etc. I never want online social sites to preclude the face-to-face interaction my kids need to have, so moderation (and supervision) is the key. I've noticed, however, that they will sometimes meet up with their neighborhood friends in various room of Club Penguin after they've been called in from playing outside. I'd laugh except I've been known to IM people who are in the same room as me when we're both working on laptops. I suppose geekiness is hereditary.
Gail KaufmanJul 2nd 2007 4:55PM
Signed up both kids (7 & 10 yrs.). They love it. I see no difference if they talk on the phone to a friend from across town. We all did that while our parents hated us tying up the line. Just limit the time spent. They still prefer face-to-face, which isn't always possible with some of their friends. The 7 yr. old wants to learn to type & practices on a real typewriter. Love that imbee site.
BrianJul 5th 2007 5:52PM
I've heard great things about Imbee. Yomod (http://www.Yomod.com) is doing something similar in the social media space (e.g., a safe place for kids to interact with age-appropriate media).
Co-Founder, Yomod.com