Social Networking Watch

BBC Plans Social Network For Children

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK -- Jan 25 -- BBC's social network, MyCBBC, will target children who are too young for other sites, such as Facebook and Bebo, which have a lower age limit of 13. The site will allow youngsters to set up their own "dens" and send messages, but they will not be able to send unscripted messages to strangers. Disney's Club Penguin also claims to provide a safe and advert-free site for 6-14 year olds, funded by a charge on users. FULL ARTICLE @ TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

Online Social Networking New Lifestyle

CHINA DAILY -- Dec 27 -- Google's freshly released "Zeitgeist 2007" reveals that 7 of the 10 hottest topics involved social networking. The Top Ten list includes Badoo, Hi5, and Facebook. Video-sharing websites YouTube and Dailymotion are on the list, along with the Club Penguin. Second Life is the final social network in the Zeitgeist Top Ten. Industry statistics show Facebook membership more than doubled in the past year to about 55 million, MySpace grew 30% to top 110 million. One in every four US residents uses MySpace, while in Britain it is as common to have a profile page on the website as it is to own a dog. FULL ARTICLE @ CHINA DAILY

Children's Social Networking Sites

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK -- Nov 17 -- New children's social network called Moshi Monsters launched in UK. Moshi Monster is a group of cute or scary monsters kids can adopt. Once a monster is adopted within the game, it's up to the user to nurture it and be responsible for its wellbeing, creating what the site's founder, Michael Acton Smith, hopes is an emotional connection between pet and user, reinforced as the monster develops throughout the game. In US, websites for pre-teens are growing faster than adult-orientated sites and the big money is indeed with this market. Neopets, social network where kids can adopt a virtual pets, was acquired by Viacom in 2005 for $160 million (L80 million) and Club Penguin's by Disney for $350 million (L175 million) in August. Other popular children's social networks are Imbee.com, Barbiegirls.com. FULL ARTICLE @ TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

Is the Social Networking Bubble About to Burst?

THE INDEPENDENT -- Aug 8 -- Disney just paid $700 million for Club Penguin, the Facebook for six-year-olds. Rupert Murdoch spent $580 million for MySpace two years ago. Some social networks are able to charge fees, whereas others rely on advertising dollars. How much are these companies really worth and what exactly does a company get for its advertising dollar? FULL ARTICLE @ THE INDEPENDENT

Disney's Foray Into Social Networking

FINANCIAL TIMES -- Aug 1 -- Walt Disney entered the social networking world with its purchase of Club Penguin on Wednesday. Disney initially will pay $350 million for the subscription-based company, with another $350 million payable by the end of 2009, provided certain targets are met. This amount will eclipse the $580 million News Corporation paid for MySpace two years ago. Club Penguin currently has more than 700,000 paid subscribers and 12 million "activated" users, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. FULL ARTICLE @ FINANCIAL TIMES

Sites Introduce Preteens To Social Networking

ASSOCIATED PRESS -- July 13 -- 10-year-old Adam Young joined fellow kids on Club Penguin. The kids appear as plump cartoon penguins. Drawing preteens as young as 6 or 7, sites like Club Penguin and Webkinz are forcing parents to decide at what age they are willing to let their children roam online. They, along with schools, are having to teach earlier lessons on safety, etiquette and balance with offline activities. According to ComScore Media Metrix, U.S. visitors to Club Penguin nearly tripled over the past year, while Webkinz' grew 13 times. FULL ARTICLE @ CTV.CA