twopointouch

With a hard revenue model and the danger of your users migrating to the next big thing, the attractions of starting your own social network may seem small. But the issue that has hit the headlines is child safety. High profile rape and assault cases in the US have led to considerable anxiety over MySpace and other social networks. In February 2006, a 14-year-old New Jersey girl was found dead in a dumpster after arranging a meeting with a stranger on MySpace. Connecticut police claim that as many as seven girls from Middletown were assaulted by MySpace men who had lied about their ages. Two further cases, in Issaquah and Snohomish County were dropped after investigation, but still hit national headlines playing up the dangers of the network. Penny Powers told me during my interview with her that her daughter’s school had written to parents saying that any child with a profile on bebo would be suspended. MySpace is banned from dozens of US school districts. The website MySpacewatch has been set up to allow concerned parents to pry into their child’s activity online. A ‘Pro’ account for $6 a month will allow you to watch up to 100 of your child’s friends, as well. I am drawn to wonder what a ‘pro’ amounts to under such circumstances.
Continue reading Think of the children