We all saw it coming last summer: videogaming getting even more physical. Used to be, waving around a Nintendo Wii controller was the ultimate in physical videogame play. But with Microsoft's Kinect – which entered the marketplace last week – gamers now don't even need a controller. This is both very cool and, at least in this first iteration of the Kinect technology, a bit problematic, <a … [Read more...] about Kid & family ‘Kinect-ing’ from Microsoft
Archives for November 2010
The social Web, reputations & an election
Five years ago was, I think, was the first time I wrote about young Net users needing to be good spin doctors and get in touch with their inner political consultants. I was thinking more about protecting reputations and future prospects than opportunities to run for office. But now we've had the first election in which politicians have had to confront the social-Web skeletons in their closets, the … [Read more...] about The social Web, reputations & an election
Check out our new ‘Parents’ Guide to Facebook’!
We ConnectSafely folk are pleased (and excited) to tell you about our new little Facebook guide for parents, educators, and everybody looking for the basics on the world's most popular social networking site – what it is, why young people use it, how to turn it into a great parenting tool, and how to optimize its privacy settings for teens. I started NetFamilyNews 11 years ago on the premise that … [Read more...] about Check out our new ‘Parents’ Guide to Facebook’!
Parenting & overparenting in the digital age
What struck me about danah boyd's post about the helicopter-parenting of social media users was that the banning of Facebook forces young people "to choose between social status and parental obedience." Though I wouldn't put it exactly that way, my own parenting experience tells me she's right. My 18-year-old and 13-year-old both use Facebook, although (and quite naturally) differently, because … [Read more...] about Parenting & overparenting in the digital age
Good or bad ‘Deals’ for FB users?
Add the mobile piece to social shopping + social networking and we just might have a new killer app (i.e., huge uptake). What I'm talking about is Facebook's just-announced "Deals." Analysts are saying social shopping (users giving products in virtual stores, or Web sites, a "Like," review, or comment) was ho-hum. What really adds interest and potential mass appeal is a pay-off, the BBC reports – … [Read more...] about Good or bad ‘Deals’ for FB users?