Virtual worlds make their money very differently from social-network sites - mostly from selling virtual objects. Though Disney's Pixie Hollow and Webkinz and Webkinz, Jr. sell real objects such as "friendship bracelets" and plush toys, the economies of most virtual worlds (and multiplayer online games) rely on objects and artifacts such as clothing, furniture, and other property. Social sites, … [Read more...] about Virtual economies & kids
Research
Surfing by phone: Significant growth
Seems it's only a matter of time before Americans are accessing the Net via phones as much as on computers. And certainly, Web access is coming to the cellphone of a kid near you! A just-released survey by the Pew/Internet Project found that 56% of US adults have accessed the Internet wirelessly - via laptop, mobile device, game console, or MP3 player, and about a third (32%) have used a cellphone … [Read more...] about Surfing by phone: Significant growth
More on virtual world growth
Heard of Spineworld? I hadn't. But a 10-year-old I know told me he's seeing it everywhere in his circles. Now we know from UK-based market researcher K Zero that its population (registered users) has more than doubled since first quarter '09, from 1 million then to 2.8 million now, according to VirtualWorldsNews. Overall, "the total number of registered accounts in the virtual worlds sector … [Read more...] about More on virtual world growth
Kids’ expanding time online
The time children aged 2-11 spend online has grown 63% in the past five years, MEDIAWEEK reports, citing Nielsen Online figures. They spent seven hours a month online in 2004, compared to 11 hours online now, "with boys spending slightly more time on average than girls (7% more this past May)." Of course, everybody's online time has grown since 2004; the average Web user is spending 36% more time … [Read more...] about Kids’ expanding time online
Canadians are big-time social networkers
More than three-quarters (76%) of online Canadians teens 12-17 now have profiles on social-network sites, and many of them on more than one site, DigitalHome.ca reports, citing Ipsos Reid numbers. That 76% is up from 50% in 2007 (eMarketer reports that 75% of American teens use social network sites). For Canadian adults, the number is 56%, up from 39% two years ago. Facebook's No. 1 with Canadian … [Read more...] about Canadians are big-time social networkers