Trying to block MySpace at school (or home or anywhere) is getting harder, since...1. "For teens, the future is mobile," CNET reports, and2. MySpace (not to mention other social sites) is getting increasingly mobile. MySpace just announced its new social-networking app for the iPhone (available free in iPhone's App Store), Internet News reports. With it, iPhone users can "search the network and … [Read more...] about MySpace ever more mobile
mobile
Texting for parent avoidance?
That's according to an executive in Disney's US mobile-phone division: that kids will let parents' calls go to voicemail, then text Mom or Dad about what's up, CNET reports. They prefer texting to talking with parents (and friends) "so that they can continue doing other things like play video games with friends." Check out the texting numbers CNET's Stefanie Olsen reports, citing C&R Research in … [Read more...] about Texting for parent avoidance?
‘Friending’ against school policy
It's against school policy in Mississippi's Lamar County Public School District for teachers and students to text each other or to be "friends" in social-networking sites. "Both texting and social networking have too many gray areas that could lead to misunderstanding and downright trouble," the Hattiesburg American reports. The policy's being considered in other Mississippi school districts as … [Read more...] about ‘Friending’ against school policy
The costs of communicative families
For a reality check on the cost of being highly communicative families, check out a column by Larry Magid, my co-director at ConnectSafely.org, in the San Jose Mercury News. It's so great that Apple lowered the cost of an iPhone by $200 (to $199), but then AT&T "raised the price of the data plan for the new iPhone by $10 a month, which more than wipes out the savings" from the hardware, Larry … [Read more...] about The costs of communicative families
GPS: Matching ads to phone users
"We’re in the midst of a boom in devices that show where people are at any point in time," the New York Times reports. The devices - cellphones, mostly - not only show people where people are (as in parents tracking kids) but also show advertisers where people are. In effect. Cellphone users can opt to allow the information about their location to inform software in the phone what advertising … [Read more...] about GPS: Matching ads to phone users