TekTidbits

The Perils of Social Networking Sites for Teens

I have long been a proponent of social networking sites - in the belief that they bring people of like mentality together for a common cause.  Tonight, I have had an incident that has severely shaken that belief. 

I have a Myspace site - not a great one as I have had other fish to fry and haven't had the time to "pimp" out this site as much as I would like.  However, I definitely tried, as I know this is where the young and young at heart hang out.  I sent my 14 year old daughter a Friend" invitation several times, only to have it rejected and have her tell me " Do you know how lame it would be to have your Mom as a friend on MySpace?".   Tonight, I found out why.

Her ten year old sister has a MySpace login and is a friend on her site.  She showed me her big sister's site, and I found that the feature attraction was my daughters, and that of a friends' "butt" shot in tight jeans.   Not  cool!!!!!   I also had the honor of reading the many comments that followed this rear view - many of which were from males who seemed to not have any knowledge of who my daughter or her friend were , but who had many comments ranging from " Whoo hoo" to " Wow- nice rear".   

I am sorry, but parents should NOT be blocked from a 14 year old's site - and bad people CAN hack into a site even if it is set to Private. If MySpace wants to prevent these types of issues, why do they allow a 14 year old to block out their parents from seeing who is looking at their butt???? 

I have left a very pointed and direct comment on the MySpace comment board.  I was, very recently, a sales rep for a UK based company that was inking a deal with MySpace to detect porn photos in their content : Image Analyzer.   From that engagement, I do know that all the social networking companies are concerned about underage exposure and pedophilia.   But that still doesn't answer the question as to why parents can be blocked out of their kid's sites on MySpace?  And the Image Analyzer software is designed to detect nude shots but not clothed shots.  Clothed shots can be just as suggestive and damaging if clothing is tight or minimal.   

So far, nothing that I have direct knowledge of has happened to my very attractive teenaged daughter.  Maybe these are just her "friends" who are viewing these shots.    

I still think social networks (I am actually starting one for geeks) are a good idea - but parents HAVE to be able to monitor what their kids put up on the web, and kids have to understand that nothing that goes up on the Internet is truly private. Nor does it go away. 

All these crazy YouTube videos and pictures that teens place on the web may come back to haunt them some day - and I am sure many of them will be very embarrassed when they do.

What are other parents doing to keep their kids from "overexposure" in Cyber Space?  Comments anyone??   

 

Grouptivity - A New Social Networking Site for Group Communications

This past week, I was honored to be able to participate in a Beta trial of new social networking site designed to improve Group productivity; Grouptivity.

Grouptivity allows the creation of groups, and contacts can be imported from almost any source.  Broadcast emails are easily created and sent, and kept within group confines.

The profile you post when you first become a member of Grouptivity allows you to list every piece of contact information you have, from Skype to Yahoo Messenger. Clicking the envelope next to a person's response allows you to send a private message during a discussion, however, the site is very oriented towards group mail and group responses.

Polls and question/answer postings are made easy by Grouptivity, and a very comprehensive posting template helps with formatting. An RSS feed option allows you to view responses to a topic directly on your desktop. 

I believe this site will be very useful for small companies and groups such as forums that want to share knowledge quickly and effectively.

technorati tags: social network, social networking, group productivity site, group communications site, Grouptivity, web 2.0, technology, social networking site
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Shuzak; A New Social Networking Site for Geeks

It's about time we geeks had a world of our own, and this week I was honored to be invited to review the Beta launch of the first "geek-space"; Shuzak.com. 

Dedicated to all things intellectual, Shuzak made no attempt to emulate MySpace and its teenage audience. Absent is the glitz and cheap adolescent aura that defines most social networks.

Instead, Shuzak is defined by communities centered around a theme; communities such as Ruby-on-Rails, AV Geeks, Law, and even Green Geeks are being created and maintained by new Beta site members as I type.

Most social networks are based on peer-to-peer interactions, such as "Friends" on MySpace. Shuzak defines itself as a peer-to-group site, and is focused on serving the needs of communities rather than individuals.  What a great idea!  No wonder the "Green Geek" crowd has already staked out Shuzak as its future haven.

Shuzak does have a "Friends" function, and you can invite your friends to become Shuzak members.  Your messages to each other are primarily public in your "Zakbook" - unless you choose to mark them as private. 

Another great feature is the ability to post a topic or article.  There are two links at the top of the page for such postings; New Topics and Interesting Topics.  These have a Digg-link rating system called Karma points.  Each Topic post has attracted some very interesting discussions, appearing in the comments section.

If you are a geek or an aspiring geek, I definitely recommend that you sign up for Shuzak.  You won't have to put up with vapid,empty-headed discussions about Paris Hilton or the latest in Rocawear here.

technorati tags: social networking, social networking sites, social network, social network for geeks, technology, web 2.0, shuzak, shuzak.com,intellectual social network
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Spammer Gets Sued by Myspace

Last week, a Colorado man was sued by MySpace for spamming its members with millions of junk messages.  The spam sent was especially insidious, as the program developed by Scott Richter and his companies plants viruses that spoof log in pages.  The users are asked to reenter their username and password, which the spam companies then use to send out all the junk marketing mail.

All this junk appears to have come from a friend or acquaintance. 

Spam significantly slows communications and creates issues for social networking sites - and email.

All I can say is that it is ABOUT TIME these people had to face the consequences of their actions.  Spam emails should be the next area for lawsuits.   It is very annoying to have to clean 10-20 spam mails out of my inbox that my spam filter missed every morning. 

Spammers need to get a life, and find a more legitimate way of introducing their products to the public.  Perhaps someone should send them a copy of GoogleCash!

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Porn on Popular Kids Sites - A Company that is Attacking this Problem

Technology has interwoven its way into the heart and soul of our culture - and nowhere can its effects be seen more than in the behavior of our youth and teens. 

Social networking sites such as MySpace , Friendster and Facebook have become the new "hangouts" - with many new and unanticipated social consequences. 

The issues of children being "picked-up" by pedophiles is well documented - and organized groups such as www.wiredsafety.org are fighting the good fight by educating our children as to the risks and working to put the creeps behind bars where they belong.

But what about the content our children are subjected to when surfing these sites? At present, most social networking sites have only an "honor" based system of identifying and removing such content.

This problem is being noticed by parents, and is effecting the subscribership of such sites - here is a sampling of some of the negative buzz around the web:

·       "Thinking these sites were kid-safe websites, I clicked on a picture that leads to a blog. I never expected to see hardcore porn images. There was no censorship what-so-ever," – A concerned parent, from ChristiaNet.org

·      “MySpace, Bebo and other social networking sites monitor photographs only after they have been posted and rely on members to report rule-breaking. Jessica Ross, the editor of Computing Which?, said: "Children are spending hours every week on networking sites, building up their profiles and chatting with friends. However, what might seem like innocent fun has a darker, more sinister side.” – The Scotsman

A new UK-based start-up, Image Analyzer LTD has innovated a new product that is sure to be very popular amongst these sites.  The Image Analyzer engine can function in the back-end of such social networking sites, and quickly scans and detects (to an 80 % accuracy level) pornographic content.  This engine can easily be integrated into any system such that this type content can be flagged and eliminated BEFORE children are exposed to it.

This same system can be easily implemented as an add-on to your virus checker, or email filtering system.  Rumor has it that the company is very close to signing a large deal as an add-on to one of the popular virus scanners.................stay tuned for more.

technorati tags: image analyzer, social networking, myspace, friendster, facebook, pornography, inappropriate pornography, wiredsafety
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Google and YouTube - The Future of the Web

Today, the media has been ablaze with the news that Google has just purchased YouTube for 1.67B US dollars; a profitless 1 year old company spawned by Sequoia Capital. A media event like this has not happened since Ebay bought Skype.

In both cases, the question was WHY?  Speculation abounds now, just as it did then, as to just exactly what the acquiree will do with the acquired company.

The SF Chronicle said it best, "....San Bruno-based YouTube has helped transform the Web, spurring millions of people to tune in to watch popular television shows, music videos, teenage confessionals, grainy footage of stunts and pranks, and home videos of children and pets. On any given day, YouTube plays more than 100 million clips, drawing a greater viewership than many cable television channels. "

In retrospect, Ebay's purchase of Skype made perfect sense - Ebay now has a tool to connect buyer and seller in real time, plus another stream of revenue with Skype out and Skype voicemail.  The once loud voices of the naysayers have quieted.

Likewise, there is no end to the creative uses that Google can put YouTube technology to in the quest for market dominance. 

Recent acquisitions show that Google has a strong interest in blogging as the next new phenomenon on the web - doesn't it make sense that the next evolution of blogging will be video-based blogging?  Now that web cameras are as inexpensive as a car wash, videos are easy to create and upload. 

Google searches were on the forefront when image based search was announced.  The market needs always seem to leapfrog demand, and both blog and video searches will be the next big wave.  I am sure that the talented staff at Google will make good use of YouTube's technology to enhance video searches, as well as create video based Adwords and Adsense campaigns that will create even more revenue.

The major challenge that Google will face lies in the foreshadowing of legal action surrounding video copyright issues. 

No, I don't believe YouTube will become the next Napster, as it now has the full legal resources of Google behind its efforts.  In time, the naysayers will again find that they lack vision.

Google stock went up today, as well it should! 

technorati tags: Google, YouTube, Ebay, Skype, video based search, blog search
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