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’!
social networking
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?
Talking privacy at household & international levels
We – all of us (well, maybe all of us above the age of around 28) – are in a very uncomfortable place where personal privacy's concerned. It seems all of our children are social Web users and we all have growing digital footprints ourselves, whether we're on Facebook or not, and we're pretty uneasy about the implications of all this intentional and inadvertent sharing for us as well as our kids. … [Read more...] about Talking privacy at household & international levels
Fresh insights into teen social media use
Facebook for Facebook's sake – for something to do – is one way some teens use the site, some in wealthier Nashville communities, for example, according to some early observations in social media researcher danah boyd's current field work. "Teens who are more likely to be stuck at home ... are ... much more likely to sit and chat on Facebook because it’s Facebook." They're also texting at … [Read more...] about Fresh insights into teen social media use