Transparency and the World as an Ostrich

Online spin control
There’s an interesting ongoing debate on news sites around the Web about what the digital natives are doing to their reputations and future job prospects with all this public blogging and social networking. At first glance I thought this USATODAY column was just another commentary about how doomed teen social networkers’ reputations are. Then I got to the part with some good advice (maybe I’m just biased because it’s like what I’ve been saying). USATODAY’s
Andrew Kantor writes, “It pays to go on the offensive and take some control over what people see about you online.” Toward the end he concludes that “if you’re a small business [sub in “a person”], even if you don’t need a website, you need a website. Otherwise your reputation is completely in the hands of anyone who wants to write about you online, good or bad. When a comment about you on a small blog is the first thing people see when they search for you, you need to spend some time on your cred.” Tell this to your kids and have them read “Overexposed teen,” a compelling example. Kantor’s bottom line: “Businesses and individuals need to be proactive when it comes to their reputations.” See also a commentary from the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Fry, linked to in “Growing up in public,” looking at whether today’s online youth really will “pay the price for youthful indiscretions.”

Net Family News - kid-tech news for parents

Wow. It’s funny how quickly this argument has erupted again. I was blogging about this about three weeks ago in regards to a “potential” hire whom I nixed (despite the “fanfare” around his “knowledge”). If someone can find your personal journal within TWO CLICKS of a web browsing, you’re in trouble. ESPECIALLY if you’ve “friended” a business through myspace/bebo/friendster/or Facebook. Silly interconnected youth.

Joi wrote a great article about being Transparent online when working online. I think it’s great. Plus… do you really want that much private information about you online? Yikes. It’s like writing your personal details on a sidewalk somewhere.

Basically– we’re not all Ostriches. If you do something publicly, then stick your head in the sand… the rest of the world CAN see you. If you turn your attention away from some sidewalk you graffiti-ed with your life story… just because it’s not in your eyeline doesn’t mean that it’s not in another’s eyeline.

Be in control of your public life story.

E-Book for the Tater Tots

       NEW YORK — Two leading children’s publishers, Scholastic and Disney, will soon discover whether the laptop compares to the lap in the hearts of young readers.

       Scholastic is officially launching BookFlix, an educational website pairing short films based on popular picture books along with non-fiction e-books that allow early readers to follow the text online.

       For example, click on the bar that reads “People and Places” and you’ll find a pair of offerings on Abraham Lincoln: An animated film of a storybook, Jean Fritz’s Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln; and the animated image of a non-fiction work, Will Mara’s Abraham Lincoln, with children able to turn pages, backward or forward, by clicking on an arrow on the lower right- or left-hand side.

       Other books include such favorites as Jules Feiffer’s Bark, George, placed alongside Alyse Sweeney’s Pets at the Vet, and Syd Hoff’s Danny and the Dinosaur, featured with Susan H. Gray’s Dinosaur Tracks.

       “We’re so lucky to live in an era when kids can have books in multiple formats. Each format offers something that the
other doesn’t,” says Francie Alexander, Scholastic’s chief academic officer. “The e-book offers a wonderful ability for helping children learn to read — what academics call building ‘mental models.”‘

       Meanwhile, the Disney Publishing Group plans a similar project later this year, making favorites such as The Jungle Book and Cinderella available online. While Scholastic, for now, is sticking to the school and library market, Disney will offer books to general consumers, charging a fee, still to be determined, for downloads.

      “We saw a void in the marketplace and decided to act upon it,” said Jon Yaged, U.S. publisher of the Disney Book Group.

      E-books for early readers come as e-sales overall have been rising quickly, even if they remain a fraction of a
$35 billion dollar industry. The market for trade releases nearly doubled from 2005 to 2006, from $11 million to $20 million, and already totals $8 million in the first quarter of 2007, according to the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), a trade and standards association.

       IDBF executive director Nick Bogaty said he had no statistics for the educational and library market, but believed the
numbers were at least triple those for commercial releases.

      “It’s starting to become real,” Bogaty said of growth in the digital market. “Publishers are starting to take this seriously.”

     Unlike a few years ago, e-books have users in high places within the industry, including Penguin Group (USA) CEO
David Shanks and Borders Group CEO George Jones. Yaged remains in transition.

    “I still prefer to read traditional books. … But if our program was available right now, I would be reading it to my
child,” said Yaged, who added that he was reluctant to call the new Disney releases “e-books,” instead favoring “digital books.”

   “There hasn’t been enough success with the e-book. We believe it’s better to call it something different.”

   Children’s titles have been a weak part of the e-book market. Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins are among those
saying they have no plans for digital texts designed for young people, while a Penguin spokeswoman said e-picture books are “part of the long-term plan,” but not “the immediate future.” The problem has always been a proper reading device; a laptop screen, a familiar sight for more and more children, could be the solution.

…

Scholastic, Disney opening the e-book - USATODAY.com

Check out that article for more on the future of e-books and the marriage of youth literature & media. Should prove interesting, yes?

Now if they combined this idea with the BRILLIANT September adventure otherwise known as “Spinebreakers.co.uk“– the online community for teen/”youth” literature, and make an interactive experience for kids of all ages (with some awesome moderation & screening & leadership from both a skilled community team and teens)… that would just be the best.  The learning & communication & entertainment would never end.

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Sorry about all the links today– got back from the UK last night and I’ve been catching up all day (since 4 am, thank god for jet lag)

technorati tags:simon&schuster, disney, ebooks, youth

Passing this along: Ms. Peez

Now THIS is mobile marketing with content you can USE!Kids, adults, ANYone who’s been cross-legged while out and about at a street fair has no doubt wondered why Google Maps street views or Twitter Maps or any of the brilliant GPS mobile mashups haven’t tapped into how to use the media’s pragmatic side quicker…Piddle spots!

Not just ‘plant your marker and identify the public port-a-pottie’ type of access, but REAL relief, based on user updates rating hygiene and cleanliness. (hey, I’m picky) MizPee enables you to set your cellphone preferences to bypass icky restrooms or pay stalls…find diaper-changing, handicap access, or even check hours if the list shows the closest public access in a nearby store…all FREE! How? They’ve tied into a useful ad rev/mapping model that taps convenience, value, and the burgeoning mobile market by taking a “while you’re in the hood, click here to check the deals” approach. (Users show retailers the cell’s promo screen to access the VIP discount, so it’s noninvasive)

It’s an ingenious use of data pooling which should catch on in a flash in multiple cities, if one of the behemoths doesn’t snap ‘em up and integrate the platform before they get out of beta. Easy to launch, you basically open your cell browser, navigate to MizPee.com, type in a street address or intersection, and whammo! A list of nearby loos!

Shaping Youth » MizPee Mobile Mapping: Where to GO on the go!

This is great. Thanks Amy for the heads up! (p.s. I am currently in lurve with my twitter on netvibes)

Tweens & Cell Phones: The Eye of Mordor Grows

JupiterResearch on Tweens & Cell Phones

Last week, Jupiter Research released the results of a new study on tweens and mobile phones (check out some of the original coverage by anastasia and webpronews), predicting that tweens will be the next big US market for cell phones and mobile technologies. The market research firm believes that “safety” will be the key driving force of this expanding market, as parents purchase mobile phones for their kids in order to enable
constant and immediate (remote) contact….. (see Sara’s article for more quotes)

With all the new cells for kids and tweens coming out this year and last, Jupiter’s prediction is not exactly earth shattering…they’re either tapping into some of the same trends uncovered by the children’s industries’ market researchers, or perhaps discovering the influence these products (and surrounding advertisements) are already exerting on public perception. Either way, they foresee “dramatic” growth in tween’s cell phone adoption over the next 12 months.

That said, however, the report also found that “parents are still reluctant to add children younger than 10, believing it’s unnecessary.” To this, Jupiter Research President David Schatsky replies, “Mobile communications may be gaining wider acceptance, but it’s clear there is still a line that consumers, especially parents of younger children,
aren’t quite ready to cross.” For him, the answer lies in parents’ different understandings of “safety and security,” which appear to vary significantly depending on the age of the child. Schatsky explains, “For older teens, the catalyst may be going away to college for the first time, for younger teens, it may be the convenience of a parent being able to reach the child. Whatever the definition, it is apparent that it is applied differently based on the age of a child.”

Gamine Expedition: JupiterResearch on Tweens & Cell Phones

Okay– so yes, the UK is typically ahead of the states in phone technology. Last week I saw at least a dozen U13 kids from more “urban” areas of London (Hackney to be precise… wasn’t always the best area to live in, but it’s getting much better) using cell phones as they pranced in and out of buses and tubes.

When it comes down to it– cell phones for the tater tots is totally a parenting call. If you let your 11 year old prance in and out of buses on a whim, then yes… perhaps you’d be a candidate for family cell phones. I, however, wouldn’t let my child prance in and out of buses and tubes at any younger than 13… but I am also a freak about such things, and I’ve rambled on and on about it.

I’m happy to see parents being wary about their kids. Yay!

I’m Rocking IM for Charity, You?

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with some of the world’s most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. We’ve set no cap on the amount we’ll donate to each organization. The sky’s the limit.So any time you have an i’m™ conversation using Windows Live Messenger, you help address the issues you feel most passionate about, including poverty, child protection, disease, environmental degradation and animal protection. It’s simple. All you have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. We’ll handle the donation.There’s no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is.

i’m MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Awesome.  Thanks for the heads up, Anastasia!