Mammoth Brand, a marketing/manufacturing initiative of NSI International, has launched Doko, an online social network and trading game targeted to K7-13. Kids can collect and trade Doko discs (small 40 mm in diameter pieces), each of which features a Doko design and has a unique ID etched on its rim that can be registered online to receive points. When players trade/give a disc to another player and they register the code, both users Doko points (up to five times after the initial registration). Disc points can be used to unlock features on the website as well as be redeemed for real goods and services from Doko partners including www.toysrus.com , DK Publishing and www.etoys.com . Additionally, players can interact with one another through the virtual network via a range of games as well as via chats online and send messages to offline players. While the first Doko discs were distributed in cities around the world, as of launch the discs are available at Toys R Us, to be followed by other retailers.

Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis - Cyn Kids 5/12/08

Sweet. Sounds a lot like POGs, 2.0 style. I’ll have to pick some up at Toys’R'Us later. As for the site? Not seen it yet. I’ll take a look later this week (a bit bogged down - hence crazy ramble posts lately).

Anyway, something to keep an eye on– especially for innovation in the trading/collecting sphere (Chaotic, Pokemon, Magi Nation, Bella Sera, etc)

UPDATE: So yeah, took a pre-peek at the site, and the concept is pretty wicked…

What is Doko?
Doko™ is the World`s First Global Trading Game! You child can trade and collect Doko (chips) with other children on your block or around world and track where they go on the internet at www.dokodrop.com.

What do I do with it?
You register it at www.dokodrop.com and then give it to someone else for them to register and then give to someone else and so on and so forth. Each Doko can be traded 5 times after the first registration. At www.dokodrop.com , you can track where your Doko has been registered.

Is the online part safe?
It is very safe. All chat is “canned” so kids can`t disclose any personally identifiable information, be harassed or bullied by others or have any conversations that are “inappropriate”.

Why would I want my child to do this?
There are several benefits from trading doko. The first and foremost is you get to be a part of the world of Doko where you can you can track the progress of your Doko - and every other doko in the world.

You can also safely chat with other Traders who are on-line, message with those who are off-line and play 100`s of games FOR FREE.

“You’d rather do anything in the world than disappoint a guest,” John Spelich, a vice president in the Walt Disney Internet Group, told the AP. “But in this particular instance, this promotional site is going to come to an end. We have invited those players who like features of VMK to sample the other ways we’re offering to engage with Disney online.”

We’ve heard Disney President Robert Iger talk about the similarities between virtual worlds and theme parks before when it come to extending a major franchise. VMK did just that for one of the biggest franchises of all, Disneyland.

It doesn’t sound like the picket line could have been particularly deep, but it does highlight the risk of using a virtual world to promote a product. I’ve seen it in the comment section from when Coke switched over to There.com from the independent Coke Studios, users erupted when VMK announced its closing, and EA is seeing a backlash from users after the recent announcement that EA-Land/The Sims Online would be closing down.

Virtual worlds are great for marketing and promotions because users form strong emotional attachments to their avatars and tight-knight communities. Taking that away will always be upsetting.

Virtual Worlds News: Virtual Magic Kingdom Users Picket Disneyland

Wowza. Ya know, this gets me thinking more… So, Disney informed the VMKers like 2 months in advance as a courtesy, right? They didn’t HAVE to inform anyone. They could have just closed their doors. They’re sticking to their guns and closing shop.

That 2 month warning was their way of allowing users to collectively move on to other avenues & worlds.

And it backfired.

…So the question stands: Do you give courtesy 2 months, semi-responsible 2 weeks, or shut without notice and leave a message on the door?

What VMK has done = sparked a conversation about power & the people. Who has the power? Who has the respect?

How this VMK situation will affect future youth-based Virtual Worlds and the business’s view. Why? Because insulting the audience is insulting your supporters. And yet, insulting your product (by no longer supporting the quality & agenda of that product’s goal) is both insulting to the audience and the company.

The ones who get it easy? The young, the less conglomerate companies/brand names/virtual environments. Why? Because they don’t have the eternal existence that Disney seems to have. You look at Disney and you KNOW there is money there. Sure, behind the red curtain all that money is allocated to various positions, events, causes, agendas, etc. It doesn’t really just sit in a vault like Uncle Scrooge - waiting for the frivolous spending (or swimming). Disney = strategical machine. And if you don’t have a big backer like that, it’s easier (it’s never easy) to shrug and say “We can’t do this anymore. Thanks for the memories.” And close shop.

And isn’t it better to close shop then carry on some half-baked, poorly supported environment that’s a shadow of what it used to be, and can hardly compete with the world at hand? Mmm. Maybe that’s a personal decision - but as someone that works HARD in the youth entertainment biz? You let decent programs turn to crap for youth - it’s dangerous and a liability.

So what will happen as these big, trusted brands open worlds of “promise” for tater tots and then move on to other projects. Remember - worlds are thriving environments. THRIVING. People show up because they’re part of the overall world, not because they have to for work or education or by law. It’s a matter of choice. That choice and the thriving nature of these world-round, live environments deserves RESPECT.

And yet, we’re back to that respect, that empowerment. No longer is “respect” a single word with a single definition direction, it becomes split: Respect for the user, respect for the entity, respect for the company.

So - to me, VMK did the right thing. They no longer plan on supporting a project that isn’t in line with the quality they hold themselves at. And instead of letting it fall to the wayside, they’re doing the right (and difficult) thing of closing it. What they did wrong? - some could say, they didn’t realize the gravity of impact their “closing shop” announcement might have. Some could say they should have presented a better strategy package for closing down the virtual domain of so many passionate users.

Me? I say nothing and watch shrewdly, and remember back to the times when we would leave my grandmother in St. Louis. She would stand on the front stoop of her apartment complex, and I would sob the sob of a thousand heartaches (my gma lived alone, and she was the most elegant lady I had ever met, and leaving her made me afraid for her, since as a child i never wanted to be alone, and for someone i loved so intensely to be alone? That was something I couldn’t understand or handle in my youth). Naturally, there’d be like a 45 minute period before mom & dad managed to get me into the car where I’d be holding on to her leg, the couch, the chair, random pillows - all trying to buy just a LITTLE bit longer with her. And when we’d get in the car (me sobbing more for the sake of losing that battle), she’d wave, stand strong, and dad would pull away– only to do a few loops in the parking lot. I would cry for the first half hour of the trip, then we’d stop at a gas station, I’d get some candy, and we’d move on.

When I think of this, I remember– children, kids, teens, etc have EVERY right to their emotions, and their connections to the things they care about. But what I remember now is that my parents never let me feed into that. They allowed my tears, but didn’t egg me on. I knew it hurt them to leave her just as much as me. And yet, they stayed strong, and remained role models, and focused on the future.

What about you? What would you do in Disney’s situation? How would you react as a parent of a child participating in a world that is closing down? What benefits, learning experiences can be created from such an event?

p.s. sorry if this is a bit of an incoherent mish-mosh ramble.  It’s monday morning, peeps. 

…But the distorted Kathie Lee Gifford live interview with renown, long time blogger Heather B. Armstrong of Dooce (who self describes she’ll be “forever branded” as making KLG “uneasy”—video clip here) was bolluxed at best. (see more on Heather’s history as a hipster matriarch blog goddess at: The Dawn of Mommy Blogs)

The curt, clipped Today Show blip leaving viewers a bit befuddled at the lack of erudite commentary or the community-building aspects of social media makes me wonder if ‘mainstream press’ will EVER remotely begin to understand ‘nontraditional media’ as a powerful Web 2.0 force to be reckoned with…

A quick TweetScan shows Kathie Lee Gifford’s cluelessly dismissive positioning of mom bloggers as exploitive opportunists in a vanity gambit rather than an information resource and tightly woven community managed to offend, rile and belittle much of the ‘wired world.’

Kathie Lee Gifford deftly managed in a few swift seconds to judgmentally (and hypocritically) spew vapid ‘internet safety’ tripe to further the fear-mongering misperceptions of the digital dialogue overall, while simultaneously admitting she knows very little about the digital sphere! Yowza.

Scary stuff giving talking heads the power of a media microphone without teaching them how to use the platform in question…sheesh.

Ah well…TV is still the mother of all mediums, but with that type of reckless, superficial blather and those broad-sweeping, misguided generalizations, my guess is it won’t be on the top of the heap for long.

Shaping Youth » Moms Who Inspire & the Non-Moms Who Support Us!

It’s funny that Amy Jussel (Happy Mommola’s day to you too, Amy) over at Shaping Youth, mentions this.  Why?  Because it’s been something that I’ve found knocking at my window (not door, it’s not that direct yet) for a few months now… especially in regards to the 6v1 chick fight from those darling dears down in Florida (grumble, punk, sigh for the future, grumble, and “meh”).  I remember watching the coverage of that debacle - and all the “blame the youtube, it made our children claw each other” hallabaloooooo.

Oh, television news.  News news news.  I shaketh my headth. 

Anyway, I do think this is a buzzing-fly topic.  Something you swat at with subconscious irritation while you focus on other, more pressing topics.  I do hope that maybe peeps like Kathy Lee might have a bit more time for understanding this giant thing called the “interweb” than what she showed.

A lot of people spend their mornings watching these news programs, and if they’re just going to go ahead and blindly spread the fear of the web, and not really address the issues of web safety, proper home internet usage, etc?  Then boo.  Booooo. 

So, weird ramble ending, do stay cognizant of TV (news in particular)’s web-information-knowledge-share approach… because if that fly irresponsibly buzzes any louder and lands in your tea… that is going to be a problem.
 
(Side note: deep down, I giggle privately because I just had the thought regarding KLG, Meredith Viera wouldn’t do something like that… lol.  Actually, I’m not really sure if she would, or wouldn’t (I hope she wouldn’t), I’m simply a big Meredith fan - she’s ever so slightly goofball bonkers, and yet respected and strong.  An icon for young goofballs everywhere, lol.  Plus, anyone notice how happy the Today show team is now?  Matt Lauer seems less annoyed-stiff.)

But casual games and the appearance of the Nintendo Wii have changed that profile and now it looks like it is about to change again.

Research suggests that there are about

158 online games and virtual worlds in development or up and running designed specifically for children.

While some of that total are recognisable games, most should be classified as virtual worlds, said Joey Seiler, editor of Virtual Worlds News, who drew up the exhaustive list.

Although these worlds, such as Club Penguin and Neopets, have games in them they are more an environment children can explore via their avatar.

“There are things to play with, like monkey bars or virtual snowballs, but it’s up to the kids to figure out what to do with them,” said Mr Seiler.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Boom times for virtual playgrounds

There’s tons to that article.  Go read. 

“I think one of the biggest challenges is the irresponsible nature with which our industry has taken care of kids for a long time - so there’s a great cynicism out there, and understandably so,” Merrifield told GamesIndustry.biz.

“I’m a parent myself, and part of why we created Club Penguin was my own frustration with what was out there.”

Merrifield also thinks that there is an over-reliance on technology that ignores the human element, which is why they’ve decided to devote two-thirds of the company’s staff to positions such as safety moderators and customer service.

“We know the limits of technology, even though I would put our filtering software up against anybody’s, especially because of that human element - we’re adding 500 to 1000 words every day to the filters, simply because of slang that works its way into the language.

“And every new pop song that comes out is inevitably going to reference something that was innocent the week before, but isn’t so much now,” Merrifield said.

The company faced a challenge trying to explain the concept to people who would try to compare it to Facebook or MySpace - the antithesis of Club Penguin, which encourages kids not to reveal any personal identifiable information.

MMO Week: Industry has been irresponsible with kids // News // GamesIndustry.biz

WOOT.  This is a solid, compact report from CP (thanks co-worker Brian, for passing this along). 

The #’s for their filters does NOT surprise me.  They have extensive chat choices in CP, and it almost feels at times that you can say just about anything.  They have a HUGE staff in their fortified HQ, all of whom spend their days just thriving with the site, rolling continuously with the punches, etc.  Rock stolid team. 

And the great thing about VW’s like CP is that it’s about identity exploration.  You are expected NOT to be you-as an identifiable individual- but you as you want to play.  It’s the imaginary you-as-a-penguin-blob.  All visual judgments are based on how you present yourself (which is usually as wacky as possible - I am in a squid suit at all times, some times with a tie, some times with a tennis racket…).  

Anyway, I thought the content of this article (namely the word to filter #’s) were impressive and great to share.

[conf] Live coverage of Logging into the Playground: How Digital Media are Shaping Children’s Learning

Watch the live stream from the First Annual Joan Ganz Cooney Center Symposium focusing on the Impact of Digital Media in educating children event “Logging into the Playground: How Digital Media are Shaping Children’s Learning” here:

Global Kids’ Digital Media Initiative

Go check it out if you have the time today.  Apparently there’s a possibility of The Electric Company making some sort of return? 

Entertainment Rights inks deals with YouTube, Joost and Babelgum to provide all three digital platforms with a selection of its kid/family-targeted animated content with the launch of Retro Heroes, a new free-to-view channel.  Under the deal, YouTube debuts a version of Retro Heroes that features short-form (2 and 5 minute) webisodes from ER’s library, while Joost and Babelgum will also introduce Retro Heroes, but will feature selected long-form programming.  Entertainment Rights programming featured as part of these partnerships include, He-Man, She-Ra, Trapdoor, Felix the Cat, Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Archies, Fat Albert and Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis - Cyn Kids 5/7/08

Man.  When Pop Culture deems something popular, all common sense rules go out the bloomin’ window.

Last time I checked, and I’m pretty damn sure (sorry for the curse word, but I’m irritated), youtube is NOT for anyone under 13 years of age. 

So screw you practices, laws, and safety.  Entertainment transcends your silliness in order to ALWAYS reach the audience.  No pitiful U13 nonsense adheres to us.  We’re going to go ahead and show all our family friendly programing on age-sketchy platforms.  And you know what?  Why not go a step further… we’ll start putting cartoon ads on cigarette packages, downloadable stickers on age verification pages for porn, and pass out freebies underneath the football stadium stands.  Rock on, pop culture & your ability to roll over silly little safe guards!

Meh, I say… MEH!  Now, if this statement was gearing this retro-ish content towards non kids– and instead offering this info to the children of the 70’s/80’s… that makes sense.  I would definitely be geared up for some good ole Archies & She-Ra.

I’m just tired of this flippant shrug, like youtube is this all powerful force, and people don’t give a crap about the safe guards for youth.  And really– it’s not completely youtube’s fault.  They have age verification that kids lie to get around.  Parents need to start reading the privacy policies (I’m sorry, I know that sucks and the fine print is tedious, but seriously, you don’t send your kid to sleep overs without knowing the family first, do you?  Or at least having a conversation with the mom when you drop tater tot off, right?).  And businesses with agenda’s need to figure out their audience.  Are they putting their content on youtube for teen/adult fans?  Or trying to catch the wee lying tater tots and reel ‘em in? 

It’s just sketchy to me to see anyone posting content in hopes of attaining kid fans on youtube.  It’s like acknowledging kids are breaking the rules and them rewarding them for it.  That’s not cool. 

Rant over.  Meh-titude sets in.  Another tally for youtube. 

It’s one of the longest-running shows in television history, and one of the best-loved — so perhaps it’s not surprising that there are more than 20,000 Sesame Street videos on YouTube alone. Babble combed through countless fan sites and video pages — not to mention our collective memories — to bring you the 50 most memorable moments in Sesame Street history. Watch them all here, then leave your own favorites in feedback. — Gwynne Watkins

Top 50 ‘Sesame Street’ Moments. From The Letter L to the Two Headed Monster: Fall. On Babble.com.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.  Check that list - it is the best ever.  I just watched “Big Bird Explains Mr. Hooper’s Death”– #7 on the list, and have tears running down my face. 

Watching Joey (small girl) & Kermit sing the alphabet (with her sticking in “cookie monster” ever few letters) makes me light up with joy - remembering how BRILLIANT and meaningful a tv series can be to a girl.

I implore you to take a look at these.  Kidscreen sent this link around, so if you don’t get that newsletter, than check out the link above. 

This past weekend I went camping with strangers (always a good idea, lol), and we started talking about kids TV (probably my doing since I can’t ever stop talking shop).  Who remembers the BIG kid drama in the early 80’s?????

Come on… you simply MUST know what I’m talking about. 

Hint: Big Bird & his imaginary friend - that NO ONE believed in except BB.  Remember now?  It was a several episode arch (or at least in my memory it was) where Maria discovered Big Bird was telling the truth about Snuffy… and then EVERYONE got to meet him?  That was my first day time soap (or at least MY personal, apparently I was a huge “All My Children” fan because of my mother who watched it while folding laundry- my 2nd sentence was “Pa-ma not home.”  As in Palmer Cortland was not currently in the living room set of his soap opera home during the scene airing on TV.  Nice.)

Anyway - I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it hundreds more times… Henson was a genius, and I am a child of the Henson Era of Awesomeness.  Fozzie Bear is on my desk, I regularly sing (to the chagrin of my coworkers) the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 song (and if you don’t have the tune going through your head with visions of pin ball madness 70’s style, then bless you).  I spent my high school years collecting Ernie & Cookie Monster paraphernalia and listening to the Sesame Street “Best of” soundtrack (”If Moon Was Cookie Me Think Me Would Be…”), college I forced my sorority lil sis to watch the “Best of” VHS (”batty batty batty batty batty one two three COUNT, Dance with me doing the batty bat”).   And I hate Elmo (LONG LIVE THE TELLY MONSTER & GROVER who seemed to lose their importance when that red menace showed up).  I am a HENSON CHILD, and I will live long and prosper from it.

Henson had a large part of who I am - and THAT is what children’s entertainment can do for individuals.  I am just one speck in an ocean of the Henson ripple.  Thinking about the affect he & his work had on children globally (and still beyond his death) makes you truly understand a bit of respect and love that building these programs deserve.  For as much as we try to make kids entertainment a “business” and even push it into the cold territory of “work”… it has so much to offer and so much empowerment and resonance. 

Now what about you?  How did “The Henson” strike gold in your heart?  Feel free to bring up David Bowie if you wish

How do the tweens/teens react when the perception of their role model is compromised?

Tweens and teens can internalize the information in different ways:

(1) Become a copycat: Do as their role model has done. Even if Miley, in this case, is basically saying “do as I say not as I do,” many number one fans of Miley will follow her lead. You’ll hear children saying; “Mom, what’s the big deal? Miley is so cool/hot that whatever she does is awesome! ”

(2) Ban their idol: This is drastic. The tween who does this really feels betrayed. In this case, the role model becomes and “anti-role model” (a symbol of what NOT to do) and the tween really turns on the switch by saying “I never liked her anyway.” Or “I liked her when I was younger” or I liked her before she became like the rest of those Hollywood types—those pictures were gross…”

(3) Refuse to believe it: You might wonder how someone can do that when the pictures are right there—but it’s quite simple—they can just say she was forced, tricked, or pressured—or say that it’s been blown out of proportion and everyone’s just wrong. Children are resilient and they will do whatever they can to make it so they can believe what they want and go about their business.

How can parents express their views about these role models without alienating their kids who idolize them?

Shaping Youth » Stuffing the Story: Ignoring Media As A Coping Tactic

Go check out more from Shaping Youth, it’s worth a read and opinions of your own.

My mom always pitied (out loud in the car where we couldn’t escape) icons who made mistakes out loud in the car. Pitied, followed with “Now don’t you girls do anything like that”. And somehow both Momola and Popola managed to sneak in a bit of caution regarding how inappropriate choices/activities make us look, our parents look, and how they can affect our livelihoods as members of the community. And since there were no televisions or separate radio stations in the car, we usually listened to them banter about the news or about others in the community who had situations with their family that were less than desirable. For some reason that freaked me out– thinking that others might discuss a situation that embarrassed my family.

Occasionally they (ma & pa) might call the famous icon an “idiot” for their actions presented on talk radio (especially when my no-nonsense dad was in the car), but mum and da quickly followed it up with explanations and rational together, and I understood their sentiments and worries more than just power-trip-parents.

I remember my first “bowling” trip (aka Teepeeing someone’s house). I was in 8th grade, it was the end of the school year, and my gal pals decided to go tee pee the house of this kid “Matt”. I had known (and generally disliked) Matt since I was in preschool. We went to church together, had choir, confirmation, and junior high together. My parents knew his parents, so it was always one of those OBLIGED to be nice situations, but secretly irritated by his stupid boy coodies, and junior high “lame” nonsense.

It was quite a hike to his house, and when we got there it was dirty dusk– and only white shirts could be seen as haze as we darted about his house, throwing toilet paper rolls poorly. Then the minivan pulled in front of the house and he + 2 younger bros jumped out. Like chickens scattering, all 9 girls took off in separate directions screaming like banshees. I heard one of my friends get taken down directly behind me, but I kept sprinting. For a long time Matt with mike on my heels. I had a winter hat on, so I don’t know if he ever knew it was me, but MAN did I run. The entire time all I could think of was “If I get caught, i’m going to have to face his parents… and then mine.” And the worry for embarrassment was intense.

Eventually I lost Matt, hid in a rose bush, was chased in the dark by a black dog, nearly caught AGAIN as Matt’s family minivan slowly patrolled the neighborhood for more girly hoodlums, and finally reached my friend’s house two hours later. I was the only one to make it, everyone else was caught and brought back an hour after me by Matt’s parents. I hid in the bathroom until they left my friend’s parents house.

Whether or not Matt’s family ever knew it was me they didn’t catch, I dunno. But I’ll tell you– every time I saw Matt’s very kind mother, there was a certain something to the way she looked at me that made me embarrassed, worried, and sad. I am - to this day - convinced she knew, and she never said anything to my mom. But I can’t help but wonder if they talked about it in the car with pity and disappointment. After that, I steered clear of mean “bowling”– never opting to join in with cruel intentions for fear of THAT FEELING I got when I looked at Matt’s mom, or the thoughts I had as I was running away from Mike’s house.

Learning trips. Man, they do a number on you, right?

On a good note, I did continue “bowling” through my teens- but mainly with a youth group who teepeed their most BELOVED of mentors. The mentors knew about it, knew they were beloved, usually saw it coming, and always had garden hoses. Nothing sucks more than running away from a laughing mentor with a 1/2 used toilet paper roll as she sprays you with the hose only to get to your car to see her husband smiling as he was filling the interior with water from the second hose.

And as for “bowling” in college? Le sigh, the good ole days. I’ll save THOSE stories for another day of muppet madness and college insanity.

Commercials cause concern in the virtual Barbie world

By Jonathan Birchall in New York

Published: May 2 2008 03:00 | Last updated: May 2 2008 03:00

BarbieGirls.com is going VIP. The website associated with Mattel’s Barbie dolls - the world’s most popular toy - is this month to introduce a paid subscription section, offering users access to an improved version of its virtual playground.

The site, launched just a year ago, allows users to create and dress their own online avatars, earning and using virtual “B Bucks” money. With more than 11m girls registered, BarbieGirls is about to turn into a new revenue source for Mattel. Chuck Scothon, head of Mattel’s girl brands, says the site is attracting girls in the eight-to-15 age group who may be outgrowing Barbie herself.

“The online world . . . and the content that girls engage with [is] very much a new toy,” he says. “This online content is a great way to play fashion and beauty and hair play, but doing it in a fun and relevant way for an older girl.”

The Barbie brand’s online makeover is one of the many signs of a developing boom in online worlds and social networking sites aimed at children as young as five, which spread to the toy industry three years ago.

FT.com / Home UK / UK - Commercials cause concern in the virtual Barbie world

Here’s the part of the article that I thought was uber-interesting:

Businesses have been gearing up on progressive trends (namely with entertainment & youth)
for some time now– focusing it’s ever present ‘Eye of Mordor’ on this market and staring it down to see if it falters or continues to grow, watching & testing & exploring… and now, it kinda has to notice itself.

Why? Because people are starting to take notice of this “eye of mordor”, grow weary of it, and react quickly/strongly to anything they feel gets too close to endangering their child.

Current parent-hating bad guy? Advertising. And while advertising happens everywhere in life– from comic books to billboards to coffee sleeves on morning lattes, to characters on shoes, to radio to saturday morning cartoons to milk cartons… virtual worlds for some reason = a separate set of rules & understandings.

Why? Because the hunt for obvious branding/advertising has been pointed at and poo-poo’ed, so now they’re getting less in-your-face, and more immersive, and that finger/poo-pooing hasn’t gone away.

Why? Because the web (virtual worlds, media online sites of entertainment, etc) is where people have a voice, it’s accessible to anyone with a comp and the net connection, and continually been prompted for every day life necessities. It’s like a mix of “PBS” and a grocery store. PBS is held to (and holds itself to) a difference set of criteria in content and attitude than other stations (you wouldn’t see hear Mr. Rogers’ Lady Elaine singing Spongebob’s Plankton’s part to the ‘FUN’ song with edgy lyrics like “F is fire that burns down the whole town, U is for uranium… bomb, N is for no survivors” now would you?). Grocery stores have provisions that are necessary to exist in most lives. People don’t want you messing with things they need to know, need to have, need to move onward.

Third why - because advertising to younglings = an invasion to sensitive momma bears. Sensitive is not a bad thing some times… it just means they’re keenly aware of everything. But it also means that keen awareness can stir up a sharper tip of aggression that the “invasive” being intended.

Rattlesnake, rattle, hiker. Same kinda thing, except regarding younglings. Don’t even get NEAR… hear that rattle? Come a step further bub and I’ll BITE you.

Or at least this is often the sentiment I find online from awesome people willing to speak their mind about things that bother them. I respect those peeps and I understand their mentality. I do. But I am not on that bandwagon of anti-brand-immersion. Forgive me, but I’m not. Knowing that these environments cost a LOT of money (not just at first, but continuously– they’re living/thriving environments that need constant attention, supervision, and care), I understand the need for ulterior methods that do NOT cast higher fees onto the user.

To me, it’s the responsibility of the individual in CHARGE of the youngling minor to teach them the difference between idolizing brands, and recognizing brands. And really– to me, the important things to look for in virtual worlds are safety & quality of content/environment– is it fun? Do they get to play and explore? Are they free to be themselves in whatever storyline/epic adventure the virtual world/MMO has to offer? Those are the important things.

Now if it’s a straight up advertisement that completely breaks from the cohesiveness of the world? Sure, that’s bonkers because it’s diverting. Jarring. It moves you from the role play and exploration to a ‘what the…?‘ stop point. Like a period at the middle of a rich, filling sentence. I’m one for organic storytelling, organic world building. If it makes sense to have a Batman rollercoaster or Hannah Barbara stuffed animals at Six Flags, and it gives the public what they want– a good time and a product they trust… why not?

That’s why Stardoll is successful. They bring immersive brands into their existence, and people find what they want to explore their identity with those brands.

It’s about how the content is presented - but again, that’s my humble opinion. Does anyone else have a different one? Everyone is entitled to appreciate and expect different forms of “the best” and really– this post is just an educational outlet to see what exactly it is that people like, dislike about advertising, marketing, branding in these virtual environments.

Please, please speak up if you have a point to make, or a thought to share.

p.s. PROPS to Sara Grimes for her quote. Rock on girl!