Kids Online Podcast #1 - 01/30/09

Hello and Welcome to the Kids Online Podcast, a regular digest of news pertaining to kids websites, gaming and online safety.
I'm Joi Podgorny and I will be reading the news compiled by Chris Rettstatt and many others in Kids Online. For more information, go to our website at kidsonline.idcommons.net.
And now for the news...
Websites for Kids:
January 13th brought the launch of Horseland Virtual World. Fans of the CBS cartoon can ride horses and socialize with friends, while those under 13 can access Horseland Jr., where they can customize and ride horses in a Flash-based game. Horseland Virtual World is free-to-play with virtual currency sales and advertising. More information at www.horseland.com/.
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On January 15th, Girl Ambition launched as a safe community for tween girls featuring avatars, games, and videos. The site aims to teach values, online safety, and self esteem. Membership is $4.99/month. More information at www.girlambition.com/.
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FreemantleMedia and Sulake are partnering to create an American Idol virtual environment inside Habbo. The partnership includes events and virtual goods. Freemantle apparently explored other options including building their own virtual world before settling on Habbo. The partners will share the keynote stage at this year's Engage! Expo, in March in New York City.
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On February 13th, Disney plans to launch Disney XT, a new network aimed at boys 6-11, as well as DisneyXD.com. The shows will be action-oriented, and the Web site will feature games and 3D avatars.
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Linden Lab Chairman Philip Rosendale says that Linden's long-term strategy is going to include combining Second Life with its Teen Grid. There is currently no time line for this plan, but it will be interesting to watch how they handle the safety issues that were the reason they created the Teen Grid in the first place.
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On January 14, Cartoon Network launched it's much anticipated MMOG Fusion Fall. In the game, players team up with Cartoon Network characters to save the world from destruction by Planet Fusion.
The game is free to play in certain areas, and $5.95/month for full access. Working with Crisp Thinking, Fusion Fall uses a range of online safety tools, ranging from filtering and monitoring to a game resting system that rewards players for taking a break. More information can be found at www.fusionfall.com.
Online Safety news:
On January 14th, Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society released the final report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, a group of businesses, non-profits, and academics that teamed up to investigate technologies to create a safer online environment for young people. The task force was established as a result of the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking, made up of 50 state Attorneys General.
According to the report, the research shows that while sexual predators are definitely a concern, bullying by peers is the most common threat minors face, online or offline. The research also shows that psychological factors and family dynamics are better predictors of risky behaviors than specific technologies.
For more information, please find a link in the show notes http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/pubrelease/isttf/
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Get ready for Safer Internet Day on February 10th. Organized by Insafe, the European internet safety network, Safer Internet Day is an opportunity to promote safer use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among young people.
A link with more information is included in the show notes: http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/sid.htm
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And finally, while not entirely connected to online safety, yet:
US President Obama is narrowing down the list for the first-ever national chief technology officer. The two finalists seem to be Padrasmee Warrior, who is currently CTO of Cisco Systems, and Vivek Kundra, CTO of Washington D.C.
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Upcoming Events:
KidScreen Summit, February 11-13, New York
Engage! Expo March 10-11, New York (Early registration extended to Feb 2nd)
South by Southwest 2009 (Interactive): March 13-17, Austin
Game Developers Conference 2009: March 23-27, San Francisco
YPulse Youth Marketing Mashup: June 1-2, San Francisco
Kid Power 2009, June 8-10, Orlando
Mipcom Jr: October 3-4 Cannes
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That's all we have for this first podcast. We would love to hear your feedback on content ideas, format, or if you are interested in participating. You can all the show notes and contact information at the Kids Online website at kidsonline.idcommons.net.
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Thanks and have a fantastic week!
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Music thanks to George Wood on PodSafe Audio