Club Penguin - MySpace For Your 8 Year Old

Posted by arvind s grover Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:53:23 GMT

Business Week continues its observant coverage of social networking sites and young people with MySpace For The Sandlot Set (see my earlier post on their MySpace article). This article however is not about MySpace. It is about Club Penguin a MySpace-esque social networking site for 8-12 year olds. Yes you read correctly – 8-12 year olds. In August Club Penguin reported 2.1 million visitors.

Basic access to the site is free, but they sell memberships which give you access to advanced features (jee, do you think your 10 year old will want that?). When you sign up, you can choose 8 and under, 9-12, 13-17 and 18 and over. If you choose to sign up as an adult you get this message: c_penguin_18

You also have to agree to a set of rules: c_penguin_rules

They mention that the entire website is moderated by their staff. It is amazing to me that people are willing to take such risks setting up a site where young people could be vulnerable. I would rather see groups who are interested in getting kids online to work with schools and teachers to create spaces where classes could safely and effectively connect with other classrooms around the world. These sites unfortunately just seem like market-research tools. What do 8-12 years olds like? Once we find out, let’s sell it to them.

Groups in the process of making a profit while “helping” young people put themselves in a challenging ethical situation. They are for-profit groups who as a mission want to help kids. I wonder if those two goals often find themselves in direct or partial opposition. Anyone think they can hold on to their ideals while still trying to land a profit?

On a side note: when I asked my 5th grade class at the beginning of the year to introduce themselves along with something they love to do on the computer at least half of them said Club Penguin.

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Comments

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  1. abby said 9 days later:

    myspacerocks

  2. abby said 9 days later:

    i hope it is cool

  3. abby said 9 days later:

    you are going to love this website , it is awesome

  4. abby said 9 days later:

    this rocks

  5. killian ormonde said 10 days later:

    can you please put club penguin on my website

  6. Angelgirlz5 said 10 days later:

    Hey this is angelgirlz5 howdy

  7. adel said 13 days later:

    i cant get onto club penguins play thing.it says i need a code but i dont have one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. null said 13 days later:

    adel jus jeep trying it worked for me and the syte is abslutely fab it is so gripping and you make so many new mates.

  9. tiftif999222 said 13 days later:

    clubpenguin rocks!i have been playing on it ever since july 28 2006 and im sill loveing it thanks!

  10. arvind said 14 days later:

    Very interesting how many comments I am getting from Club Penguin users. I guess they just stumbled upon this article by “googling” Club Penguin. I wonder if some of them are getting confused and think this actually is Club Penguin.

    How did you get here?

  11. michaela said 16 days later:

    why wont it let me in

  12. michaela said 16 days later:

    i love club peiguin and my corey goes on it but why wont let me on iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

  13. michaela said 16 days later:

    hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

  14. null said 16 days later:

    HI!!

  15. SOCCERNUT said 16 days later:

    HELLO ! i love club penugin!

  16. kiotw said 16 days later:

    7ir7i7

  17. spitfire said 16 days later:

    hy is anyone there

  18. spitfire said 16 days later:

    im wondeing how to play club penguin

  19. Dusty2455432 said 17 days later:

    PEOPLE GO TO www.jemys8clubpenguin.wordpress.com and read over hundreds of comments and cheats about club penguin =) :)

  20. null said 17 days later:

    join today u will see so much cool stuff

  21. null said 17 days later:

    vbvcbfgbvgbcvbcvgbc

  22. null said 17 days later:

    hfqyuyurugrrhgrhgfhf

  23. null said 17 days later:

    i love this plaace

  24. arvind said 17 days later:

    wow, people are still flooding to my site by searching for club penguin at google. seems to be some youngsters leaving some funny comments here. welcome club penguin friends!

    anyone want to explain why the like club penguin so much?

  25. rachel said 19 days later:

    i looooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeclub puinguin

  26. rachel said 19 days later:

    ilove it

  27. Allie said 20 days later:

    I LOVE BARRETT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  28. club penguin helper said 21 days later:

    i know why you carnt get on the code whent to your email that you sent it to

  29. null said 21 days later:

    i cAANT ETHERE I TRIED ABOUT 5 TIMES AND ITS BEEN5 DAYS

  30. Jacquelinejohnson said 21 days later:

    Hey pplz CLUB PENGUIN ROCKS MY WORLD !!! it is soo awesome i play all the time!!! i have started a year ago! my screenname on it is gymnast9195

  31. jfkg said 22 days later:

    I HATE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  32. CJHVIT said 22 days later:

    IT STINKS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! POO

  33. CJHVIT said 22 days later:

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  34. george burt said 22 days later:

    put in on google free club pein guin

  35. george burt said 22 days later:

    he he he he

  36. rolver1 said 23 days later:

    anyone know some glitches :) :) :)

  37. rolver1 said 23 days later:

    lol why pay poo?????

  38. gothic wisdom said 24 days later:

    I love clubpenguin and I love this site\.\.\.!!!\!\

  39. Summer said 25 days later:

    I love club penguin me and my friend carly play it all the time! but I want more stuff i need cheats more more…......more plez send to me if you find good cheats my moms yelling at me g2g ttyl. Im 10 how old are you. HAhAHAHAHA Sorry mom

  40. behappy said 25 days later:

    So this is cool but i need hope for you all clay akin rocks.

  41. Amanda said 26 days later:

    Club penguin is like a mini world…..that you actualy want to be apart of.(not saying that i dont want to be apart of this planet ….nevermind.) -Catty kat

  42. Amanda said 26 days later:

    also note Clay Akin does rock.

  43. ytt said 27 days later:

    ‘lo

  44. null said 28 days later:

    yoyoyo i so like bigmamma house2

  45. poo said 29 days later:

    i hate clup penguin because im not a member and i cant do eney think like buy clothes or get a better iglo or buy a good pet.NOT VERY GOOD

  46. poo said 29 days later:

    i hate clup penguin because im not a member and i cant do eney think like buy clothes or get a better iglo or buy a good pet.NOT VERY GOOD

  47. Oz the best said 29 days later:

    i wish you didn’t have to pay to be a MEMBER YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PAY 1000 PENGUIN COINS BUT IT IS GOOD !

  48. Oz the best said 29 days later:

    MY NAME ON IT IS Oz the best

  49. null said 29 days later:

    ILL HAK UR FILE

  50. zipper588 said 29 days later:

    hi im a club penguin fan its awsome il tell u a account i have its u:drpingu123 its p:cybermen im a secret agent but i dont like this account so this an order hac this account

  51. zipper588 said 29 days later:

    anybody there plz hac the account listed above

  52. Man180 said 29 days later:

    hi today in club penguin theres costumes so get ready to go get treats in club penguin theirs a free hat at the snow forts theirs a pumkin pin a t the dock theirs a pumkin patch and theres a small pumkin go to it and you get a pin sumited By Man180 rember club penguin is the best thing you,ve ever played

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