New Moon Girls Offers Social Networking To Tweens
The creators of New Moon Girls magazine have created a new social networking site for tween girls ages 8-12. It’s NewMoonGirls.com. The company calls it “a safe, secure and advertisement-free social network where girls can discover, create their own media, and share it with each other.” I wouldn’t call it completely commercial-free since they do advertise their own products, but it is a pretty slick site for young girls.
Like most social networking sites, NewMoonGirls.com provides girl with their own profile page. It’s called “My room.” On “My room” girls can include a picture and an “About Me” section along with “My Dreams” and “My Inspiration” as well as “My Favorites” and “My Pet.” When girls create this page it asks them for their first name only, their age, their country and state. No more information then that. So unlike MySpace, you won’t have to worry about them including their telephone, address or school information (assuming they don’t put that in the About Me section).
Girls can also add their own creations, including video or a song that they created and their own artwork (a picture, drawing or cartoon). They can also write a poem or a story. And they get the choice of either having their creations open to the public for the whole network or keeping them private so she’s the only one who can see it (like a diary). There is a section called “Voices” where you can find poems, stories and videos uploaded by other girls.
The “Voices” section also includes some Q&A. The Ask a Girl feature lets girls ask for advice and other girls provide the answers. This is monitored by an adult editor who reads every post before making it public. There’s also an Ask Luna section which seems to be kind of like a letters to the editor section where you can get answers to questions about the website and magazine.
To round it out, there is a Features tab that includes tons of information young girls care about. The Spotlight section includes books reviews, current events and special features. Changing the World gives girls information on how they can help the environment and participate in politics. In Body & Feelings girls can get accurate information about their bodies including info on body image, mood swings, puberty, her first period, and more. For the Curious includes interesting math and science facts and information. Arts & Culture let’s girls experience different cultures with stories from girls around the world. And the Sister to Sister page allows teen girls 13 and older offer advice to their younger “sisters.”
I’ve been poking around the site for a while and I’m pretty impressed. NewMoonGirls.com is fully COPPA-compliant and they provide adult moderation at all levels of communication. It’s a great way for young girls to learn about social networking in a safe environment. They can share their creativity, make new friends, and learn from other girls all over the world. And right now NewMoonGirls.com is offering a membership package including full access to NewMoonGirls.com and six issues of New Moon Girls magazine for $29.95 per year, reduced from $44.95. This might make a good holiday gift for that special tween girl in your life.
Tags: New Moon Girls, social networking, tweensRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Online Social Networking
4 opinions for New Moon Girls Offers Social Networking To Tweens
Craig at Balanced Immune Health
Nov 30, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I don’t know. I guess I’m too old school, but shouldn’t young girls be playing with each other, not isolated in front of that dang computer screen with yet another social media site? My teen daughters spend hours on their Facebook pages and texting every waking hour. I don’t like this trend. I know I’m swimming upstream on this one, but we are in store for some kind of social development abnormality that I don’t think we can yet identify.
Lacey
Dec 2, 2008 at 8:33 am
I’m one of the adult moderators for NewMoonGirls.com, and I understand where you’re coming from. While we certainly don’t want kids (or adults, for that matter!) to be in front of the computer all the time, I’m part of the generation that remembers life before the internet but who has also had it for a significant portion of my life (I went online for the first time at age 15). And as a young girl growing up in a rural area, I felt incredibly lonely and isolated. The tween and teen years are hard; we have no intention of "replacing" real-world interaction with computers, but the internet does provide a forum for girls to connect who wouldn’t connect otherwise, and to have conversations that might be just too scary or sensitive to work up the courage to have in real life. I think parental involvement with kids and the internet is key, but as someone who both appreciates limits on ‘net time AND knows how important it is that girls not feel alone, I think balance is possible and worth striving for.
Craig at Balanced Immune Health
Dec 3, 2008 at 10:01 am
Yes, Lacey, balance is the key. I suppose TV, video games and other home “entertainment” vehicles have been just as easily overused as a social networking site. Parents, make sure you stay on top this.
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