Age Restrictions for Social Media

By Sandy Blanquera

Social media is growing at such an incredible pace that it’s hard to keep up with the many sites that exist. With a little information, you can make informed decisions about which sites are worthwhile. If you have children, you may be interested to know that many sites are governed by age restrictions. Friendster requires participants to be 16 years of age, while Myspace requires members to be 14 years old. Members should be 13 years and in high school for Facebook. There are many sites that are available to children 13 years and older such as xanga, Hi5, There, Second Life, Chamber of Chat, Tickle, Bebo, and many more. Some sites have no age limit like Active worlds, Boom Bang, Club Penguin, Webkinz and Neo Pets.

Although having an age limit doesn’t imply the safety or risks of the site. As a parent, it is important to check each site out thoroughly before you allow your child to participate.

Email Sandy@ sandyblanquera@hotmail.com or visit her blog My Fabulous Home.

Why Social Media?

by Sandy Blanquera

Social media is all the rage. With millions of people on Facebook and MySpace alone, it’s hard to ignore this cultural tidal wave. But, why use social media? Are you using social media to it's fullest today? Here are some ways to consider how social networking tools can help make your social life better:

• Find friends and family members you may be disconnected with now (high school, college)
• Create a brand or presence for your small business
• Connect to your kids who are away from home
• Connect to your kids and their friends to know what’s going on with them (teens)
• Make connections in an entirely different way with people than in person
• Create a bigger social circle than you have today
• Find a path to develop business (recruiting, business relationship, sales)

I reconnected recently with a friend, Marla, from college using LinkedIn. Marla and I rekindled our friendship with memories of our past and stories of our lives today, laughing like the eighteen year-old girls who met in college. Since then we have developed a strong friendship as if we walked through a worm hole and nothing had changed. This was a gift of joy that landed on our doorsteps via social networking. I've also been able to connect to several of my daughter's friends on Facebook, which has given me a greater understanding of the social issues that they deal with at school as well as the joys and pressures of social networking for these high schoolers today. And, ultimately, I'm connecting to more people in business and friendship circles than ever before, making my life richer. So, if you haven't considered starting a social networking account, today just might be the day to do so.

email Sandy @ sandyblanquera@hotmail.com or visit her blog My Fabulous Home.