mary kay hoal's blog: where social networking and internet safety come first

Kids and teens can socialize on their own terms -- and safely -- on Yoursphere.com ... And now parents, educators and anyone else who cares about Internet safety can do the same thing here at Yoursphere for Parents!

Read the blog for news about Yoursphere.com and Internet safety issues. Join us so you can connect with others here at Yoursphere for Parents!

Yoursphere is approved by the Privacy Vaults Online Safe Harbor of the Federal Trade Commission.

Scary Online Game, My Minx, Instilling Negative World View on Our Daughters

Whether parents are aware or not, playing games on the internet is something that a lot of kids like to do—it’s not a fad either, it’s here to stay.  In fact, according to a 2009 report by the Media Literacy Clearinghouse, 81.2% of children access the web to play online games.

Feb
9

Aristotle International CEO Wants NewsCorp to Sell MySpace Due to Mismanagement

It seems we finally have someone else with some authority stepping up and asking for a change in the world of social networks.  John Aristotle Phillips, CEO of Aristotle International Inc., a global leader in online identity verification, has asked that MySpace be sold by NewsCorp due to their inability to “manage sensitive [customer] data”.

Feb
5

Moms Who Inspire Me. Meet Shara Lawrence-Weiss.

As the founder and owner of personalchildstories.com and Giveaway Guru at Mommyperks.com, Shara has been an influential force behind the promotion of Yoursphere.

Feb
3

Craigslist - The Good, The Bad, and The DISGUSTING

Craig Newmark’s billion-dollar empire, Craigslist.com, embodies the great things, the dangerous things, and the somewhat unbelievable things about the internet.  By fusing together almost any type of service you can think of into one website, Newmark has created a simple and easy-to-use network of consumers, merchants, landlords, and employers—however, the website lacks the necessary safety features to protect our children from the adult culture that the site plays host to.

My opinion about Craiglist: It's a no-go zone for our children.

Feb
1

The Electronic Tattoo.

Yesterday was Data Privacy Day and to accompany the important message that this day aims at broadcasting, it’s only right that I contribute with a blog post addressing the extent of your privacy on the internet.

Jan
29

Online activity: Its Like the Air They Breathe

Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Yoursphere, Friendster, Black Planet, hi5.  These are just a handful of the available social-networking sites on the internet today.  And with the growing list of mobile devices coupled with wireless 3G/4G internet connection, access to these sites is anything but inconvenient.

Jan
26