Aimed at teens, thatsnotcool.com is a fantastic initiative in the States to highlight the problems of "digital dating abuse", i.e. stalking someone online or via text message.
In addition to teens being able to get, as well as share advice and stories on areas like text harassment, the spread of online rumours and pic pressure (someone asking for more, er, intimate shots), the site contains these great call out cards where you can show someone if they've crossed over the line.
(Spotted via Katie Chatfield on delicious)
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We stumbled on the issue of text abuse last year in our early research for WuduPlz.com.* This is the reason why we installed tight security on our texting-sending web service. And it's also why we have (a non-advertised) "bad word" filter on WuduPlz. We did not want bad actors using our service. (It is next to impossible to send an anonymous message via WuduPlz.)
In talking about WuduPlz with teachers and others who work with older kids, we found they were eager to have responsible adult voices joining the chatter on the cellphones screen of students, especially (as you discovered yourself) for middle school children. "Wuduplz can help inject a reality check," we were told. And we made "add a reality check" a part of our pitch to parents.
Parents to add their responsible, thoughtful words to the stream of ideas their children are seeing on the tiny cellphone screens. And if the tiny keys and small screen on their phones is a bother, you can text from your computer via WuduPlz.com and it is free and safe.
Here's the link:
http://www.wuduPlz.com
Here's our YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-8UcdNalU
I'd love to hear feedback.
--
Charles Batchelor
cbatchelor@microcontent.us
804-677-3504
http://www.wuduplz.com
* WuduPlz (Would You Please) is a new, free web service built to help parents teach teens and preteen cooperation, responsibility & commitment. OK...and to get them to what they are suppose to do. (Never easy because, well, they're kids…) It uses text messaging--a proven 21st Century way to connect with kids.
Sure, as our web site says, it's easier and faster texting if you're at your computer.
But, to make it more useful, WuduPlz can also deliver messages LATER to provide useful reminders. As one reviewer noted, with WuduPlz, "each family member with a cellphone is carrying around a little alarm clock that Mom or Dad can set to go off with a little note. Very handy."
We selected the name WuduPlz carefully. In assigning tasks, teenagers should not feel victimized or punished, says Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, adolescent medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “You want them to understand that the freedoms they get are directly related to how they demonstrate responsibility.” WuduPlz is designed to help parents teach this lesson.
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