Will Internet Ads Become The Leaf Blowers Of Digital Media?

May 21, 2009 Seguing from the clever Google  search logos and their homepage fun to this one at left from "Ask"...I must "ask" dear readers...Who would like to join me in a childish, lip-fluttering raspberry on behalf of ad creep and product proliferation? I mean, c'mon, really...selling off your own homepage search screen to blitz tomorrow’s premiere of Night at the Museum … [Read more...]

Consider This: Virtual Worlds In Institutional Settings

May 7, 2009 See this smiling face? Meet my goddaughter, Lara, who recently turned 12. We gifted her an Elf Island 'virtual world' membership for 'premium content' as part of her B-Day celebration. Why? 1.) It was one of the few things I KNEW she didn't have (living afar and gift-guessing is dicey) 2.) She's a VERY social only child who loves to chat and make new friends 3.) … [Read more...]

In Bed With Branding: Virtual Worlds Pair With Children’s Hospitals

May 3, 2009 What's with all the children's hospitals partnering and news-making so much as of late? This spring, “Operation Teen Book Drop” gave bed bound kids across the country over 8000 titles from young adult book publishers to support Teen Literature Day, sponsored by YALSA, readergirlz, and GuysLitWire. A tad earlier, Dell Children’s Medical Center in Texas became … [Read more...]

Shaping Youth Co-Sponsors “Consuming Kids” Movie Premiere!

April 2, 2009 Academic rockstars are descending upon U.C. Berkeley April 24th, as CCFC leaders speak in person on the commercialization of childhood and the impact on our culture!Shaping Youth is proud to be a media sponsor of the S.F. Bay Area Premiere of the movie Consuming Kids, and co-sponsor of this all-star panel in time for 'spring cleaning' 2009 to get rid of all this … [Read more...]

FCC: Kids Programming Is Laden With Product Placement

That’s my official FCC filing at left, (squeaked in under the deadline today, explained why later) which emphatically states kids should be OFF LIMITS to embedded ads designed to bypass the Tivo tactics of wise wee ones who blip through traditional commercials to get back to their favorite show unscathed. I've written about this a lot before, vetting thoughts about … [Read more...]