www.expressindia.com
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 - expressindia web
(http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Windows-Hopping/302556/)
However,
dealing with children comes with added responsibility.
“One has to be careful that the content
is not objectionable,” says Leena Mathews
project manager of kidswebindia.com. Launched
in 2005, her website has neatly divided categories
for different age groups. Nursery rhymes dominate
the section for children up to the age of five
while in the following category the focus is
on general knowledge. Mathews directs 12-to-17-year-olds
on how to overcome stress and deal with weight
concerns. “The categorisation makes navigation
across the website easier,” says Mathews.
EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE
Posted online: Monday , April 28, 2008 at 01:34:26
Updated: Monday , April 28, 2008 at 01:34:26
With exclusive
social networking sites, e-advice and e-lessons
proliferating on the Net, children are busy
logging in, even as many worry about the safety
factor
There was a time
when school was followed by an evening in the
neighbourhood park where mothers introduced
next-door kids, and friendships developed on
merry-go-rounds and over a game of hopscotch.
Now friends are found more on Windows than next
door. Ask 13-year-old Jyoti Sharma. The west
Delhi teenager’s best friends are in the
US, Switzerland and China and they meet virtually
regularly on Buds World Party, a social networking
site exclusively for children up to 16 years.
“I have
met many new people there. It’s fun,”
says Sharma, as she reveals the features of
the portal, from online games and puzzles to
Buds Shoppe that has toys and books for sale.
“I don’t mind her being part of
the network since it caters specifically to
children and can help her find like-minded kids,”
smiles her doting mother, who initiated Sharma
to Buds World a fortnight ago.
Many may worry
about the safety of children on information
superhighway, but that has not stopped Web developers
from exploring the medium to reach the young.
“It holds a lot of potential for edutainment,”
says Ashish Maan, CEO of La Vision Animation,
who launched buzziboy.com on April 10. Targeting
children between the ages of 6 and 14, the web
base, with spiky haired Buzzi (left) as its
mascot, acts as an interactive forum for its
members. “We impart value-based learning
and make education fun,” says Maan whose
site has games and e-comics in which Buzzi imparts
lessons. The first in the series is Buzzi Being
Political which has the character teaching hygiene
and leadership skills.
Like Maan, Arti
Jaiman also had edutainment on her mind when
she launched pitara.com 10 years back. “There
was a lack of quality reading material for children.
With Pitara, we aim to provide four-to-14-year-olds
stories they can relate to.” Over the
years, the portal has been updated with several
features — from online craft lessons to
history snippets, news, quiz and word games.
“We witness a traffic of over a lakh unique
users every month and receive constant feedback
from regular visitors,” says Jaiman. While
she has avoided the practice of registered membership,
Maan is for it. So buzziboy.com can be accessed
only after you register as a member while an
annual subscription of Rs 6,000 will get members
exclusive Buzzi merchandise. “The children
will relate with the young-looking mascot that
has similar concerns as them,” says Maan,
who has over 20 registered members over the
past fortnight.
However,
dealing with children comes with added responsibility.
“One has to be careful that the content
is not objectionable,” says Leena Mathews
project manager of kidswebindia.com. Launched
in 2005, her website has neatly divided categories
for different age groups. Nursery rhymes dominate
the section for children up to the age of five
while in the following category the focus is
on general knowledge. Mathews directs 12-to-17-year-olds
on how to overcome stress and deal with weight
concerns. “The categorisation makes navigation
across the website easier,” says Mathews.
Meanwhile, the
conceptualisers are also particular about the
advertisements being uploaded. “We sift
through the content and showcase child-friendly
material,” says Jaiman, who has a link
to Amazon books on her portal. She adds a word
of caution though: “Parents should keep
a check on children and make sure that they
are visiting safe sites.”
SUPPLEMENT
and get a COMPLIMENT
Little Writers
