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D23 The Official Community for Disney Fans (http://d23.disney.go.com/index.html?cmp=d23_OFC_D23_vanity_23_Extl)

common sense media says

Disney history site is a winner despite heavy ads.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a safe, attractive gathering place for Disney fans -- as well as a major merchandising effort. Practically every activity has a product tie-in designed to get kids to buy stuff. (The Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus juggernaut is a huge presence.) To participate in some areas of the site, visitors must watch a 15-second spot for Honda, Charmin, Claritin, or other products.

Educational value: Kids can partake of nonviolent games, and design and print simple crafts decorated with their favorite Disney characters.  Older teens might enjoy the documentaries describing how classics such as Mary Poppins were made.  
Positive messages: Kids meet in chat rooms, where no trash talking is allowed:  "inappropriate" words are banned (kids will know the limits when they see words displayed in red). Parents can protect very young users with the SpeedChat setting, which limits exchanges to a picklist of safe preset phrases such as "Havin' a good day?" 
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Nothing stronger than "gosh" is allowed. Type in a naughty word like "heck," and it's displayed in fire-engine red. However, the filter does not catch texting shortcuts, such as "omg."
Consumerism: Ads bombard D23 visitors from every conceivable angle. Banner ads for Disney products can be found on most pages, along with the occasional pop-up. Most activities -- games, videos, music -- are based on items available for purchase. Before visitors can play some videos or even set up a page they must sit through a 15-second spot for toilet paper, a breakfast cereal or an allergy medicine.  The site also pushes a D23 "charter membership" costing $74.99; the package includes a subscription to a quarterly printed magazine, discounts on special events, and entrance to the online store, Boutique 23. 
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
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What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can discuss how ads are designed to sell products that people do not always need and how kids can have fun at this site without spending a dime.  There are lots of free things to see and do, highlighted by a simple social network for tweens. 

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The commercialism aside, D23 is a terrific destination for young and old Disney fans alike. Grade schoolers new to social networks will enjoy setting up their own page personalized with a character like Donald Duck, and stuffing a virtual backpack with video clips and games saved as favorites from other parts of the site. (Just one beef: clicking on backpack objects don't bring them to the front, so you must constantly move windows around to see everything you've collected, a major inconvenience.) Parents will love the trip down memory lane afforded by old movie clips and black-and-white cartoon strips that are updated daily. Fans of all ages will have hours of fun exploring this site and playing the addictive games.

This review was written by Carla Thornton
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

nzinga
kid, 11 years old
8
 
i love this web site
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (4)
Lord of Sushi
teen, 16 years old
5
 
CSM, you've gone nuts. BTW, D23 is good.
"Heck" is not a naughty word! It's perfectly fine! We should flame Disney until they uncensor "heck"! They use it in Wall-E for crying out loud! But, on topic, great site to learn about Disney!
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (3)

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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