www.glogster.com)

common sense media says

Creative social site tainted by some bad apples.

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that a "glog" is a digital poster that can contain text, photos, videos, and sound. Users can make their glogs private or public. Teens have to register to use the social aspects of the site, like adding friends and posting comments. Despite being prohibited by the terms of use, the site contains some nudity and a considerable amount of hate speech. There are also some heavy topics, such as rape, suicide, and war.

Educational value: Gloggers can get creative with design and written content.

Positive messages: "Racial hate" is prohibited by the terms of use, but some of the glogs and comments include racist, sexist, and antigay slurs.

Violence: Some gloggers write graphically about topics like rape, war, and suicide; others post photos of guns, blood, and corpses.

Sex: Nudity and pornography are prohibited, but a few glogs contain explicit photos and song lyrics.

Language: There's a fair amount of profanity.

Consumerism: Brands are integrated into the content, such as companies sponsoring contests.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some gloggers celebrate drug use and post photos of pot, pills, or alcohol; others caution against the dangers of drunk driving and drugs.

Privacy & safety: Users can create a Glog using uploaded photos, videos, sounds and text elements and can save the design to be private or visible to other site users. Sharing your Glog is simple; you're given a direct link for each one you make, and with a quick click, you can also share your Glog creation on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Although the site terms say that users under 13 aren't allowed to register for the site, it's possible to sign up with a younger age, such as 10.

Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about how to use this site in a safe, creative way. What information is OK to include in your glog, and what's off limits? Which glogs do you like, and why? What would you do if you saw a glog that had racist or homophobic content? How do you deal with hateful people in real life?

Is it any good?

Visually appealing and easy to use, Glogster is a fun mash-up of blogging, social networking, and publishing. For inspiration, browse the "best glogs" or "top glogs" and prepare to be impressed by some super-creative multimedia efforts. Unfortunately, some users think "self-expression" is a license to use the "N" word and post other hateful content. Glogster would earn an extra star if the administrators were more vigilant about keeping the site a safe space -- asking users to flag inappropriate content doesn't seem to be working.

Online interaction: Registered users can message and friend each other or click on a link to become a fan of another user. While plenty of the interaction on the site is positive, some isn't. Language filters don't screen words like "sh*t," which appear instantly in comment posts. Images that are uploaded to use in Glog design also aren't screened.

This review was written by Susan Yudt

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What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

originality95
teen, 16 years old

Saftey Issues???

HMM. I just checked this site out and I wasn't blown away. It doesn't look very safe, someone could easily pose as a teenager and create and account. While the graphic images look awesome. There isn't any real point to the site. I'd rather be on Facebook, it just doesn't feel safe.

What other families should know

Glogster (http://www.glogster.com)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Glogster

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Review It

Review Glogster

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

Saftey Issues???

I use glogster for education edu.glogster*

hate glogster

cool

Very Cool!

I luv the website

...

moockie alldaii

Don't think about the bad

great for teens but not so much for tweens

I never even went on

strange k

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