Kidgurus (http://kidgurus.com)

common sense media says

Poorly executed social site offers no reason to visit.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this social networking site for tweens looks like it was slapped together quickly in hopes of making a few bucks off advertising. It's too bad because the idea -- networking mixed with plenty of opportunities to be creative -- is good, and we found nothing harmful. However, the look and content are of poor quality. The kids this site might attract if it were better executed are better off building online relationships someplace else like Yomod or Ning.

Educational value: Kids can tease their brains with the handful of puzzles and learn a few scientific facts, but the content here is so sparse there are few teaching moments. In fact, some of the "essays" -- actually urban myths discredited by Snopes -- impart incorrect information.
Positive messages: The site promotes creativity by encouraging children to submit stories, poems, videos, photos, drawings and puzzles. Submissions that receive the highest star ratings from other users are featured as most popular.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Ads aren’t intrusive but they’re junky looking and not age appropriate. Some have fuzzy or squished graphics and misleading links, advertising one product but leading to another site (usually an upscale online boutique for baby items called The Dapper Baby). The creator of Kidgurus, Sounder Dilipan, also advertises his Web design and marketing business on the site.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Privacy & safety: There's little privacy protection here, starting with invasive registration questions that require name, school, and grade, and ask for phone numbers. The site FAQ says moderators hand check submissions before allowing them to be posted, but our "story" appeared on the site instantaneously. Users can't edit or remove items once submitted. There are no parental control options.

More on Kidgurus

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • What makes a good social networking site for kids? Discuss tools, content and community: are the features easy to use, content created by other users inspiring, and the community lively? Read our social network tips.
  • Discuss how a site like Kidgurus does not have to be as slick as Disney.com to be worthwhile, but poor production values can be a tip-off to overall unsuitability.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
With its emphasis on creativity, Kidgurus has the potential to be a great social networking site for kids -- but it needs a complete overhaul. To start with, it's been poorly translated from another language; (the log-in instructions, for example, say: "the people to register for free to upload the articles"). This will confuse and put off kids, as will the poor graphics, nonworking tools, and odd content, a lot of which appears to be filler posted to make the site look more active than it is. Kidgurus targets kids 19 and younger but the current incarnation is unlikely to appeal to kids of any age.    

Online interaction: There are so few ways to interact that it's hard to gauge the tenor of the community. Email doesn't work and the chat rooms were empty every time we visited. The few entries submitted appear to have been posted mostly by adults (e.g. photo albums of new cars, new babies, etc.).  Visitors are encouraged to flag objectionable content but there's no easy way to do this, just a contact email address.


This review was written by Carla Thornton
 
 

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tifinilyn
kid, 11 years old
 
BORING
IT IS SO BORING!!!!

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age