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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Privacy settings and ease of use make blogging site a hit.

On this site kids can:   blog, connect with friends, create and share content, post comments, post content

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–15

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Kids who live on email or an iPhone can knock out something creative super fast using this rich-content blogging tool. According to the creators, Stanford grads Sachin Agarwal and Garry Tan, some schools are using Posterous as a multimedia bulletin board.

  • User-created content:

    This blogging site is a party where all the grownups are having margaritas and letting their hair down. The blogs are funny, serious, and snarky observations on headline news and everyday life expressed mostly in words, photos, and YouTube videos. Some of the entries are PG or R-rated but the overall tone is positive and the opinions are more intelligent  than Tumblr’s.

  • Messages:

    Blogging = self-expression = good. Mixed-media blogging made easy = even better. Posterous targets computer novices, social media fans, businesses and families with its message that blogging can be easy and fun.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Some of the blogs on this site contain graphic YouTube videos. Sample: Iranian students dying after being shot during the recent election protests.

  • Sex:

    Nothing hard core, but some dodgy stuff here and there. For example, one blog features a photo of a semi-nude Sarah Palin lookalike wrapped in an American flag, linked to a story about a porn flick called Nailin’ Serra Paylin.

  • Language:

    Profanity isn't rampant but instances of asshole, f--k and s--t and crude remarks such as "That gives me a boner" can be found in some blogs on this site.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Bloggers on this site sometimes repost or link to online stories about people who get drunk or do drugs. Most posts that mention smoking are about trying to quit.
 

How safe is it?

  • Personal privacy:

    Like most blogging tools the privacy features are actually pretty good. By default, blogs are public, which means they can be seen by other bloggers and will appear in search engine results. However, users who have a change of heart about something they've said can easily change, hide, or delete specific posts or make the entire blog private by assigning a password others have to type in. Passwords also disable the autoposting feature so entries don't automatically appear on other social networking sites like MySpace.

  • Online interaction:

    Users connect in the usual way: via comments left after blog entries. There is no flagging mechanism for objectionable content or special protections for kids, but the overall tone is friendly. Kids can block comments from strangers by making a blog private.

  • Parental controls:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Posterous

Parents need to know that the creators of this free blogging tool do not recommend it for children younger than 13. POSTEROUS (POST-er-us) is easy to use but the site contains some adult content not suitable for grade schoolers. Teens should be encouraged to make their blog private and limit readers to a small circle of friends. Though it might be a less popular choice initially, another option is setting up a family blog and letting everyone contribute. Posting is so easy -- simply a matter of shooting off an email with an attachment -- that even grandma could have her say without learning any new tools. Pretty cool.  

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • What’s okay to blog and what isn't? Even if the only people allowed to read your entries are invited friends or family, kids should choose their words wisely. Read our Social Network Tips.
  • Families can also talk about how blogging can be used creatively and to share emotions via words, music, and images. For more information on social network sites, read our tips on Facebook for Parents.
  • Families can talk about screen time, too. Blogging is yet another way to communicate with others electronically, but how much time should be spent reading comments on a computer and how much face time should kids give their friends?
Tools and tips that can help

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