If You Don't Know a Tagged From a Bebo

MySpace and Facebook may rule the media when it comes to social networking and teens, but there're plenty of other places for kids to spread their online wings and all have some pros and cons.

One of the best surveys of the landscape I've seen is in today's Wall Street Journal, where reporter Julia Angwin logs onto seven of the top social networking sites and issues her report. She visits MySpace, Xanga, Facebook, Hi5, Bebo, Tagged, and Imbee.

How do the sites fare? Imbee, a site with strict parental registration and control of communication, works best for the youngest social networkers, those under age 13. (Yesterday I had a discussion with a BusinessWeek reporter who suggested Club Penguin as another safe social network for kids.) Once they're a bit older, Angwin suggests Xanga, where the rules are more relaxed and individual profiles take on a more blog-like feeling. Still, without email and IM and with the ability for users to flag inappropriate content, the site has a safe feel to it, reports Angwin. For the high school and college crowd, Angwin gives the nod to Facebook, reporting that it feels like place where people gravitate towards their own school or workplace group and seem to use their real names and identities more often than not.

Parents with kids ages 8 to 18, and even parents with kids in college and beyond, are fretting about social networks and what can go wrong. Angwin's measured approach captures the flavor of each site and offers some concrete guidance in a sea of buzz and chatter.