Website Review: Zwinktopia.com
Rated by 3 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that although you have to be at least
13 to sign up on this popular social networking site, it's not
appropriate for young teens. As you roam around the virtual
world of Zwinktopia, kids can pick a place to go and chat with
other avatars (or Zwinkies). Filters automatically replace bad
words with "(bleep)," but there are ways around it -- typing
"fu" instead of "f--k you" or "ssseeexy" instead of "sexy," for
example. People can be harsh and say mean things or just simply
walk away. They can also divulge personal information (age,
location, MySpace page, e-mail address) in a matter of minutes.
Teens are encouraged to earn ZBucks -- or use real-world cash
-- to go shopping for their avatars. When they're not chatting,
kids can also play harmless games that actually require a bit
of concentration and hand-eye coordination in order to earn
ZBucks -- a form of currency needed to buy your avatar new
things.
Families can talk about social networking safety. What kind of information should be off-limits? What's OK to tell people? How can you report someone who's being rude, abusive, or inappropriate? How much time should be spent in these virtual worlds versus in the real world? What are the advantages and disadvantages to chatting online?
Common Sense Media Review
If you're looking for a simple place to chat with newly
found best friends, ZWINKTOPIA.COM might just be the place for
you -- as long as you know that this virtual world does come
with some problems. Once you download the free program, head on
over to your Zwinky's (avatar) dressing room to outfit him/her
with an emotion (silly, sobbing, sick), personalized hair,
makeup, outfit, body type, and accessories (PDA, glass of red
wine, or "U R A Loser" candy heart, anyone?). Your avatar can
also be embedded into personal
MySpace
pages or blogs. Some things such as background scenes or cool
haircuts are locked and can be accessed by earning ZBucks,
Zwinktopia's online currency -- or by using real-world
cash.
Games are the easiest way to rack up ZBucks. Each place you visit has a corresponding themed game: At the beach, play SubZ, where you have to dodge sharks; or organize beans in the coffee shop's Barista Challenge. It's too bad that there aren't more games and that most of the ones that do exist are quite silly and boring. And, you can go through your hard-earned cash in no time at the mall where you pop into stores that sell everything from surf wear to punk gear. The best part of the shopping experience is that you can try things on before buying them.
The main attraction of Zwinktopia is the chat feature. And, just because you're online, it doesn't mean that talking to folks gets any easier. Social interactions can be just as awkward in Zwinktopia as they sometimes are in the real world. Many of the chat locations have several avatars merely standing around waiting for someone to say something. When someone finally does say something, it's along the lines of: "What up?" "NM (not much)" "Koo" (cool). But unlike most live, in-person conversations, online chatting can get very personal, very quickly, with avatars asking other avatars for information or to come visit them in person. It's not unusual for people to give up their own location, age, email addresses, MySpace page URLs, etc., as well. Be warned that even though filters automatically replace bad words with "(bleep)," there are ways around it -- typing "fu" instead of "f--k you" or "ssseeexy" instead of "sexy," for example.
If you do trust another avatar, you can invite him/her to be your friend. But, if you want to have a friend that isn't in your age group (17 and under or 18 and older), you need to know the person's email address to send an invitation. Once the invitation is accepted, you can correspond via ZNotes -- online emails that are posted on your Profile Page and may be viewed by the public. You can remove a ZNote from your Profile Page at any time.
For more adventures with avatars, head on over to Teen Second Life.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
