Buzzword Chasers

Part II: Measuring SocialShield Against Its Most Critical Users: Parents

A few weeks ago, Buzzword Chasers ran a post about SocialShield, the software that helps parents monitor their children’s social networking site activity. Now it’s time to measure the initial success of the software.

The Good News

Not only has SocialShield been supported by the PTA, but several big-name investors have backed it as well. Playdom founder Rick Thompson, Comscore chairman Gian Fulgoni, Offerpal CEO George Garrick and Adify CEO Russell Fradin have all given SocialShield their stamp of approval.

Playdom founder Rick Thompson is one of the investors behind SocialShield.

SocialShield itself has promised an exclusive guarantee for its users. As the program grows, its creators have vowed to spend up to $1,000,000 to identify cyber bullies, to document problems and report them to schools, parents and police.

The main site, where parents go to download the software, continues to house advice for kids about cyber bullying.

Again, this site is very easy for parents to set up – they register, input the child’s password information into the software, and it will find and “connect” the parents with relevant social networking accounts. From there, the software will regularly update parents on their child’s social networking use and whether it pertains to cyber bullying or generally inappropriate actions.

From the Parents: Needs a ‘Bit of Work’

Irene Koehler, a blogger for “Almost Savvy,” a site for helping people transition into the world of social media, reviewed SocialShield – as a parent – for Almost Savvy. Her conclusion was “While the concept may be solid, SocialShield’s execution needs quite a bit of work.”

Her main complaints pertained to small details, but they are things that SocialShield should consider in the next update of their software. The main area that should be improved is the FAQ sections, Koehler said. Triggers and definitions need to be defined in more parent-friendly terms. Basically, she believes that SocialShield is a little too technical for most parents.

“While the concept may be solid, SocialShield’s execution needs quite a bit of work.”

Koehler also felt that the reports SocialShield yields were not as accurate as they are advertised to be. The best approach is to use the reports as guidelines but to check your child’s account yourself if you suspect inappropriate behavior or bullying.

Read Part I: Social Shield Provides Online Protection for Children for a practical overview of SocialShield and the issues of online privacy and child safety.