Kids These Days…

Recently I have found myself thinking “Wow- we didn’t have this when I was a kid!” a lot more often than I used to. The Nickelodeon website is just another instance of this. First of all, the website is awesome. It has games and videos, but it is so bright and eye catching that it is hard to not want to explore. I also likes the colorful Popsicle advertisements scattered about the homepage. Overall however, I found the Nickelodeon website to be a wealth of social media.

The first thing I noticed on the website was that kids (and parents I suppose) can create a “Nick Name” and log in every time they visit the site. This allows them to do anything from keep track of game scores to upload videos. They can also win points for doing anything from winning a game to receiving the newsletter. To me, this is such a good idea. Kids love to have their own space, and allowing them to log in as themselves and keep track of their favorite shows and games is brilliant.

While the whole “Nick Name” thing makes sense, I wasn’t really expecting them to have too much more. I was wrong. Linked to from the homepage, the “Buzz” page offers  SO MANY ways for fans to connect and communicate with the network.

The first link on the Buzz is to subscribe to the newsletter. This is a good tool for both parents and kids, in that they can keep up to date on the happenings at Nickelodeon. The newsletter also gives subscribers access to “Nick Newsflash.” Like I expected, the newsletter is sent via email, which of corse, will always link readers back to the main website.

Next is “Nicktropolis.” This seems to be some sort of Nickelodeon-sponsored virtual reality world. Those with a “Nick Name” can make an avatar (or NickSelf) and do everything from pick out your clothes to adopt a pet. This is a really good alternative for kids who may not be mature enough for other games like Second Life or Simms.

The Buzz also has thirteen podcasts. These short, but useful videos are mostly just behind-the-scenes looks at shows and movies, but to kids, they are golden. For kids who idolize the stars of Nickelodeon shows, this is a perfect tool.

The last really interesting thing on the Buzz page are message boards. There are over a hundred boards, all based on shows, movies, games, and Buzz pages like MyNick and Nicktropolis. This is an excellent tool for viewers to communicate with each other as well as the network about their favorite shows. They can share ideas and also ask questions and voice concerns. Nickelodeon even has a whole page of rules teaching kids some basic guidelines for having an online presence. The tips range from password safety to what to write about.

To be honest, I was surprised at the amount of social media found on the Nickelodeon website. For a network that centers around kids and pre-teens, they are definitely embracing social media to stay connected and keep their viewers coming back. Like I said, they sure didn’t have this when I was a kid!

July 12, 2009 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: avatar, message boards, Nickelodeon, podcasts, Popsicle, Second Life, Simms, television, virtual reality | 3 Comments »