Habbo and MTV are now best of friends and will be cross promoting content and working closer together than ever before.  Can’t wait to see Habbo’s first ever TV ad.

Number of ‘Neet’ (Not in education, employment or training) teens 16-18 falling, but still high. It’s gone from 10.3% in 2008 to 9.2% in 2009 (just in England).

Glastonbury’s finished and, apparently, lots of teens were there.

“Why facebook want you to believe that email is dead” << the suit and tie analogy made me laugh.

More calls for the Mosquito to be banned.  Fingers crossed, it’s a disgusting product. Article here.

Update: it wasn’t banned. Damn.

Yesterday, Jim Gamble,  director of CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) met with Facebook to discuss concerns over child safety on the site. Facebook does seem to be budging from their initially resistant position, however they are still opposed to installing a “panic” button itself.

Responding to mounting pressure from the Government and parents to protect its 23 million British users, it has now redesigned its abuse reporting system so users can alert the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) to any unwanted or inappropriate contact.

Managers have also agreed to establish a new 24-hour police hotline, dedicated to helping with emergencies, investigations and prosecutions.

Read more @ The Independant. A similar Guardian article points out other sites such as MySpace include a “Report abuse” button.

So over the next couple of months AOL is doing its level best to get rid of the social networking albatross that is Bebo.

Beyond the obvious “but they only bought it in 2008″, and “it used to be really popular, aren’t teens fickle?”, there’s one pretty distressing impact of this.  And it’s not unique to Bebo.

For those young people who’ve grown up using the site over the last five years, what happens to all their messages, photos and conversations when Bebo shuts?  These are their memories, built up with their friends, over half a decade.  Will the site stay online for people to log in, browse, but no longer update? Unlikely. Or just vanish from the net forever? Likely.

A lot of people have already started backing up, because they know that AOL won’t care how much time they’ve invested in their site.   Sure social networks are a business trying to be as profitable as possible, but most people (esp teens) who use them don’t see them like this.  It’s just where their mates and photos are. 

And then, one day, they’re not.

From digital spy:  C4 to launch Facebook reading campaign

Channel 4 Education has confirmed plans to launch a Facebook application aimed at getting more teenagers reading books and discussing them.

Titled Bookstash, the application will enable users to flag up the covers of their favourite novels, while also passing on recommendations and learning about new releases. It will launch on March 15.

Will be following this with interest – seems like the latest in a long line of new media approaches to literacy and teens, though I think it’s one of the first to be coming from a broadcaster, rather than publisher.  I wonder how much it will differ from existing similar sounding apps and services that aren’t as TEEN targetted (e.g. weRead and GoodReads).

See also:

1. The very well established Spinebreakers from Penguin (uses a teen editorial team, with social networking, promotion of new books, competitions, interviews with authors, and more)
2. The slightly newer InkPop from HarperCollins (for teens, and also for teen writers – basically a virtual slush pile meets social network)

If anyone has any more information about Bookstash, please do drop us a line.

What’s the right way for brands to use social networks?  IS there a right way?

Armando Samuels over at The Next Great Generation has written a great article about brands on social networks, comparing their behaviour to “an ugly guy dating a really hot chick”.  Well worth a read: Hey Brands, Get Out Of My Social Media Grill.

Some quotes:

“I’m tired of dealing with brands all over social media, I need a minute of my day when brands are not all up on my shit. Is that possible? I know that social hubs like Facebook and twitter are relatively new and brands are scrambling to figure out what’s the best way to use them, but let me give you some advice, “STOP! You are not fooling anyone.”

I’m not saying advertising is bad. I love advertising and believe in it, but what I don’t believe in is this idea that all brands need to be part of social media. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but I’m talking about the other 98%.”

And:

“So how about we make a pact, brands of the world, stop trying to be someone you are not (my friend) and be who you are (a confident brand that believes in your product). I know you are there and if I don’t, I’m sure I’ll see you on TV or every time I open a magazine – just please stay away from my social network.”

I do wonder to what extent his view is representative of most people and, especially, most teens on social networks.   I definitely think there’s something to be said for loved teen brands to be on social networks (maybe a better word is platforms?) like Facebook.

I suspect many teens just expect the things they love, be it MTV, Cadbury’s or Adidas to be in the spaces where they are, and find it odd when they’re not. Not in an intrusive way, just joining in the conversation with them, offering something tangible, putting in the effort and NOT mindlessly filling their news feeds with adverts.

Armando is totally right that almost everyone, teens included (or in particular?), are savvy enough to know when a friend, a product, a TV show, isn’t being sincere or is just interested in broadcasting, not in a conversation.

There’s a lot to be said for teens brands being confident and not acting desperate, but I think that’s more of an attitude to how to behave in a social space, rather than a reason not to be there.