Internet Gets a Ratings System
Seems like the web has gone the way of the TV ratings system… Xivio.com 2.0 has announced a patent-pending Open Ratings System and Parents’ Zone.
Here is the press release (posted at NBC 26 in Green Bay WI):
MIAMI — Online safety, a concern for parents whose children are active in cyber communities, has been addressed in two revolutionary ways in Xivio.com 2.0 — through a patent-pending Open Ratings System and Parents’ Zone.
Xivio.com, a virtual-world and social-networking website, recently re- launched with several safety features developed during a beta-testing phase.
Xivio is a 3D Flash-driven application that allows users to access all of the site’s features without need of software downloads or additional computer configuration.
Members can log into Xivio.com at any computer and have complete access to content and online protection tools.
In the Open Ratings System, the most advanced filtering tools built to date protect children from explicit content. Community voting on all content in Xivio.com brings democracy to ratings while it allows parents to select the appropriate content level for their children.
With simple-to-understand grading tools, TV-style ratings are assigned to any piece of content (photos, music, videos and journal entries) throughout the site. The ratings are based on a consensus of votes by parents, staff and established site members.
Each content piece begins at the highest level of protection — TV-MA — until enough votes are compiled to give a more accurate rating: TV-Y, TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14 or TV-MA. This allows everyone to manage content and determine based on parents’ input what is appropriate to view.
In the Parents’ Zone, a child’s security settings are managed from an easy-to-use control panel. These settings can be applied to multiple site accounts. The system is tamper-proof and settings extend automatically to any computer used to access the site.
“When we looked at ways to make the online experience for children safer, content ratings based on a similar scale to the one used by television was something we looked to develop,” said David Wisotzky, Xivio LLC. President/CEO.
“Our software, combined with individual content ratings, allows parents to use it in the same manner as the V-Chip. Parents, staff and members all play an active part in deciding the ratings for user-uploaded content.”
This is a cool idea for the net and can certainly be useful for parents… but children can still get around software like this. These are really just pimped up blocks and filters. A more useful tool is one that can block and filter, but also give you an accurate record of everything your child does on the PC. Our PC Pandora can monitor and record all computer activity. It has blocks, filters, key logging and program blocking functions, plus it takes a snapshot of the desktop. Powerful stuff… Probably the most powerful/ most comprehensive thing you can get!
