Social websites, instant messaging, email, all ways that I as a blogger , and computer addict, communicate everyday. It’s also something that my daughter wants to do everyday, but I hesitate to allow her too much online freedom, especially after an unfortunate incident a few years ago when a little friend “coached” her over the phone into purchasing a subscription to a popular doll game site with my PayPal. Please don’t ask me how a 6 year old did this unbeknownst to me, I’d rather not think about it anymore. Anywho, now you might see why I jumped at the opportunity to review a fabulous new product; Senario recently announced My Secret Circle, the first ever social networking world designed just for tween and teen girls age 8-12.
“Studies show that more than 25% of girls age 9-17 are heavy users of social networking sites. Girls rule the social networking world, yet there aren’t any secure communities geared toward them,” says Mike Nakamura, founder and CEO of Senario. “My Secret Circle presents this demographic with the ability to create completely private communities with friends, while avoiding the advertising and strangers present on other social networking sites.”
My Secret Circle is plug-n’-play through your computer’s usb port. It is invisible to the online world and is not a Website. Instead it is an embedded browser that uses unique ID codes so that girls never need to upload personal information online. Friends connect on My Secret Circle by exchanging one use private codes with each other. You cannot befriend someone unless you exchange these codes so the product is extremely secure.
Create your profile with the All-About-Me page- Design a Diva avatar that’s uniquely you!
- IM Chat online with your friends
- Voice chat with an optional headset
- Collect and play games alone or with friends
- Upload, share and decorate photos & slide shows!
- PC & MAC compatible
- Internet access required
- Safe and secure from online strangers, ads and subscriptions
What we loved
The journal can act as a personal diary! With the option to keep each entry as either private or public, girls can write their deepest secrets or share daily thoughts with friends! Each journal entry is dated, they can add photos and cute emoticons too! I really look forward to my daughter being able to practice her writing skills with the journal feature. She doesn’t have to worry about her brother ever finding her diary either! It’s password protected ;)
So far Pie’s favorite activity is uploading pictures of her brother and adding funny things to it, horns, hearts, glasses, thought bubbles with silly sayings, lol! It’s a good thing her brother hasn’t seen her doing this yet! She just laughs and laughs at the photos she’s created! I must admit, a pic of her bunny wearing a mustache and hat is pretty funny.
Pie loves being able to customize her page with different backgrounds and colors. The Diva avatar designer has a large variety of choices so she won’t get bored. She likes being able to carry her Access Key around on her back pack with the attached clip. Her friends ask her about it, so we’re hoping a few more get them and can chat with her too!
Overall I think My Secret Circle is a stress free way for parents to keep their children safe while giving them a little freedom to interact with approved of friends online. A great solution for those girls who are at that in between stage, too young for popular social sites but still aware of the ability to socialize online and wanting to try it! I can definitely see this as an affordable birthday or Christmas gift for my daughter’s friends and cousins so they can stay in touch.
Buy it!
About the Author
Sounds like Pie is having lots of fun with this. Great price on it, too. Glad I don't have to worry about internet safety yet, but good to know that when the time comes there is something like this out there.