Whyville, Club Penguin, and Habbo

Let's start by taking a look at our first three social worlds:  Whyville, Club Penguin, and Habbo.

Whyville 

First impressions:  One of the first things I noticed about Whyville was that they list several high-profile sponsors from both public and private sectors, including NASA, Woods Hole, the National Science Foundation, and more.  Whyville is free to play, although they do offer a limited premium subscription which gives users "clams" to purchase virtual goods.  Clams can also be earned organically through gameplay.
Age range:  The site suggests it is appropriate for children from age 8 to 15.
Pros:  Whyville is specifically being marketed to educators and schools, citing use "from elementary
schools to post-graduate courses for pre-service teachers".  Reviews on Common Sense Media note that students must take a "chat license test" in order to be able to use interactive features, teaching good digital citizenship.

Cons:  The biggest red flags I noted were also from Common Sense Media, citing the fact that despite many excellent internet safety measures, chat rooms are not monitored 24/7 and with the teen audience, some inappropriate content makes its way in.
Overall rating:  6 out of 10

Club Penguin
First impressions:  My first observation in Club Penguin was its affiliation with Disney.  The "fine print" on their advertising video noted that "some features require paid membership,"and their page for parents included a sales pitch to adults on why having a membership was important to children.  Once again, in Club Penguin, members use internet currency to purchase virtual items.
Age range:  Club Penguin is aimed at children from age 6 to 14.
Pros:  Interesting to note - Club Penguin boasts a partnership with Free The Children.  Users can "donate" some of their virtual currency to various campaigns Club Penguin advertises, and the organization has donated over $12 million so far.  A feature I was particularly interested in was their chat rooms.  To help users learn how to appropriately interact on the Web, chat will "suggest phrases" for them to use.  Seems like an interesting way to help teach digital citizenship.
Cons:  It seems to me that there is definitely an agenda for kids to get hooked and talk their parents into paying for an upgrade.  In exploring the site and reading other reviews, it seems that while you can join for free, the experience is extremely limited unless you pay up.  There is even some merchandising coming out of the site.  As an educator, I don't see an obvious link for use in the classroom.
Overall rating:  5.5 out of 10

Habbo

First impressions:  The first thing I noticed about Habbo was an ad for PayPal on the main page - not a promising beginning.  Habbo is free, but notes that "some in-game 'extras' " require purchase with "Habbo credits."
Age range:  Habbo is designed for ages 13 and up.
Pros:  Habbo is very much a virtual world.  Users can express themselves through avatars, building rooms, and more, or take on a role within the Habbo community.
Cons:  Where to begin?  My research yielded two major concerns:  inappropriate chat rooms and
abundant third-party advertisements.  The chat rooms do not seem to be well moderated, and teens will intentionally misspell words to get them through the filters.  Content quickly becomes sexual, racist, or homophobic.  In addition, new areas of the site bombard the user with ads.  These two issues severely undercut any ideas I might have for use with students.
Overall rating:  3 out of 10

Reflections
As someone who was raised in the early days of Neopets, these online worlds aren't entirely surprising to me.  Club Penguin in some ways reminds me a lot of my own childhood experience!  I think to me the more interesting direction is to see how these platforms will begin to be used in educational settings, and which will be the best tools for classroom utilization.

Here's hoping tomorrow yields some more promising results!  Until next time...

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Currently reading:  still Taming of the Queen, just a few chapters a night 'til vacation
Current high:  VS cheerleading had a stellar first performance this afternoon!
Current low:  busiest teaching day of the week tomorrow...