habbo

Habbo, an online community targeted at teens, is under fire for being unable to stop users from engaging in sexually explicit virtual interactions or using derogatory language, according to a post from online magazine The Kernel.

The controversy, which sent the site into a "global mute" that stopped users from communicating, was sparked by a news broadcast in the U.K.'s Channel 4 News about "shocking lapses in moderation of a hugely popular online game used by young teenagers, including interactions of an explicit sexual nature."

The incident has caused one of Habbo's top … Read more

For those of us who went to high school before the Internet had made its way into most households, back when evenings were more likely to be spent twisting telephone wire around our fingers than typing messages to our friends, having online relationships that are equally important to those that happen in person may sound implausible.

But for teens today, online communities--be they through games, social-networking sites, or other virtual groups--offer "crucial socialization and identification experiences," according to researchers who studied 4,299 people from Spain, Japan, and the U.K. who use the social-networking site Habbo.

Moreover, … Read more

As reported earlier on Webware, FremantleMedia, co-producer of American Idol, announced it has teamed up with Habbo to create an Idol-branded community within the Habbo virtual world.

Habbo claims 11.5 million unique users on a worldwide basis and more than 121 million characters have been created. VentureBeat reports "about 90 percent of its users are 13 to 18. They spend an average of 45 minutes on the site per visit."American Idol and its show sponsors will post their signs and merchandise throughout the Habbo environment. They will hold events on stages and use spaces that resemble … Read more

American Idol, one of the only television franchises that's truly interactive with its audience, is getting a brand extension through of a deal with the teen-focused social-network service Habbo.

The match makes a lot of sense if you look at the demographics of the two products: teens love American Idol, and Habbo is built for them. When I spoke with senior vice president David Luner of FreemantleMedia Enterprises--which owns the American Idol franchise--it became clear that the demographic overlap was the driving factor in this deal.

"We were looking for a virtual world" for American Idol, Luner … Read more

The BBC reports that a Dutch teenager has been arrested for allegedly stealing 4,000 euros' (about $5,800) worth of virtual furniture from "rooms" in the social-networking site Habbo Hotel.

Five 15-year-olds have also been questioned by the police in connection to this incident. The six teens are suspected of moving the stolen furniture into their own Habbo rooms.

The lines between "virtual" and "reality" continue to blur. At first glance, the idea of stealing virtual furniture seems ludicrous. But, the furniture was paid for with real money. A Habbo Hotel spokesman told the BBC that "the accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo Web sites." So there is also a phishing fraud involved.… Read more