"Kid's Korner" Forum?

I know that there are a lot of people on Dave's that have children that share the same gardening, wildlife, butterfly raising, etc., etc. interests as their parents. So I was thinking, has anyone thought of creating a "Kid's Korner" forum? A place where the children can go to share pictures, stories, questions regarding gardening, wildlife and everything Dave's is about?

I'm sure the first concern would be a child's safety on Dave's because of predators and the like. But I know that most of these forums are monitored by Ubers, and if things get out of hand, threads are deleted, people are banned from forums, and it seems to be a pretty safe website to be in.

I was just curious. My 10 year old daughter has expressed an interest, and I think it would be a great thing for the children out there.

Thanks much for your thoughts and comments.

What a great idea! There are many Junior Master Gardener programs out there, so it makes sense that those "junior" gardeners would have questions and opinions :)

I'd gladly pay a subscription rate for mine to be able to participate in that type of a forum.

Excellent suggestion indiana-lily!

My only concern would be allowing kids access to all of the forums on DG. Although there are strict rules here about language, current events and politics, etc., many threads wander off into very personal discussions and rants that surprise even me. Members really seem to forget that everything they post is open for every other member to read. It might be uncomfortable for adults to realize that kids might be lurking and reading as well, and what they are reading might not be age appropriate.

Just a thought.

June

My thought would be if people are posting things that would be inappropriate for a child to read, they probably shouldn't be posted at all on here. If people are following the rules, there shouldn't be anything that's inappropriate. I realize it's not a perfect world and things do get ugly from time to time on some threads, but I think there's much less risk of kids running into inappropriate discussions here than on pretty much any other website I can think of. (and maybe if the adults remember that the kids might be reading, they'd mind their manners a bit better and not get nasty with each other!)

There are already kids in these forums. Mine log on using my user name when they want or need information for a science project. One of the reasons why I wish we had a better search engine here.

Yes, there are some threads that I've raised my eyebrows at but for the most part this site blows away other sites on the web regarding content. Has anyone taken a look at what kids can get access to on that My Space lately? I recently did. There are other sites out there that are far worse. That's why it's important for parents to check the history on their kids' computer from time to time and use those net nanny applications! They're worth their weight in gold as far as I'm concerned. DG is about as clean as it gets and it's considerably cleaner than half the crap some parents allow their children to watch on tv. I could only wish my kids would want to hang out here more. Currently they only log on when they need something. None of them appear to have acquired my passion for plants.... yet, but I have hope that they will some day.

In Texas anyway, there are also Junior Master Naturalists as well as Junior master gardeners. Would be a good resource for them too. =)

Good point, Ecrane. ;-) Actually kids would likely be totally bored with the chitchat and go on to more interesting threads—like gardening!

Equilibrium - I agree that DG rocks and Dave deserves a medal for keeping it as wholesome and safe as he does. I admire parents who are encouraging and supporting these types of activities with their children.

June

I'm wondering if Dave could make a sign-in for Junior Members, that would limit their "reach" (so to speak) to the forums? There are many worthwhile forums here that would be of little or no interest to their garden research and questions, such as the Retirement forum. Of course, then there's the whole Tags issue.....I'm beginning to see where this is a good idea, but perhaps a bit difficult to manage/supervise.

Well, this is encouraging!! :)

I thought about how tedious it might be to create a forum for kids here because of the access they'd be able to have to all of the forums and such. And, maybe giving them limited access, like non-subscribers have to the site, could be workable. Like I'm sure they really have no interest in how to clean candle wax out of a carpet (at least mine doesn't!), so they wouldn't need access to the "clean and clutter-free forum," etc. But, if it's "doable" for nonsubscribers, I'd imagine it would be the same for kids.

I think it would be a great learning experience for them, and like others posted above, this is about the "cleanest," "safest" website I've been to, with exception of Webkinz. Let the kids have access to all the gardening forums, hummingbird & butterfly gardening forum, wildlife forum, etc.

I don't see why you'd need to limit their access--there shouldn't be any material on here that's inappropriate for kids, and I rather imagine if there are forums that they find boring, they just won't visit those, I don't see a need to add an extra layer of complexity beyond member/subscriber access.

I agree with ecarne, in fact, I doubt there would be enough young ones with enough interests in a separate kids forum to even generate one of their own. Look at the huge list of forums already, many of which are real low traffic wise. If a youngster truly has an interest in gardening and the parents are there for guidance, they can check forums here that interest them. My guess is that school, homework, activities with their peers & play keep them busy enough and they wouldn't have an interest to seriously log in here beyond doing some research like Equilibrium's kids. If they have an interest in gardening, they go out and do it hopefully with their parents guidance.
Just my 2 cents.

You're right, Ecrane, there shouldn't be forums that would have to be blocked.

Sue, when I thought about this, it was mainly because I thought that maybe it would be cool for kids to be able to go to their on special place to show pictures, share stories, ask questions, etc. You know, go to their peers to talk about their gardening questions, comments, share pictures, which seems to me to be a lot more fun than going to an adult with these things. It doesn't necessarily have to be "research" that they'd be doing, but rather making friends (like we do), trading notes, and seeing how many kids are out there that share the same interests within DG. These days kids do spend time on the computer interacting with others -- not nearly as beneficial as going outside to play, but when the weather is too hot, cold, etc., there's nothing on TV to pollute their head, they are tired of video games, etc., they would have the option of going to DG and maybe learn something beneficial while having fun with other kids.

My daughter has already gleaned a lot of good information from DG, has loved reading Scutler's tales, etc., and maybe if we could expand on that a bit, some kids could really develop a long lasting interest in gardening, wildlife, butterfly raising, and do beneficial things for this earth in the future.

I wonder if having their own place will eliminate the opportunity for mentoring? or if this is even something we might want to consider. I believe that the relationships my kids formed with non parent adults have served them well. Parents have to stay focused and alert but as with any situation their kids are getting involved in but this could be a great chance to talk to "real" gardeners.

Truly, I did not want to cause a stir anywhere by asking if it would be possible to create a forum for kids. Unfortunately, it has. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/806784/

Apparently, there are many kids that take interest in DG and not just for research projects, which shows it could be a popular forum -- no telling how many kids lurk at DG. And, since there is not a minimum age to subscribe or visit DG, I thought it could possibly be a good idea.

I like to have my fun here too, and sometimes it gets a little too much for kids to see. And, I can see where suscribers don't really want to have to monitor everything they type because who knows if kids are reading the stuff. But, then again, there are adults that can become offended by "colorful" posts, which should keep us mindful anyway.

Well, it was an idea, and thanks to all that responded. :)

This message was edited Jan 24, 2008 6:16 PM

indiana_lily, it is a great idea. I have to tell you that I personally would be interested in such a forum not so much for my own kids but for any kids. The people posting in that thread meant no harm. Just a bunch of adults being silly and not one of them would have gotten slap happy like that if they had realized there were already children in and amongst the threads. That being said, it's still a great idea.

Equilibrium is right. I don't think any of us gave any thought to children viewing our comments. Really stupid.
Most threads are subscriber view only which means you have to have an "adult account" to purchase membership.
Which in our minds means this is an adult audience. I thought we were talking to only other adults.
And in some cases we can also act very childish. LOL. Gardeners gone bad.
Sorry!!!! I did not mean to offend anyone and will be much more aware of comments as this audience obviously includes people of every age.

When my kids were younger, their computers were never connected to the Internet. My kids are all older and the computer they use to go online is facing out into the family room so we can see what sites they are visiting and we have a net nanny that blocks inappropriate content so I doubt seriously if mine could have even read that thread from that computer because of some of the words in it. If I would have run into that thread because DG is on our approved site list when I viewed their history, I would have just called them over to discuss it. For the record, they have computers in their rooms but they are for homework and aren't connected to the Internet unless I allow it.

Based on my experience with kids, most of what was in that thread would have sailed right over the heads of younger kids and most younger ones hopefully aren't online unattended anyway which was suggested by someone who posted over there. If they're old enough to understand that type of content... they're old enough to be told it was inappropriate and that adults make mistakes just like kids sometimes. Ultimately, we parents are responsible for what content our kids view. DG is still a site I would prefer mine be at. That thread is a very isolated incident.

I think that thread got removed--when I clicked on the link, it takes me to the list of forums so I guess it must have been deleted. I have no idea what people said in there, but I think it just goes to show that if there's content that's inappropriate for kids around here, it's probably inappropriate to be posted at all. Of course the admins can't be everywhere all at once so some things will slip through the cracks from time to time, but I think kids are far safer from inappropriate content here than anywhere else I can think of on the internet.

I have to tell you I can't stand Disney's site. They bombard kids with advertising. Lots of "kid safe" sites are targeting kids subliminally and not so subliminally. One of the reasons why I despise tv. Do they really need those choco whatever loops cereal? Or the latest and greatest gaming system? It's too much.

Under Federal Law, we can only permit children 13 and over to join. (But 13 is still pretty young by most standards, which is a big part of why we have the Acceptable Use Policy rules that we do - and why we enforce them ;o) This age limit is the same for both non-subscribing members and subscribers.

As ecrane3 pointed out, the thread was removed (and those who participated in it were aware it was going to be removed.) We can't be everywhere all the time - there are simply too many posts a day for us to monitor them all, so we count on members to do two things:

1) Hold yourself to the standards set out in the AUP - if you have to ask yourself if something is appropriate to post here, it probably isn't.

2) Let us know when you see a thread crosses the line - whether it seems "spammy" (advertising/self-promotion) or violates any other AUP guidelines.

When we all work together, the site will be pretty much "self-cleaning", and the few slip-ups that occur will get cleaned up sooner rather than later.

How about a "Teens Garden Too" forum?

Equilibrium, that's a very good idea. There's apparently already a membership base of teenagers.

Terry, I did not know the Federal guidelines as far as a minimum age to join, thank you for posting that.

Ecrane3 makes a very good point -- if there is something offensive, the thread is removed pretty quickly. And Equilibrium makes another good point as well, the thread that was removed yesterday is pretty much an isolated incident because of its content. So, as you stated Terry, when we work together, this site is pretty much "self-cleaning."

I never would have considered asking about a special forum for younger people, if I didn't think DG had high standards. I will admit that my daughter is one of those kids that reads over my shoulder when I'm on DG. In fact, there are many times that I will call her into the room to have her look at some of the pictures, and read posts because I found some interesting information, or a funny story. If it weren't for DG, my daughter and I would never have dreamed of butterfly raising, which we started doing last year, among other things.

A special age group asked for their own forum that doesn't apply to all the DG subscribers, and that would be the "retirees" forum. If there were to be a teen forum, that would be the same principle, wouldn't it?

If this is a controversial request, why not do a poll on Monday -- like the one for the DG party/convention. See just how many people out there would be interested in having a teen forum created for their teens or teens that are subscribers, and if not, why? Just a thought.

Like Equilibrium and others, I'd rather have my kid meet up with people on DG than on myspace, or other sites like that. Plus, this is a constructive site, where teens who have a real interest in gardening, wildlife, needlework, etc., could learn more, and gain friendships here as well.

Thanks for your thought and consideration. :)

I don't think it's really all that controversial, my biggest question is whether there are enough kids/teens who would use it to make it worthwhile. They're already using the site and are free to post things on the other forums if they want, so I don't see why it would be controversial to give them their own forum. The usual consideration when forum requests are put it is whether it'll get enough traffic, and I think that's the real question here. I know there are a few teens around, but are there enough of them to really sustain a forum?

That's it in a nutshell - if there are enough kids to warrant a forum all their own, we can do that. We could also frame it up as a "gardening with kids" so younger moms and dads (and some gung-ho grandparents) could use it as a resource for their kid-gardening questions.

That's a great idea, Terry! I like that.
How would it be determined whether or not there would be enough interest? A questionnaire of sorts?

this thread right here is the best gauge. We watch the threads that suggest a new forum idea, and if it looks like there's enough interest to sustain it longterm, then we'll create the forum.

What about placing it over under the Gardens.com umbrella?

That would probably mean it's a free forum. If everyone is okay with that and Dave agrees that's where it should go, that's definitely a possibility.

Teens don't have much money, might be the logical place for a forum such as the one suggested by indiana_lily.

I agree, teens don't have much money to spare and if it were provided on gardens.com. And, if these teens do really like the service provided for them, as they become more fiscally responsible, they could very well become new DG subscribers down the road.

I have 3 teens that would probably like this idea of a teen forum. Free forums sound like a good idea or I was wondering if Dave could do a family membership for people who have teens or more that one user in their family and they could each have thier own user IDs? It would be cheaper than paying for a membership for each child/teen....

I have one granddaughter that has followed the story of Heidi the raccoon on the wildlife forum. She also has enjoyed looking at the photos of birds on the Birdwatching forum.

I think a forum geared to kids would be a great idea! Just as we enjoy 'adult conversation' after dealing with kids all day, I am sure they would enjoy being able to share with other kids!