Togetherville Helps Parents, Kids, And Schools Connect With New ‘Communities’ Feature

admin — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:57:28 +0000

Togetherville, a Facebook-like social network for kids 10 years of age and younger, is launching a new feature called School Communities today that aims to “give kids a voice” when it comes to how their schools are run. The feature also represents a big change to the way the site is building its social graph, making it far easier for children to connect with their friends.

It’s easy to forget (and many kids probably ignore it entirely), but Facebook maintains a firm requirement that everyone on the site be thirteen years of age or older. That’s where Togetherville comes in — the site appeals to parents by promising a safer, more secure environment, where parents can moderate who their children are connecting with. Parents approve each of their child’s friends, and can also connect with other parents using Facebook’s social graph.

Before now, though, the process to find your child’s friends was more tedious than it probably should have been — if your kid wanted to ‘friend’ another child, then you would have to be friends with the other child’s parents on Facebook. The new ‘Schools’ feature makes this easier: during signup you’ll enter the name of your child’s school, Togetherville will present your child with a list of their friends, and they can ask to connect with them (pending each parent’s approval).

The addition of schools also brings another dynamic to the social network: communities. Parents can now talk to each other about current school-related issues on the school’s community page (which is analogous to a Facebook page), and it also gives kids a chance to speak their minds.

But while parents will be to engage in a straightforward conversation forum, the kids side of things is a bit more complex. Every so often Togetherville sends out mass polls to all of its users — questions like, “What’s your favorite subject and why?” When a child responds to one of these questions, their answer will appear in the feeds of their friends, and their parent will be asked for permission to publish the response on the community page of the child’s school (they’ll also be asked if the response can be published as part of anonymized data aggregated across all of Togetherville).

CEO Mandeep Dhillon says that this gives kids a unique chance to share their thoughts on their school — if enough students talk about an issue, then maybe the grownups will take notice (I suspect that student requests will result in a lot of noise, but the trends may be worthwhile). He also says that the community feature will be rolling out for uses beyond schools as well, like coordinating soccer teams.

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Togetherville Helps Parents, Kids, And Schools Connect With New ‘Communities’ Feature

Matt’s Blog – Toy Story 3

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:46:19 +0000

On paper, it’s a ridiculous notion. Stifling a rising emotive lump in your throat caused by the on screen antics of computer animated toys.

But that’s exactly what happened when Debbie, Luke and I saw Toy Story 3 earlier today.

Before I continue, I must warn you that this blog is likely to contain spoilers. If you haven’t watched the film then you’re probably better off closing this so it doesn’t ruin the plot for you.

Fifteen years have passed since Toy Story was released. Like Woody’s owner, Andy, we’ve grown up with the characters. They’ve become cherished figures as we’ve enjoyed their adventures again and again on TV and DVD. We’ve passed this love for them down to our children. Indeed, from where I’m sitting right now I can spot half a dozen of Luke’s much loved Toy Story figures. He enjoys repeating their catch phrases and playing with them. His maturing mind creating simple but endearing adventures for them.

The original Toy Story created a new genre. The sequel was one of those rare films that surpasses the original. The characters and plot virtually pitch perfect. When news of the threequel was announced, I was a little wary. Could Pixar pull off another masterpiece? Would it stand next to the other two films and be a fitting send off to those much loved characters?

The answer is a very resounding yes. Pixar have never made children’s films. They’ve made films that kids can enjoy but they’ve always had a more contemporary theme. From the strong eco-message from the little robot left behind to clear up our mess, to the grief stricken man who ties a thousand balloons to his house.

Similar adult themes run through Pixar’s latest. A strong sense that all good things must end is present right from the off. Most of the toys have already been sold and only a handful remain. Andy is now a young man going to college and has no time for his old toys who still crave his attention. They resign themselves to a long spell in the attic holding onto the hope that Andy may have children of his own one day.

This loyalty and friendship runs throughout the series and ties together many of the key scenes in this last installment. During the third act, one scene has them trying to escape a rubbish dump’s metal smelter. Despite their efforts they find themselves being pulled towards the white hot fire, all hope seemingly lost. Jesse turns to Buzz and asks “What do we do now?” and Buzz meets her worried gaze with a look that says ‘Nothing. This is it’. The toys reach out and join hands. Terrified at the prospect at dying but finding comfort in their friendship. This beautifully animated moment was responsible for raising a lump in my throat. It is a credit to Pixar that they are able to wrangle such an emotional response from the audience by displaying so much humanity in their animation.

They manage it again right at the end as Andy plays with his toys one last time before donating them to another child. The long look he gives them before getting into his car and driving away from his childhood things is another wonderfully executed and poignant moment.

As the end credits roll to Newman’s “You’ve got a friend in me” you can’t help but to sit there for a moment and allow the concussion from the sentimental grenade to pass before rising from your seat to leave these characters behind.

I watched Luke skip out of the theatre babbling about “Woody” and “Buzz” and “Ye-haw Bulls eye” and I couldn’t help but to consider that he’ll grow up and leave home one bittersweet day. Another reminder to enjoy all the days we have, no matter how many clouds there are in the sky.

I can’t recommend the film enough. It’s hands down one of the finest animated films I’ve ever sat through. It is simply in a league of its own and Pixar’s unblemished record continues.

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Matt’s Blog – Toy Story 3

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Togetherville Helps Parents, Kids, And Schools Connect With New ‘Communities’ Feature

Matt’s Blog – Toy Story 3