Boy, 12, launches youth social networking site
Grom Social caters to kids and their protective parents.
Boy geniuses and tech startups are common modern marketplace phenomena. The barons of our time may be the 20-year-old programmers who provide Internet services that the public embraces but never knew it wanted.
So, we should expect to see more young innovators offering their unique perspectives on online communications.
Zach Marks, a 12-year-old from Melbourne Beach, Fla., is the most recent, and perhaps the youngest, entrepreneur to enter the social networking market.
After some convincing, Marks’ parents agreed to let him create a profile on Facebook. However, learning that Marks had conversed with adults online whom they didn’t know, they barred Marks from using this profile.
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Exiled from the online social sphere, Marks began his own network, one geared toward an under-18 audience that would also garner parental approval. Although originally created just for his friends and family, the Marks family has decided to release the site to the public.
Grom Social requires parental permission for users to create profiles. To create a profile users must enter a parent's email address. The site sends parents “report cards” on their children’s site activity and interests.
Marks doesn't think parental involvement will deter kids from using the site. " I personally experienced what happens on social networking sites that are not safe for kids. I saw bad language and I was bullied. It was scary," Marks says. "With all the bad things happening in the world, kids want to know they are safe from bad people."
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Users create a cartoonish avatar, a grom-atar, that they use on the brightly-colored, animated site to interact with “friends” and explore topics such as health, school, sports and entertainment. The site offers video game tips and help with school subjects for grades 1-10.
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"We're getting 25,000 plus visits a day. Our membership grows every hour and we're speaking with some of the biggest companies in the world about becoming involved with GromSocial," Marks states.
If it continues to catch on, Grom Social just may be an incubator for future Mark Zuckerbergs and Zach Markses.
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Photo: www.gromsocial.com
Why is everyone so negative? Instead of applauding a 12 year old give for trying to create a solution to what he viewed as a problem, you are bashing it. I think it's safe to say that 98% of the adult population in this country is too stupid to even comprehend what this kid did and because they don't understand it, they immediately don't like it. To most of America, starting a business means buying a plow.
Technology isn't going away and I think it's great that someone that young took some initiative and created something instead of pouting until he his parents gave in.
It is people like this that are why the world is such a horrible place. Everyone spends all their time looking for the worst in any given situation “one stop shop for pedophiles” because the worst is something to talk about. Sad sad day. Perhaps these people should do something just like this young man has and try and be a part of the solution rather than standing back and doing nothing accept bi*#hing about everything that is wrong. Here is a great concept if you think you can do it better than go and do it rather than spending your time here criticizing this young mans work. I mean for goodness sakes a 12 year old boy can do it why cant you.
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