Practicing Safe Surf
Good businesspeople keep up on current events so that they are able to follow trends. Great businesspeople use the information to stay ahead of the trends. The ability to identify emerging markets will give you an advantage over your competitors who will be playing catch up. The key is to read over business news carefully, looking for trends.
Today, two seemingly unrelated stories broke. The first is the announcement by MySpace that they will be working to add safety measures to their social networking site in order to protect teens from sexual predators.
The second, was a press release announcing that PBS would be adding a subscription based program that was aimed at pre-school aged children and would feature popular PBS characters like Big Bird and Elmo.
At first glance these headlines have nothing to do with each other. One involves protecting teenagers on the internet and the other is about helping young children learn. However, the common theme in both stories is safety. In the PBS article, Director of Interactive Businesses, Benjamin Grimley says, “Everything we’re doing is centered on safety.” It echoes the words of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, who is affiliated with the MySpace agreement, who stated, “We have to find the best way to make sure parents have the tools … to protect their children.”
Internet safety has always been a concern, but the focus has changed. A few years ago the boogiemen in the e-closet were hackers and people trying to steal personal information. Companies like Zone Alarm and Norton made millions by selling virus protection, firewalls, and other security measures to stop hackers. Fueled by news stories, like the suicide of Megan Meier, and shows like “To Catch a Predator“, parents are worried about the safety of their kids on the World Wide Web. There is a lot of potential for businesses that are able of help parents and kids feel more secure.
The current internet safety options, like filtering and tracking software, are woefully inadequate. The American Library Association has come out against the use of internet filters in public libraries, because they fail to block many pornographic sites while allowing innocuous sites (like those on Breast Cancer) to be blocked. While tracking and key logging software has also grown in popularity as a way to promote internet safety, they both demand a level of internet savvy and knowledge that many parents don’t have. An internet tracking program can tell you that your child is visiting a website devoted to Ana and Mia, but it won’t be able to tell you that these are nicknames for Anorexia and Bulimia. Until key logging software has the ability to translate teen speak to English, it will not help many parents to keep kids safe.
The fact that the current safety options are inadequate means that this is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and businesspeople. The ability to develop a truly foolproof internet filter would mean millions for the creator. There is also a growing market for e-books on internet safety, and consultants who will specialize in teaching parents the ropes of net crimes and security. These are just a few of the many business opportunities available in the internet safety field. The market is there, the only question is how you will use it to your advantage. Will you simply read the news stories about internet safety, or will you make your own headlines?
