Customer Reviews

Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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4AYN, *H*, 26Y4U, 262, LMIRL, TDTM, WYGOWM, P911, F2T. If you are a parent and you don't have a clue what any of this means, then you don't have a clue about what your teenager is up to online. This book is worth the cover price just for pages 61-68. I'm talking eye-opening for a non-digital-age parent... )sigh). Why are 110 million teens signed up with Myspace accounts? What's the attraction? Who cares! Right? That'swhat I thought... until I read this book. Startling really. This writer has clearly done her research and is not trying to scare parents, but to inform in a sortof 'you can do this, you can understand your child's world' sort of way. On the downside, it's a little long and perhaps goes into a bit too much depth--but it's well organized and easy to skip around to find what you want. Despite a few nagging shortcomings this is a book every parent with kids from college-age on down should buy asap. Think your kids are up late at night using the computer for school "research"? Hah. Buy the book.

This is truly a Generation of MySpace with over 80 Million users...My wife got me this book as a present and I read the entire thing within days. This is a must read guide for parent who have teens. This makes a great gift for any mom or dad or anyone who wants to learn about teens and the interent, specifically MySpace!

The first "My Space"book from this perspective, and it's right on. Not a 'scare you into action' read, but one that clears misconceptions about My Space and what kids are using it for. It is a must read (especially for those who have the computer in plain site). Find out what My Space is all about through the eyes of a teacher who loves and appreicates her students and has genuine concern for them. Ms. Kelsey's work makes me a better parent. So, thanks!

"Sheesh! Another MySpace thing! Mom, MySpace is really not that big a deal!" -My son, on seeing the book.

And therein is the point of the book. This is not a book for teens; it is an attempt to bridge the generation gap between parents and their children, using MySpace as the point of departure.

The author is a middle school teacher in California who has supplemented her personal experience with extensive research. There are no footnotes, but expert commentary and research is well documented within the text. There is also a "Resources" section at the back of the book, listing sources by chapter, as well as a "Recommended Reading, Surfing, and Viewing" section, also broken down by chapter.

There are few holds barred as the author delves into the current world of teens. In the first chapter the author points out that it's not all about MySpace, it's about social networking sites, of which MySpace is the largest. She then proceeds to explain why social networking is so important to teens and how it fits into the overall picture of their lives. In doing so, she exposes the terms and terminology they use and their current cultural context. Although she gives frequent warnings, if you are not prepared for language that would have been offensive in prior generations, you may want to skip this book and try one of the others available.

But the author is not trying to shock as much as to wave red flags. She and many experts say MySpace is not the problem, it is simply a symptom of a larger cultural shift. Kelsey believes, and offers good documentation, that the shift is driven by media and consumerism. With the red flags she also offers advice on dealing with the negative issues surrounding MySpace. The first step, also recommended by other authors of MySpace books, is to visit this part of a teen's "world" by creating a MySpace account and looking around. There is a guided tour through the process, beginning with Chapter 2, "Pimped Out: Anatomy of a Profile." The author recommends not going straight to your child's profile, but using the experience to understand the world of today's teens by seeing it through their eyes. There is a chapter later in the book devoted to assessing your child's MySpace involvement, and strategies to use.

Overall, the book is well written and well documented, promoting strategies that are recommended by experts for dealing with teens and MySpace. The book overall also has an alarmist tone, and uses very frank language. For the clueless parent (including the one(s) thinking, "Not MY teen!"), this is probably a good thing. But it may not be the book for every parent. If you want a full picture of the teen world and teens on MySpace, this book should top your list. If you'd rather not know all the gory details, but still want to know how to approach MySpace, consider something like MySpace Unraveled, by Larry Magid and Anne Collier.

GENERATION MYSPACE" by Candice M. Kelsey.....

"Are YOU still the major influence in YOUR child's life? Think again!.....A comprehensive and enlightening update on the Global Popular Culture strongly influencing young America...and the youth of the world.....includes the new global language, rules, fads, trends, and indulgences on the Internet....the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. A "MUST READ" for all parents." Jean in CT

Ms. Kelsey obviously understands the minds of American youth, their parents, and modern culture.

This book is great, especially for parents whose children know how to use the internet and computer better than they do.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought I knew quite a bit about the internet, but I now know how much I was missing. The intrigue and pressure associated with MySpace is huge, and I am so glad that Mrs. Kelsey has enlightened me in such a clear, straightforward manner. You must read this book if you spend/will spend any time around teenagers!

As a parent that knows little of the computer world outside of email, Quicken, and the occasional Google, I fould this book enlightening. With two children just now realizing the computer is more than a gaming console, I feel I am well prepared for their future internet explorations.

I'd like to think that I'm fairly internet-savvy, but when I read Candice Kelsey's book "Generation MySpace," I was blown out of the water. Now I know what my students really mean! I'm not a parent yet, but I can see how useful it will be to parents who want to understand what their kids are into. It's all about the internet these days, and it is a scary, unfamiliar world to many of us. Here comes Candice Kelsey, fearlessly stepping in to decode what we need to know. Thanks, Ms. Kelsey; hopefully you are inspired to write another book that delves deeper into not what but why. I would buy that book in a heartbeat as well.