Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online [Paperback]

Anastasia Goodstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

"A must read for parents (and future parents) of teenagers. Consider Anastasia Goodstein as the daughter you totally 'get' - explaining all the behaviors of the daughter you totally don't 'get.' Consider this a parent/teen dictionary. Brilliant and lifesaving!"

- Atoosa Rubenstein, former editor in chief of Seventeen magazine

 

"Totally Wired is both an awakening and a comfort for adults who feel lost in the infinite alleys of cyberspace. Goodstein gives it to us straight - honestly examining the threats to kids, but also including fresh insights into the positive ways young people use the wired world in their lives."

- Joe Kelly, president of Dads & Daughters and author of Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter

 

Hooking up via MySpace, bullying on a blog. Using a cell phone as a tracking device? Clearly, being a teen today isn't the same as it used to be. So what are LiveJournal, Xanga, Facebook, and MySpace, and what exactly are teens doing on these sites?

 

Totally Wired is the first inside guide to what teens are really doing on the Internet and with technology today. Author Anastasia Goodstein creates an informative and accessible guide that covers topics such as social networking, blogging, cyberbullying, and much, much more.

 

Including interviews with a cross section of industry professionals and teenagers, and loaded with fascinating statistics and revealing anecdotes, Totally Wired is the first guide that explains to parents in easy-to-understand terms what kids are really up to online, and arms parents with the knowledge they need to promote Internet safety.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Goodstein isn't a parent and hails from Generation X (just after the boomers), but she has a keen interest in teenagers, a background in teen media and writes a blog (Ypulse.com) which is devoted to teen media and marketing. The author explains that she's spent her career trying to be a "voice of reason" for teens and for adults trying to reach them; in this book she continues her quest to help parents understand their kids by offering a window into their digital world. Goodstein covers the bases, including cyber bullying, blogs and "social-networking sites" such as MySpace. She asks boomer parents to remember talking on the phone for hours or writing in a diary, which she compares to chatting online and blogging. Today's teens are developmentally identical to teens who listened to Elvis and wore poodle skirts, Goodstein argues, but they have a new venue—the Internet—for exploring their hopes, desires and voices. Goodstein urges parents to take the plunge into cyberspace not only in order to keep their children safe but also to build closer relationships. "Ask them about their digital lives," she advises, "and they'll start talking about the rest of their lives." Focusing on the pros rather than the risks, Goldstein presents a solid and accessible guide to help understand the wired generation. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

I have a background in journalism and producing/packaging online and print content for both teens and a broader consumer audience. You can view my not-so-up-to-date portfolio at word-geek.com.

I began my career working in youth media at Teen Voices (www.teenvoices.com), a Boston-based non-profit magazine written by and for teen women. It was there that I realized both the power of young people’s writing and the ongoing struggle it is to keep a non-profit organization going.

I left to go back to school where I earned a master’s degree in journalism with a concentration in new media at Northwestern University.

After graduation I headed to New York where I was an editorial Web producer for several Internet companies during the height of the dot com bubble including About.com and Oxygen Media. At Oxygen, I launched the Web counterpart to the Trackers (Oxygen’s now defunct teen television show) TV segment called the POV-J Network (Point of View Journalist). I recruited teens from across the country who produced Web and TV stories from their “point of view” for the network.

I left New York in 2000 to work for Kibu, another now defunct start-up dot.com for teen girls that was located in Silicon Valley. After the bubble began to burst in April of 2000 and Kibu closed its doors in September 2000, I went to work for Netscape Communications where I led the creation of feature programming including seasonal and holiday packages and later ran the TV and Movies channels for all of AOL’s Web Properties. I then went on to help launch KeepMedia, a paid content service founded by Louis Borders (Borders Books, WebVan). I joined Current TV, an independent media company led by former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, in January of 2005 where I was the director of online community until September of 2006 when I decided to try to make Ypulse my full-time gig. I am also publishing my first book (with St. Martin’s Press), Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online March 20, 2007.

I started Ypulse because I missed working in teen media and of all the ideas I constantly have for new teen-centric non-profits or companies, starting a blog seemed like the easiest thing to start (little did I know how much time and dedication would be required!). Since May of 2004, Ypulse has been updated five days a week and grown a dedicated and loyal readership. It has helped me to grow as a writer as well as allowing me to realize my vision of creating an online space as well as offline events where all kinds of people trying to reach teens in an authentic way could connect. Most of all, it is a great outlet for my ongoing case of arrested development and obsession with pop culture.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312360126
• ISBN-13: 978-0312360122
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a background in journalism and producing/packaging online and print content for both teens and a broader consumer audience. You can view my not-so-up-to-date portfolio at word-geek.com.

I began my career working in youth media at Teen Voices (www.teenvoices.com), a Boston-based non-profit magazine written by and for teen women. It was there that I realized both the power of young people's writing and the ongoing struggle it is to keep a non-profit organization going.

I left to go back to school where I earned a master's degree in journalism with a concentration in new media at Northwestern University.

After graduation I headed to New York where I was an editorial Web producer for several Internet companies during the height of the dot com bubble including About.com and Oxygen Media. At Oxygen, I launched the Web counterpart to the Trackers (Oxygen's now defunct teen television show) TV segment called the POV-J Network (Point of View Journalist). I recruited teens from across the country who produced Web and TV stories from their "point of view" for the network.

I left New York in 2000 to work for Kibu, another now defunct start-up dot.com for teen girls that was located in Silicon Valley. After the bubble began to burst in April of 2000 and Kibu closed its doors in September 2000, I went to work for Netscape Communications where I led the creation of feature programming including seasonal and holiday packages and later ran the TV and Movies channels for all of AOL's Web Properties. I then went on to help launch KeepMedia, a paid content service founded by Louis Borders (Borders Books, WebVan). I joined Current TV, an independent media company led by former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, in January of 2005 where I was the director of online community until September of 2006 when I decided to try to make Ypulse my full-time gig. I am also publishing my first book (with St. Martin's Press), Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online March 20, 2007.

I started Ypulse because I missed working in teen media and of all the ideas I constantly have for new teen-centric non-profits or companies, starting a blog seemed like the easiest thing to start (little did I know how much time and dedication would be required!). Since May of 2004, Ypulse has been updated five days a week and grown a dedicated and loyal readership. It has helped me to grow as a writer as well as allowing me to realize my vision of creating an online space as well as offline events where all kinds of people trying to reach teens in an authentic way could connect. Most of all, it is a great outlet for my ongoing case of arrested development and obsession with pop culture.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, April 20, 2007

By 

T. McCool "old married guy" (Lafayette, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online (Paperback)

Anastasia Goodstein knows teenagers. She has studied them, marketed to them, and talked to them. Don't be turned off because the author is not a parent of a teen. Because Goodstein isn't a parent, she was able to get teens to open up about their online experiences. And she also talked to parents who share there struggles, concerns and perspectives. If you really want to know what your teen is doing online - or if your young child is just starting to go online - buy this book NOW.

What you will learn is that there are dangers on the Internet, and more often the dangers are your child's fellow students. Cyber-bullying from classmates is becoming more a danger to teens than strangers trolling for sex, and Goodstein covers the various methods of cyber-bullying. Considering that teenagers don't always make the right choices, parents do have a lot to worry about.

While Goodstein properly alerts parents to the real dangers of the Internet, she also balances it with realism. Although your teen may not always understand the consequences of what she does online, she probably already knows about the dangers of the Internet and how to protect herself. You'll read comments from real teens about their online experiences. The comments will alarm you and and comfort you all at the same time.

Helpful tips and "insider" information are peppered throughout the pages. Know what a "Code 9" is? Find the answer and more teen code in the book. (Code 9 = parent in the room). Are teens "hooking up" with other teens they meet online? Maybe not as much as you might have been told. Where is the balance between protecting your child and trusting your child? There's not an easy answer but you can find out what other parents are doing successfully.

You will be a better-informed parent after reading this book, even if you think you already know everything about teens' online life. I think of myself has a pretty online-aware parent, but I learned something from reading Totally Wired, and you will too.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Useful, May 16, 2007

By 

Tonia Ries - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online (Paperback)

If you have teens in your life, you need to read Totally Wired. Goodstein de-mystifies text messaging and social networking, offers common-sense advice on how to manage the security concerns about your teens online time, and provides a `cheat sheet' to help us interpret what's really going on in our teenagers' world.

The best part is that Goodstein really gets teens. Drawing analogies to things that were familiar to us from our youth, she helps us understand that MySpace is really just another place to hang out, that personalizing your own online page is a way for teens to express themselves just as I did by hanging posters in my room or pinning buttons to my denim jacket, and that many teens do need parents to help them understand the boundaries, both offline and online. Reading this book made me remember how much fun it was to be a teenager myself (in between all the drama). And I came away with a new sense of respect for the choices that today's far more empowered teens are making for themselves.

Now if someone would only write a book to help teens understand their parents ...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for every parent, every teacher, every librarian - anyone working with young people!, April 13, 2007

By 

E. Helmrich "Librarian, pop-culture junkie, t... (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online (Paperback)

Anastasia know her stuff! With a thorough knowledge of the youth media landscape and an exhaustive and stellar group of people interviewed and profiled - this is a fantastic book! It's a nice and easy read with an amazing amount of information imparted. Anastasia does a great job of pairing what teens are doing online with their developmental traits and needs -- this is not a lost generation - they are simply being teens as teens have always been - in new ways. This book will calm fears, educate parents, educators, lawmakers etc. on the reality of this new wired world. The bottom line with this issue is that parents need to be educated on what their children are doing, and put their "worry" and concern in the right areas - once they learn what's really going on they won't respond to the hype and hysteria that the media at large seems intent on passing on. Every parent, every public and school library MUST get their hands on this - learn it, love it, live it!