Learning About Xanga

An Overview of Xanga

When an Internet user signs up for Xanga, they get their own site, which includes the following blogging elements:

• Blog
• Video blog
• Photo blog
• Audio blog

In addition, Xanga users can join existing blogrings or start their own. A blogring links blogs on similar topics. A link to the list of blogring members is included on the Xanga site. Clicking on it will take the site visitor to the list of blogring member sites; the members are listed in the order in which they joined the ring.

Xanga introduced "Pulse" to its members in 2007. This is described as a mini blog where members can post a brief message, including an image, from a computer or through their cell phone.

Xanga Blogs are for Noncommercial Use

Xanga blogs are specifically for personal use. If you want to use a blog to generate income, there are many other options available to you. Xanga is strictly a place for you to post your thoughts and opinions; you may want to think of it as a giant virtual water cooler that you hang out beside. People stop by to hear what you have to say and you have the opportunity to listen to them as well.

Xanga Subscriptions

Once you find a Xanga blog that you find interesting, you have the option of subscribing to it. Once you sign up, you will receive e-mail notices when other people have posted comments on the blog. It's a great way to see whether other Xanga users have responded to your comments.

Xanga in the News

Learning about Xanga by checking out news stories is another way to get a handle on what whether the company has been involved in any legal issues.

$1 Million Penalty Paid

In 2006, Xanga was ordered to pay a penalty of $1 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because of allegations that the company was in violation of the Children's Online Policy Protection Act (COPPA). This piece of legislation provides guidelines for site owners when collecting personal information from children younger than 13.

The issue arose from the fact that Xanga had a stated policy that membership was limited to those persons over the age of 13 years. However, even if a person signed up for a Xanga account with a year of birth that indicated they were under 13 years old, they were still allowed to do so.

More than 1.5 million of these accounts were created, and parents were not informed that their children were signing up for accounts on Xanga, which had a duty to give contact the parents and get parental consent before obtaining personal information from Internet users who were 13 years of age or younger.

Xanga for Parents

Parents have a responsibility to keep their children safe while surfing the Internet. Do make a point of talking to your kids about where they go online and whether they have seen anything or received any e-mails that were disturbing to them. Remind them that although Xanga and other social networking sites are communities, that doesn't mean that they are completely safe.

It's easy for kids and teens to think that they "know" someone because they have visited their blog or because they have posted a comment on yours. Even though Xanga and other sites have policies about what type of content is considered acceptable, not all users will respect the rules. Remind your children who are using Xanga and other sites like it that they can and should tell you about seeing anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.