I haven't been following the recent ethics discussion on the list too closely, but I know that part of that discussion is "academics" v. "journalists" or other kinds of cultural analysts and the responsibilities/standards they hold themselves to. So it was that this article in Slate kind of threw my jaw open: http://www.slate.com/id/2173910/pagenum/all it starts out... "I'm not sure, but I think I went on date with a 12-year-old last night. We met at Club Penguin, a social networking site for preteens. I was a blue penguin, new to town. She was pink, and carrying a surfboard." A reporter posing as a 12-year-old in an online environment specifically for kids? And then talking about one of the experiences as a "date"? This is really interesting given that so often reporters are telling us that adults are always trolling for kids online and it's SCARY. The reporter even writes: "Creating a penguin is simple, though the entire sign-up process emphasizes safety in such a way that a curious adult can't help feeling like a predator." Great to know about the safety measures, but red flag for me about the process of getting the article. I understand that adults want to understand what kids are doing online, and I appreciate this attempt at getting into the culture rather than assuming things about it based on non-participant experiences, but why not interview some of the 12-year-olds instead? thoughts?, Lauren -- lauren m. squires lx: http://polyglotconspiracy.net cmc: http://sociocmc.blogspot.com