BBC gets savvy with web 2.0 kids

The BBC is launching an online community for six to 13-year-old viewers of its CBBC children's channel, to allow them to collaborate and share their interests.

Provisionally called My CBBC the site is due to launch in the spring and will let kids store, display and share their favourite content from BBC shows, games and websites.

Cheat Sheets

♦ Web 2.0
♦ Mash-ups

The BBC is keen to stress My CBBC is not a social networking site in the traditional sense in that there is no potential for any private or unmoderated interaction between users.

Each member will be able to have 16 friends to share their content with and will be able to design their own 'dens' which they can furnish and decorate.

They can also add gadgets such as a radio to store their favourite UK Top 40 songs, a mobile phone to store messages from friends who have visited and a calendar to keep track of friends' birthdays.

There will also be RSS feeds from various magazines and a friends book - a contacts list displaying the avatars of friends.

Richard Deverell, controller of BBC Children's said the site caters for children who want to have a go at "creating, sharing and rating" online content.

He added that My CBBC will allow children to try this out using existing CBBC content in a completely safe environment.