New social networks

Niche social-networking sites, and some not-so-niche ones, continue to open. The latest big-brand one is MTV's "Flux." As with MySpace, users will be able to customize their pages and upload video and other media, but more along the lines of Cyworld (which plans to open an English-language version in the US), they can have avatars, or online personas, represent them. "They can select a basic avatar design and transform it into the image they want to represent them in the Flux community," TechNewsWorld reports. "The avatars were designed by Nexus and resemble Japanese animation - with the ability to walk, talk and show their emotions, giving more of a digital life to the real people they represent" (here's my earlier item on Cyworld). Wal-Mart's "The Hub" for 13-to-18-year-olds is a not-very-social-networking site, The Guardian reports. "Any teenagers wishing to sign up as 'hubsters' need their parents' consent, and entrants face the challenge of looking cool in Wal-Mart apparel: videos and web pages are banned from carrying trademarks, trade names, logos or copyrighted music" – except for Wal-Mart labels. Then there's Utherverse.com, ostensibly for adults only. But The Register reports that "purely in the cause of investigation, we checked out the sign up process for Utherverse. The [Terms of Service] link to a page which says you should be 18+ - and that's it," no other barriers. "Chief executive Brian Shuster said the firm would use credit card age verification for its paid services - although the social networking side of the site is free. He said the company employs site monitors who scour the site for posts from minors," which is what MySpace says too. For more on niche networks, see "Martha's social networking" and "Family social networking."