CarSpace. Somebody Notice Us, Please.
Anyone who has looked for information on a new or used car, is likely familiar with the on-line automotive information site, Edmunds.com. The site is filled with consumer reviews, pricing information, model specs, and other information that would be relevant to researching or purchasing a car. All obvious, reasonable, and pretty straightforward stuff. Something that you might NOT know about Edmunds.com, is that they also have their own social networking site called CarSpace where “each member can express an automotive identity and meet friends who share automotive interests”. Not a bad idea. In fact, in addition to sex and music (the cornerstones of MySpace), passion for all things automotive is something that could actually support a social network. So on the surface, I think this is a pretty reasonable and interesting move by Edmunds. However, it starts to get funny with their latest press release: As you have undoubtedly seen, recent media coverage on online communities and social networking Web sites have painted a scary picture of a world teeming with sexual predators and risque graphics. Some high schools are going so far as to warn parents about their teens’ activity on these sites. Can online communities be safe for kids, and also pleasant for adults seeking family-friendly content? There is a success story to be told, and a role model for online communities to follow. The Edmunds.com’s Town Hall Forums have been “clean” since their inception nearly ten years ago, thanks to paid moderators and an online community that polices itself. Wow, what a feel good, diamond in the rough, good-guy, success story. There isn’t a sexual predator problem on an automotive social networking site? Pedophiles aren’t posting profiles of their 1990 GMC Rally Wagon’s in order to lure under-aged kids into the back seats for some sexual fun? Let me breathe a long overdue sigh of relief. Edmunds.com, we salute you for doing the yeoman’s work of keeping such a network free of the riff raff. I am sure that there are countless serial rapists in waiting, just fuming at their inability to crack through the wall of moderators patrolling the “GM 8.1L using up too much engine oil” forum…’cause everyone knows that “The 8.1 replaces the venerable but dated 7.4. It’s available on 1 ton chassis (3500) GMC and chev. trucks.” is code for “meet me behind the Gas ‘n Go off of exit 14 for some hot man-boy love”.
