Mixi
Overview
Mixi is an invitation-only Japanese blogging community. In order to join, one must receive an invitation email from a current Mixi member and be over 18 years old. Mixi has a friend system, much like Facebook, called MAIMIKU (meaning friend in Japanese), in which friends must be approved by the user. Users who have no friends on their MAIMIKU list are asked to leave Mixi, thereby encouraging an online communal atmosphere. There is an Ashiato (footprint in Japanese) feature that allows users to keep track of who visited their page. People in the Mixi community are encouraged to meet new people and the Ashiato feature helps to initiate conversation. Japanese people are, generally, very shy introverted people so this innovative online community is a radical departure.
Safety Concerns
Mixi is an invitation-only community available only to those 18 years old and older. So, it does seem relatively safer than many public communities. But, Mixi does not verify the age of the user, so it is possible for one to lie about one's age when opening an account.
Actions to Take
Much like in any blogging community one has to follow certain precautionary behaviors to avoid becoming a victim of cyber-bullying or cyber-predation. *Never give out your password. *Invite only close friends to Mixi. *Be prudent when considering online friends. *Parents should monitor their children (although one has to be 18 and older to join...)
Safety Score
*Note: The safety score is assigned based on the site features at the time of review and the assumption that the child uses the site properly. 1=most unsafe; 2=fairly unsafe; 3=moderate; 4=fairly safe; 5=most safe; NR=not rated.