Disney's 'MySpace'?

Business Week says it's the worst-kept secret: Disney has been working on overhauling sites so it's less about promotion and more a social-networking site for kids and adults. The Los Angeles Times has some details, with kids' online safety's in the mix: "The new Disney.com will present itself differently to various age groups, though all will get expanded video, games and other interaction. As on MySpace, visitors will be able to create their own Web sites, communicate with each other and mash together and share music and videos — as long as they're Disney music and videos. Parents will have to use their credit cards to register their children as regular site visitors and will get detailed options for limiting what their kids can do and how they can do it." Disney will probably maintain its Virtual Magic Kingdom "world"/game targeting kids 8-14 and allowing only moderated chat. For younger ones there's "Toontown Online." "Children who play there can chat with each other with pre-approved phrases, unless they show that they know each other in real life. In that case, they can converse normally," according to the L.A. Times. Mini-worlds, or at least avatars (animated characters that represent the user) and their decorate-able (sp?) spaces seems to be the trend for pre-social networkers – e.g., Whyville.net, ClubPenguin.com, Neopets.com, Habbo Hotel, and Disney's VMK.com.