Australian-based Family HQ is a social network with a difference. It’s pitched as a “secure” alternative to keep families safe online, although “secure” in this case might also mean “not very social”.
The basics of Family HQ are certainly admirable; the idea is that it’s a small group social network site that only allows propagation via invite rather than by searching for folk. That should, in theory, bypass issues of cyberstalking, online child safety and general online privacy — although as I’ve noted before, anything you publish online, no matter where it is, is essentially not private in any real way.
I’ve got to admit, I’m a little conflicted by this one. On the one hand online safety, especially for minors is something that should be applauded, but I can’t help but think that a non-searchable social network isn’t terribly social to begin with. I’m also personally a little annoyed; as someone who’s spent many years at home bringing up my kids, I can assure the site’s owners that it’s not only mums who care about teething. [Family HQ]