If you remember POGS, you remember how crazy kids were over them. They had to have them at all costs. They had to trade them with their friends. If a kid didn’t have POGS, they weren’t cool!

While POGS have now gone by the wayside, there is something new – and VERY cool – on the horizon. FaceChipz is a new social network for kids. Kids can buy and share their FaceChipz, much like they did with POGS. However, the website offers social interaction for kids… in a completely SAFE environment.

Intended primarily for the “tween” set who’s outgrown children’s websites but aren’t old enough for Facebook yet, FaceChipz mixes real-life networking with online networking. After buying a starter set of five chips, the parent registers an account for them on the FaceChipz website. Then the game begins!

All of the chips are registered on the site using the identification codes found on the back. When all of them have been registered, they can then be traded with friends. Likewise, the friends will give their chips to your child. Your child then goes back to the website and enters the new codes. This will automatically link the two real-life friends on the social site. This then turns into a large social network of friends who actually know each other in the physical world.

The FaceChipz network offers a more secure and private environment for kids than a site such as MySpace does. No strangers can solicit friendship requests here – the child’s only online friends are those they’ve connected with in real life. There also is no search function on the site. Strangers cannot “accidentally” find your child and add them as a friend. The ONLY way that a child will get friends on the site is by knowing them in the real world.

This is such a fantastic idea. By interacting on the site, children will begin to learn how to act and communicate in a social networking type of environment. Since you – the parent – have control over their account, you can monitor their activity. However, you can also use this as a tool to teach your child the correct ways of behaving on a site such as this, so that you are confident they will know how to handle themselves when they are ready for Facebook or MySpace.

Another large bonus is that the chips are seriously cheap. The five pack is only $4.99 at ToysRUs. There is a one-time site registration fee of $1.00. This fee is not there to make money for the site. Instead, it’s there so that parents are forced to be the one to sign up their child (using a credit card), and will therefore know what their child is doing online.

While this is a fantastic idea, it remains to be seen how well it will take off. Are today’s kids going to be interested in something like this, as those in the 90s were with POGS? Or are they too busy sneaking onto sites such as YouTube to watch the latest viral video? Heck, they may have their noses buried in their favorite gaming console, causing them to snort with derision when Mom offers them the cute little chips.

Time will tell how this will turn out. What are your thoughts? If you’re a parent, let me know what you think about this site, and the premise behind it. If you’re a tween… is this something that you’ll do?

FaceChipz are POGS for a New Generation

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Lilipip was a recent presenter at Live Pitch 2008 in Seattle. Lilipip is dedicated to providing exceptional video content for kids of all ages, at no cost to the viewers. Their videos will not only entertain your child, but will also feed their curious minds as well.

Lilipip

• Business Category: Media
• Founder: Ksenia Oustiougova
• Inspiration for Product/Service: Realizing there was no quality content online for my 5 year old son.
• Target Customer/Audience: New parents of young children, age 25-40, tech savvy, $100K annual income, who are already giving their cell phones to kids to keep them occupied while on the go. These parents are expected to spend $5.5 billion on mobile devices that can show Lilipip content in 2010.
• Synopsis of Product / Service: Lilipip! is our nickname for “little people”. We are parents with really curious little people like yours. Rather than feeding their developing minds with the usual “junk food”, we set out to find the finest short kids videos from all over the planet to enjoy at home or out on-the-go. Our videos enlighten, entertain, amuse and basically feed your child’s curiosity and sense of wonder. Since they’re short (averaging 5 minutes), your kids can watch them over and over on our website.
• Main Company Contact: Ksenia Oustiougova

FirstRSS ERROR: "http://feeds.feedburner.com/lilipip/blog" NOT FOUND!

What do you think about this business idea? Leave your thoughts!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7g5HtEwaHXc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7g5HtEwaHXc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

Is There a ‘YouTube’ for Kids?