Wal-Mart Trying to be MySpace?

Wal-Mart has launched a "social networking" site for teens called "The Hub." The aim of the site is to let teens "express their individuality."

Ok, now that you've spit coffee or soda all over your computer screen, here are a few details. The site, located at walmart.com/schoolyourway, encourages visitors to create their own page on the site, including submitting videos. Content on the site is heavily regulated, and according to an Advertising Age article, Wal-Mart "screens all content, tells parents their kids have joined and forbids users to e-mail one another."

Right on Wal-Mart... you've fulfilled the wish of every teenager in America.

With the meteoric rise of social networking over the last several years, it's only natural that we begin to see "niche" social networks being built. Some brands already have social networks built around them. Jeep owners, for example, can be a pretty rabid group. But Wal-Mart? I'd think a more appropriate social network to build around this brand might be bargain hunters, not teens.

Wal-Mart's agency is GSD&M in Austin, Texas.

Comments

[Paul McEnany]

Yeah, I'm sure this will work out gloriously. If there's one thing kids love, it's people telling them what they can't do!