I was fortunate enough to hear Jason Illian give this presentation to a group of students and their parents at a Christian school recently and then had the good pleasure to read the book - both the presentation and the book are very well done. Jason knows the world (virtual and real) that teens live in today and he understands that MySpace (and other social networking sites) are tools for young people to use to communicate their beliefs, feelings, and desires. Jason's goal is to make sure that young people know not only the dangers so they can surf more safely, but also the positives so that teens can make good decisions and their parents know how to manage and monitor online activity. Jason is honest and real in his presentation - the bottom line is that parents must know what their children are doing and they must parent in the real world even if the activity is in the virtual world. Yet, Jason also is a bridge between these two generations - parents, who are either ignorant or afraid of this new technology, and teens, who are fearless and seem to ignore red flags of caution as they enter into the new virtual realm.
MySpace, My Kids is a great read - short, easy to read and very practical for parents. But the book is more than just a how-to guide. Jason weaves some biblical principles into the book helping parents understand this new technological world from a deeper perspective. Jason tries to help parents not overreact, but wants to make sure that once the information is presented that they can respond with truth and gentleness to use this tool as another opportunity to train their children in right living. The book is apparently going to be made available on MySpace soon, which will only give Jason and his message more visibility and credibility - which is great because this information needs to get into the hands of parents today.