ClubCahootie

Here, it’s known as a Cahootie, but parents may remember it as a "cootie catcher" or "fortune teller." This age-old folded-paper toy has recently found new life on store shelves, and as the colorful mass-produced versions pop up, so too does a social networking site built around the toy. Like an ultra-lite Facebook for tweens, ClubCahootie offers a safe space for kids to post their status, chat, and connect with their real-life friends. Games are limited, but there’s a virtual game of Cahootie, and members can even design their own version of one. Similar to Club Penguin or Webkinz, kids can collect Cahootie Cash (or parents can buy it for them using real cash) to be spent on a range of virtual items. Clean, simple, and surprisingly well done, this social scene is big on style (but a bit lacking in substance). Still, kids who are clamoring for a social network of their own will find a fun, safe, virtual club house to call their own.

Online interaction: Because this site encourages building a network of known, real friends the online interactions are typically positive and friendly. Club members must personally invite other kids to join, and they have to provide those kids with a secret code. Kids are not able to search or connect with other users they do not know. Parents are notified each time a child prints an invitation.