Week one of the book launch was really fun (the pic to the left is of my in-laws, including my brother-in-law and my mom to my right). I got to celebrate in New York City at the Used Book Cafe with some of my oldest friends (including my best friend from high school -- we joked about how "totally unwired" we were back then) and I did my second book reading/speaking event at the Monroe Township Public Library in New Jersey. I also got to speak to a crowd of mostly women technology executives at the Blogher Business conference about how teens are using social media. What I'm loving the most about actually getting to talk to people about the book is the personal stories they share with me as well as the Q&A.

I was really impressed with how involved a couple from Monroe Township was in setting limits for their 16-year-old daughter. They allow her to be on MySpace, but her profile has to be private. They also have a set amount of time she can spend online, and they have encouraged her to get involved in softball and other offline activities to ensure balance. They are not afraid of her getting mad at them for doing this. She chafes at the limits, but respects them and can live with it.

Another parent told me about how her teacher gave all of the students "tablets," which they are supposed to take home and do all their work on. She was struggling with the school imposing technology use on her home turf and how to set limits when the computer was "for school." Sometimes I think schools purchase technology, distribute it, but maybe don't take the time (or have the time) to engage with parents about how it is meant to be used at home. I think it's really positive for schools to give students laptops who might not have computers at home, but they can't do this without really involving parents in the process.

Along the same lines as setting limits, I think that we are in a time of serious information overload and media saturation. The big question everyone is trying to figure out is whether growing up with all of this technology is a good thing for this generation. What will the effects be? I believe overall it is "good" and exciting, but I also think that it can be too much if teens don't have knowledgeable adults to both set limits and act as guides. This means helping kids and teens to process the media and marketing they consume and to become media literate. Parents can't do this without talking to teens about what sites they visit and spending time online yourself. Once you are online, you can help teens figure out the best college site to search on or help them find a credible internet source to use for their homework. Check out the sidebar on page 144 in chapter six for how to determine the credibility of a website. You can also talk to them about images or marketing they see in all of the media (television, movies, games, etc.) to make sure they aren't just drinking it all in blindly. I think Common Sense Media provides an excellent source to empower parents to be more involved in their children's media consumption.

This week I will be speaking and signing books at The Youth Marketing Mega Event in Huntington Beach as well as at The Spring Institute, a youth librarians' conference in Michigan. Upcoming Bay Area bookstore appearances include:

Wednesday, April 4 SF book launch party sponsored by Bebo at The Public in San Francisco, CA, at 7 p.m.

Monday, April 9 Cody's Books in Berkeley, CA, at 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 12 Borders Books & Music in San Rafael, CA, at 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 14 Cover to Cover Booksellers in Noe Valley/San Francisco, CA, at 7 p.m.

Monday, April 16 Books Inc. in Burlingame, CA, at 7 p.m.

If you have already bought the book, thank you! Please consider reviewing it on Amazon, and don't forget to download the discussion guide.

More pics from week one of the book launch:

At the book launch party...

My brother-in-law Marc, looking "totally engrossed"...

Talking to parents at the Monroe Township Public Library...