INTRODUCTION TO PETPET PARK: Welcome to Petpet Park, our newest community. In Petpet Park, all communication are limited to either our approved list of words or scripts and all communication areas are also monitored by our proprietary software system and live monitors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We constantly strive to incorporate new features to make the Petpet Park experience even better and more enjoyable. We welcome your input in making Petpet Park a better place for your children to visit.
As Petpet Park is an imaginary world, ours rules prohibit users from including any "real" world information about themselves on the site -- there is no Cleveland, Ohio in Petpet Park!!! Also, as Petpet Park is both a community and a game; it is important that everyone plays by the rules and act in a courteous manner.
FIVE SAFETY RULES: By monitoring your child.s use of Petpet Park, you have taken an important step in being involved with your child's online life and we applaud your efforts. Anytime children venture out into the world, they need to be empowered with a set of rules that make the trip a safe experience. "Don't cross the street until you have looked both ways," "don't talk to strangers," and "wear a helmet when riding your bike" are all well-known rules that parents routinely teach their children. Likewise, when a child ventures out onto the Internet, there are certain rules that will make this experience safer. Not only do we encourage parents to actively participate in their child's online world; we suggest the following rules be taught to your child.
RULE 1: I will never post or share any personal information with anyone I meet online including my picture, address, telephone number, parent's work address/telephone number or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission.
RULE 2: I understand that the people I meet online are strangers no matter how many times I have communicated with them and they may not be who they say they are. I should never meet in person anyone that I met online unless I clear the meeting with my parents or guardian and I am accompanied by one of my parents or adult guardians.
RULE 3: If somebody says something to me or sends me a picture or a link that makes me feel embarrassed, scared or confused, I won't just ignore it. Instead I will show my parents - they will know what to do.
RULE 4: My e-mail and my Instant Messenger name are only to be shared with my real world friends.
RULE 5: I will always be courteous online just like I am at home or at school. I will never write anything to anyone that I would not say to them in person. I understand that nothing I write on the web is truly private - so I will always be careful and think before I type!
CONTACT: As stated above, we welcome your input and questions. You can contact us through this
form.
Also, if you suspect that your child is being stalked or a target of a predator online, please report this to local law enforcement or the CyberTipline at
www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678.
The following sites may provide additional useful information regarding online safety:
Family Online Safety Institute
I Keep Safe
Get Net Wise
PTA Internet Safety
Parental Control FAQs
What is Petpet Park?
From Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds Group, Petpet Park is the offspring of Neopets and is a virtual park where "petpets" live and play. Each child becomes a petpet (there are a number of different species of petpets) and uses the petpet to explore and play in Petpet Park. Petpet Park is not any ordinary park; it is an entire community with its own Hall of Records, University and a pirate village. There is even a mayor of Petpet Park!
How is Petpet Park different from Neopets?
As compared to Neopets, Petpet Park is virtual world and involves the petpets actually walking around the Park. In addition, Petpet Park is specifically designed for younger children with games and activities fitting for a child.s first online experiences so they can get the same sense of accomplishment that older players get from playing on Neopets.
Who plays in Petpet Park?
Petpet Park is designed to be an engaging experience for children eight to ten years old. That being said, we do welcome all ages especially parents and older siblings.
What happens in Petpet Park?
Petpet Park is a virtual community within the confines of a park. Thus, while there are games and activities, such as Grimsby's Mystery Maze and Wizard's Walk, there are also activities such as feeding, grooming and dressing your petpet, shopping for clothing for your petpet, teaching your petpet how to perform tricks and then challenging one's friends to trick showdowns, jobs for one's petpet and courses at the University when open for admission. Players can also chat with other players to share their experiences in Petpet Park.
How can my child communicate with other users?
Currently there is only one way to communicate in Petpet Park and that is through chat. Petpet Park has two types of chat as described below. All chat can be seen by all the players in a given area - there is no whispering or private messages. In addition, because our staff has chosen the scripts and words that may be published on the site, players cannot post their telephone numbers, addresses or e-mail addresses. Simply put, petpets do not know what a telephone number or email address is because computers and telephones don.t exist in Petpet Park.
What is the difference between Easy Chat and Standard Chat?
Easy chat is a series of scripted messages as written by our staff. The player can simply uses a pull down menu to choose what she or he wants to say to everyone. Standard chat is a white list of words chosen by our staff. Any word not on the list cannot be seen by any other player in the game (but our staff will know if someone tries to chat using a forbidden word).
What do you do to keep communications between players safe?
Standard Chat not only includes only approved words but all attempts to post anything through chat also runs through our proprietary filtering system. Thus, if a person tries to post a forbidden word or phrase, not only do we block that from being published to other users, we will record the use of the improper phrase and reprimand the user. We also have monitors for the site 24/7 monitoring the site and filtering system. Finally, we also have a report abuse function that allows any player to report another who has acted inappropriately in the park like harassing other players. This way, we can improve our filters and make the Park even safer.
What are the safety features in Petpet Park?
As discussed above, all communication features on the site are limited in what may be published, and runs through our proprietary filtering system. In addition, we have monitors for the site 24/7. We also recommend parent involvement with their child's online experiences and you will find some safety tips in the parent control center.
Is Petpet Park free?
Petpet Park is free to play and any player can have a great experience without ever paying us a dime. However, in order to keep Petpet Park enjoyable and add great new content, we will have certain "premium" items for players. petpets that must be purchased with Neocash (however, most items can be purchased using Park Points which players earn through doing "jobs" and playing games). More information regarding Neocash will be available when that feature is rolled out.
