#safe app

Recently, I was at Physical Therapy for—well, it doesn’t matter what for, if you’re a grandparent, chances are you’ve been to PT at least once in your life! The physical therapist and a 20-something intern (both guys) were discussing my routine, and asked what I do for a living. I hesitated, because since I’ve “retired” I do a couple different things, then I said, “I help develop mobile games for kids.”

There was a moment of surprised silence. There always is. You can see it cross their faces as they compare a stocky 67-year-old woman in pull-on pants and a cardigan with their inner vision of a game developer: someone 25 in tight black jeans, with a nose ring and neck tattoo, maybe. And purple hair.

As usual, this was followed by an outrush of breath and a “Wow! That is so cool!”

Yes, it is.

I evolved into digital game development. Most people of my generation did, because when we started our working lives, there was no such thing. I had an affinity for computers from the time I met my first Macintosh (so tiny!) and moved my first graphic pixel. I went from editing white papers on multimedia to editing game copy to overseeing game content—until I started tacking the word “producer” onto my title. In my case, that meant doing a bit of everything, from project management to writing to art direction.

In 1997, I joined a California start-up called Purple Moon, whose goal was to raise the bar on digital content for girls 8-12. Purple Moon believed that girls of that age range were pitifully underserved when it came to gaming experiences. The founders had studied the differences between the way boys and girls played games and what each gender found satisfying. (Battling, racking up points, earning better weaponry, and dying? Not really a tween girl’s idea of a good time. Uncovering secrets, making friends, sharing dreams, navigating social issues? Now you’re talking!) 

The resulting creative model focused on archetypal (not stereotypical) characters and social/emotional issues that could be controlled by the player. We used the term “transmedia” to describe how Purple Moon connected characters and stories across all platforms: software games, books, and the Web. I was the Content Producer for its avid web-based community, which—at its peak—had over a million registered users. We had certainly struck a nerve among tween girls, and they eagerly responded. Some days, I couldn’t keep up!

Purple Moon was an unfortunate victim of the economic burnout that plagued many start-ups in a volatile economy. It struggled but could not survive. Yet, even now, you can find a Facebook page called, “I Still Remember Purple Moon.” Millennial moms who remember the brand still wave the flag of its emotionally satisfying, even magical, content for girls.

In 2002, I was far from the West coast, sitting in American Girl’s Wisconsin headquarters and performing the same kind of role for the “Fun For Girls” section of their website. They already had dolls and books—now it was my task to extend that engagement through digital content. Like Purple Moon, they believed in delivering quality, character-driven experiences to tween girls. They also had a non-fiction side, offering online quizzes and polls to sync with American Girl Magazine.

But in 2008, Mattel had a massive lay-off (including American Girl) and I was out of a job. So were lots of other, younger tech-savvy people who would work super hard for half my salary. I was approaching 60 and wondered where my path would lead next. The interviews I had on the West Coast revealed a burgeoning of console and social media gaming giants, survivors of the economic downturn. But while the production of sports and battle games for the male species was prolific (and profitable), I could count on one hand the number of games targeting young girls in any meaningful way. The best they could hope for was a gender-neutral brand like SpongeBob SquarePants® or Mario®. Social media was an innovative outlet (like Farmville on Facebook) and online game sites like Big Fish Games or Gamehouse offered gorgeous, fanciful, hidden-object adventures and arcade games. But believe it or not, their audience was primarily grown women (guilty as charged).

What was available for tween girls was a plethora of shallow pink* games: makeup, hair salon, dress-up, cooking, virtual baby care, hot celebs, pets, and princesses. These were especially prolific on the web—and they continued as smart phones and tablets ushered in the new world of mobile apps. Having peeked behind the curtain, I also knew who was making a lot of these games: 25-year-olds in tight black jeans with nose rings and neck tattoos. Named Steve! Or Jason! Or Mike! That’s right! Guys were developing stuff for tween girls! And it was about as meaningful as pink mud.

Fortunately, I was offered freelance work launching a new girls’ brand, Hearts For Hearts Girls®. Its mission was to “change the world, one heart at a time,” and its method was to provide rich content for their multicultural dolls. They wanted to empower girls to make a difference, and they contributed part of their doll profits to World Vision, a global humanitarian organization. I created stories for all the dolls, led the design and launch of the website, and worked with developers to create a suite of games. I felt that everything I had learned about girl brands could be applied here, and I supported it with the same passion I’d given to Purple Moon a decade earlier. The brand has gone through some business iterations, but today it’s enjoying a second incarnation and I’m helping to give birth to its first mobile game, Heart Street Market®.

For me, the difference is—and always will be—content. Little girls make up stories about their dolls, their toys, their lives. They articulate their dreams through drawing and writing and sharing with friends. They’re inveterate collectors, they like helping others, and they find personalization compelling. Will they play princesses or mommies? Sure. And that’s fine. As long as they have a choice between that kind of content and the kind that nurtures their hearts and spirits in the real world.

I’ve just celebrated my 67th birthday—but I’m incredibly proud of the contribution I’ve been able to make to Heart Street Market, and of its goal to shine a positive light on girls from other cultures in our amazing world. To make a difference. To empower. For years, I’ve made games for girls. Now, I make them for my seven-year-old granddaughter—because I want her to have those choices. (Fortunately, she thinks I’m pretty cool. Even without the purple hair!)

When it comes to games for girls, there are still trails to blaze. I plan on swinging the metaphorical machete as long as I possibly can.

*pink refers to the predominant use of that color in girls’ toys, packaging, fashions, etc. In a department or toy store, these locations are often referred to as the “pink aisle.”

Teacher’s Phone Stolen, Nude Pictures Leaked; Administrators Blame Teacher. This shocking headline is a real story happened to Anne Arthur, a math teacher.

Every day there are people waking up to find their personal and very intimate pictures, or videos, published online on for all to see. Their stories and situations are heartbreaking. Almost always their reputation has been severely impacted by the publication of these deeply personal photos or videos on the internet.

Shockingly, over 95% of the personal cases we see are women and teenage girls. These 5 steps have been written for women to help protect them against online harassment.

Do NOT take pictures (or videos) of yourself in any compromising position especially undressed.

If you do take pictures (or videos) of yourself in the nude (or in various stages of undress) , do NOT send them to anyone. The risk is simply too high. Even if you completely trust the person. What happens if their phone, or laptop or pc is stolen? What happens if their email is hacked? Your picture can be shared for the whole world to see.

If someone takes an intimate, private, personal picture (or video) of you, ask them to delete it. If you are not interested in sharing this personal photo (or video) with all of your friends, family, co-workers, future in-laws or husband, make sure you see that it has been deleted.

If the picture(s) (or videos) was taken by a professional, make sure you own / have the original memory card the photos (or videos) were taken on – or see they are deleted.

Do not post or upload intimate, personal pictures or videos onto any website. This includes all social media and dating sites.

If you do keep intimate photos in your cell phone or pad, don’t hesitate to get CoverMe – the ultimate mobile privacy safeguard for you.

CoverMe is the ultimate secure messaging app providing private texting, secure phone calls, fun and safe sharing of personal photos & videos, with an impenetrable vault for protecting your privacy from prying eyes.

CoverMe even allow you to embed a ‘self-destruct’ into messages. Once a message is read it will disappear.Never worry again about private messages being spread around or stored!

CoverMe Private Vault is the ultimate way to ensure your personal contacts, messages, call logs, confidential documents, notes, secret diary, and private pictures & videos stay hidden and private. The encrypted vault is invisible and completely impenetrable without the password. Even if your device is lost or left unattended, your private information is absolutely safe.

Download CoverMe for iPhone/iPad/iPod