Wal-Mart is dipping its toe into the social networking phenomenon with "The Hub", which sits somewhere between a video contest, product placement, and a place for teens to generate back-to-school wishlists for their parents. 

It’s a very controlled take on the  social network, and Wal-Mart, Sony, and GSD&M  have taken a lashing for their conservative approach.  Specifically, The Hub:

• Screens all the site’s content
• Emails registered users’ parents and give them authority to pull content
• Forbids users to email one another
• Bans comments or voting
• Reserves the right to edit the winning video

It’s the George Costanza approach to MySpace- think of everything great about teen social networks, then do the opposite. (thanks Sam and Random Culture).

Misha Cornes