INTERNET LINKS TV TO WEB

If you think your young kids are on the Internet a lot, it may be not-so-subliminal messages from your television set.

I have noticed that a growing number of television shows -- especially those aimed at children -- are encouraging the youngsters to play along or join the message boards on the Internet. Their prize? The child's online name may be displayed on the television screen.

www.nick.com

I notice this especially for Nickelodeon, which is my kids' favorite channel. When I was home recently with my ailing younger daughter, I noticed that "Slime Time Live" encourages the kids to vote online when the guests should get slimed. The online viewers even choose the young player of the day.

In fact, Nick started a new "BubbleCast" game on Monday. Kids watch the television to get the clues they need to answer the questions on their computer.

If you're one of the day's top 50 scorers, you'll see your screen name on Slime Time Live.

Interactivity is the name of the game for Web sites. Another popular item they're promoting heavily right now on Nick is to vote for your favorite Rugrats episode. I find it hard to believe that the Rugrats cartoon is 10 years old. Of course, the characters are still babies.

Nick is showing every Rugrats episode every made between Jan. 1 and March 31. Then, they'll rank the top 10 shows for a special 10th anniversary marathon.

The Disney Channel is another that encourages kids to play games online or leave messages. They display many of the players in their "Zoog Disney" area.

www.disney.com

Zeether and Zoog Disney seem to cater to the kids if they want their name on TV. This is especially true during certain hours of programming that is geared to these youngsters.

From the home page, you can pick either Zeether or Zoog to get to the interactive gaming or chat sections.

You can pick from a number of different type of games, including arcade, sports, strategy and adventure.

In the chat area, you can also voice your opinion on a number of topics. I noticed that before some of these messages are broadcast "world wide," kids must be members of Disney Blast, which does cost a fee. That's part of the fine print they don't mention on screen.

www.cartoonnetwork. com

This network also works to link their cartoons and the Internet. Why? It could be because the time kids spend on the Internet often takes away from television time.

On Cartoon Network, you can watch certain times to get an "orbit code." This will enable you to access special free edition cToons.

According to Cartoon Network: "Cartoon Orbit is a safe environment for kids, and membership is free. By collecting and trading cToons that is, digital representations of our characters and displaying them in each kid's own personal cZone, kids get to interact with cartoons in a way they never have before!" You can read their Parent's Guide to learn more. It sounds a lot like trading cards for the Internet.

I also find it interesting that the Cartoon Network premieres some of its cartoons on the Internet -- perhaps as a kind of trial balloon.

But it's not just the kids' sites that link television programs with the Internet.

www.abc.com

ABC has been offering its Enhanced TV for some time. It was particularly hot with the Millionaire show, where you can play along with the game.

Now through Feb. 28, you can interact in real time with "The View," ABC's popular live morning talk and entertainment program. Enhanced TV allows viewers to interact in real time through polls, play-along games and comments. In other words, it's a way to talk back to the television set in real time.

If you play along with the Millionaire Game, you have to be as quick as the television contestants. Also, during commercial breaks, additional bonus trivia questions will be posed to Enhanced TV contestants. You can earn stuff -- like T-shirts -- for the top online winners.

www.mtv.com

I noticed the other day when I was flipping through the channels, that MTV puts some of its chat comments on the TV screen. Comments that viewers wrote in about certain videos were scrolled across the bottom of the screen as the video played.

Of course, MTV has lots of other interesting stuff online as well.

You can learn more about the featured bands, and check out the top video picks. I'm a little surprised that Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera and *NSYNC videos rate so high on MTV. I thought these groups appealed to a younger audience that might not fully appreciate MTV.

You can also see where your favorites rank in their TOP 20 charts for singles, videos and albums. There's also free music you can play or download.

I thought the article about reggae singer Shaggy was interesting. His big album didn't begin picking up steam until a radio DJ in Hawaii downloaded a copy of "It Wasn't Me" from Napster and began playing it in heavy rotation.

The rest is history: The album has sold more than 2.3 million copies.

Shaggy says he likes Napster because they broke his record. He doesn't like Napster because he didn't get paid.

Of course, I read somewhere recently that Napster is being retooled as a legitimate music site with a monthly fee. It will be interesting to see if that works since many Internet purists want to keep it all free. I wonder how Napster is going to persuade its 38 million users to pay for a service they now get for free? No doubt this marriage of television and the Internet will continue -- especially when it comes to the younger set. The question is: How will it all work when we surf the Internet on our television screens? Will it be easy to switch back and forth? Stay tuned.

One thing is for sure -- today's kids are simply not afraid of the Internet.

From the shows they watch on television to the toys they play with and the cereal they eat -- all these companies have learned to push their products via the Internet.

When these kids grow up, they will use e-mail and the Internet just as we use telephones and the U.S. Postal Service.

What's your favorite site that mixes television and the Internet? E-mail me at jonia@sehosp.org. See you in Cyberspace.

Joni Adams is the Webmaster at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, www.southeastmissourihospital.com.