Facebook for the family: Family HQ launched after four week beta

An Australian startup has added to the plethora of social networks after officially launching Family HQ; an Australian private social media site.

The site is described as a private social network for the family. Co-founder and CEO Jase Farmer said the group privacy settings differentiate the site from competitors.

“Family HQ is a place that allows groups to keep in touch using all the convenience that the internet offers but with added security and with user privacy top of mind,” Farmer said.

“The site is Australia’s only site that enables the ability to create unlimited numbers of groups that remain private from each other, creating a solution for the complicated nature of how we communicate with people in our lives.”

Born out of a desire to share information among family members in a secure environment, Family HQ was founded by Farmer and his wife Brooke, with the couple launching a beta four weeks ago.

“With the combination of privacy and the need for a communication tool that highlights this important feature, Family HQ leaves no ‘digital footprint’ of your information on the internet,” he said.

"The site allows users to keep their identity, as well as who they are connected with, completely private as there is no search facility for strangers or other unwanted users to seek you out.”

Farmer said children who use the site won't be exposed to the threats that having a Facebook account can involve.

“The lure of sites such as Facebook is very difficult for a child to resist and the consequences of an inexperienced or naïve person sharing private information with the world are equally as hard to predict,” he said.

“The public nature of the interaction and therefore exposure of information pose a very real threat to children and online predators have been known to use information gleaned from a profile in order to gain friendships and make connections.”

Family HQ has some 4616 members from 25 countries, with the aim to turn this into 500,000 by the end of 2012.

Follow Lisa Banks on Twitter: @CapricaStar

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU

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