Imbee Founder Dies in Plane Crash

Jeannette Symons, entrepreneur and founder of kids' social networking site, imbee, died with her 10-year-old son in a plane crash on Friday according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Symons, an experienced pilot, was flying the private jet.

Imbee is often referred to a "MySpace for kids." Designed for 8-14 year olds, the site was born out of a need Symons saw for her own children to interact with their peers online in a safe environment.

In an unfortunate ironic twist, imbee, lauded as a "safe environment for kids," was cited by the FTC for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). In its infancy, the site collected and stored personal information without parental consent. Imbee agreed to a settlement with the FTC just last Thursday over the issue, having already changed their information collection policies to be in compliance.

Despite the recent controversy, imbee is a trendsetter in the world of social networking for children and Jeanette Symons will be missed.