In today’s Quick Hits, Groupon has made a big change to its privacy policy, early Google+ users are optimistic about the service, and some thoughts from NPR on kids and social networking.

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Groupon Changes Privacy Policy to Collect More User Information

In advance of its upcoming IPO, the group discount company Groupon is increasing the amount of data it shares with third party companies. Groupon announced its privacy policy changes in an e-mail to customers on Sunday. According to Cecilia Kang at the Washington Post, Groupon said it would “expand the categories of “personal information” it collects and shares with partners, such as Expedia. Now, Groupon will share data on interests and habits with third-parties. Other information it shares includes contact information, relationship information, transaction information and mobile location information.”

Oakland A’s Suspend Pitching Prospect Over Twitter Updates

The Oakland A’s have suspended top pitching prospect Ian Krol for an offensive tweet involving a “gay slur along with some other offensive language.” This is not the first time that an athlete has been suspended for his social networking presence, but Krol’s low follower numbers make this an interesting story. At the time of the update, Krol only had approximately 90 followers. While 90 people is not a significant audience, the A’s organization determined that anything Krol said, no matter how many people he said it to, reflected on the A’s organization as a whole and that a suspension was necessary.

10 Safe Social Networking Websites for Kids

NPR writes about social networking websites for children and how there is a growing demand for such services. Quoting the article, “The need is undeniable; the market potentially huge and lucrative. Companies are gearing up for this gold rush by creating websites strictly for children and websites that allow parents to create profiles for their kids.” The article then lists 10 of the better known social networking websites for kids, including YourSphere from fellow ABC 20/20 Web Avenger Mary Kay Hoal.

When Should Children Join Social Networks?

In another NPR article on social networking for children, Linton Weeks discusses the appropriate age for kids to join social networking websites and how some parents are approaching the issue. Weeks’ article does a good job of discussing the various dangers involved with social networking for young users as well as the possible benefits, citing a number of academic sources.

Understanding Google+ Privacy Settings

As Google’s new social network, Google+, continues to roll out to a larger audience, many tech journalists are on high alert for privacy slip-ups. So far, Google has done a good job with privacy on Google+, earning mostly positive reviews. As the product becomes more popular however, there is potential for even one confusing privacy setting to turn off users. This article in the Wall Street Journal discusses Google+ privacy settings and where the company may run into some problems.