Interactive e-cast Sharpie billboards

Thanks to Australian Cool Hunter for this post... however, I'm not sure that being allowed and even encouraged to graffiti something in a public space really "satiates" the desire to deface public property as their article suggests. But it is still a nice interactive idea with semi-product demo thrown in. Actually, it reminds me of the Adidas Adicolour campaign detailed here and pictured just below which was much better in my opinion.
Many of us have a fascination with graffiti art, and we sometimes look over our shoulders to make sure no one's watching when we scratch our initials in a freshly laid slab of concrete, or carve them into a wooden desk, or even scribble profanities across the stall door in a public toilet.
The creative minds working for Sharpie, the ultimate in permanent markers have discovered a way to satiate our desires to deface public domain. Interactive e-cast billboards have been scattered around cities, which allow people to experience the rush of creating their own graffiti. Choose some colours, write a message and Sharpie makes it possible for anyone to leave his permanent mark on the side of the bus stop or the public phone or anywhere else billboard advertising may be experienced.

Stunning stats about kids and mobiles (in the USA)

Cell Phones Key to Teens’ Social Lives, 47% Can Text with Eyes Closed

Nearly half (47%) of US teens say their social life would end or be worsened without their cell phone, and nearly six in 10 (57%) credit their mobile device with improving their life, according to a national survey from CTIA and Harris Interactive.

Four out of five teens (17 million) carry a wireless device (a 40% increase since 2004), finds the study titled “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged,” which probes how the growing teen wireless segment is using wireless products and how they want to use them in the future.

Impact on Teen Life

- A majority (57%) of teens view their cell phone as the key to their social life.
- Second only to clothing, teens say, a person’s cell phone tells the most about their social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes.

Providing Entertainment and Security
- More than half of the respondents (52%) agree that the cell phone has become a new form of entertainment.
- One-third of teens play games on their phone.
- 80% say their cell phone provides a sense of security while on the go, confirming that the cell phone has become their mobile safety net when needing a ride (79%), getting important information (51%), or just helping out someone in trouble (35%).
- Teens carry cell phones to have access to friends, family and current events.
- Though only one in five (18%) teens care to pinpoint the location of their family and friends via their cell phone, 36% hate the idea of a cell phone feature that allows others to know their exact location.

Texting Replacing Talking

The study also confirmed that texting is replacing talking among teens. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. The feature is so important to them that if texting were no longer an option 47% of teens say their social life would end or be worsened - that’s especially so among females (54% vs. 40%).

Teens say texting has advantages over talking because it offers more options, including multitasking, speed, the option to avoid verbal communication, and because it is fun - in that order, according to the study.

With more than 1 billion text messages sent each day, it is no surprise that 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded, the study found.
“Teens have created a new form of communication. We call it texting, but in essence it is a reflection of how teens want to communicate to match their lifestyles. It is all about multitasking, speed, privacy and control,” said Joseph Porus, VP & chief architect, Technology Group, Harris Interactive. “Teens in this study are crying for personalization and control of exactly what a wireless device or plan can do for them.”

Devices of the Future

The survey asked teens what future changes they’d like to see in wireless services and devices and found that respondents want cell phones that break boundaries and are personalized to fit their lifestyles.

Teens remain excited and openminded about the wireless possibilities and their ideal future mobile devices would feature five applications - phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player, according to Harris.

Also on teens’ wish lists are phones that…
- Guarantee secured data access to the user only (80%)
- Provide accessibility to personal health records (66%)
- Present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
- Bring users closer to global issues impacting teens’ world (63%)
- Are shockproof and waterproof (81%)
- Have endless power (80%)
- Feature a privacy screen (58%)
- Are made of flexible material and fold into different shapes and sizes (39%)
- Have artificial intelligence - ask it questions and it gives answers (38%)

“In the future, mobility for teens means mobile banking, mobile voting, location based services, personal entertainment - the sky is the limit for how mobile our lifestyles can be,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO, CTIA - The Wireless Association. “We’ve certainly come a long way in 25 years and expect teens to be a growth driver for the industry and have a major impact on the wireless landscape for years to come.”

About the study: The study was conducted online in July 2008 among a nationally representative sample of 2,089 teenagers (age 13-19) across the US who have cell phones. More than 100 questions were asked on mobile phone usage, attitudes, behaviors, and teens’ desires and aspirations for the future of mobile communications, entertainment, and other features.

Thanks to Marketing Charts.
Original post at:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/cell-phones-key-to-teens-social-lives-47-can-text-with-eyes-closed-6126/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink

Introducing the Hype-rbola

An interesting way of ranking trends and displaying information... also a great resource of hot and hyped websites - thanks again to NGT. 

Anyone who follows “trends” can tell you that not everything is worth its buzz. So what differentiates a one-hit wonder from the “next great thing”? Well, is it useful? And are people using it?

From the top-left, proceeding counter-clockwise:

1. The Jonas Brothers: Like fellow Disney-backed superstar Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers blasted onto the pre-teen scene (or thereabouts) with all the force of a candy-coated hammer. Sure they’ve got talent, but, like Ms. Montana, there’s quite a bit of hype involved, like a lot of hype. Sorry boys, see you in Tiger Beat.

2. Muxtape: Muxtape sure did have a lot of hype, and then it got served - legally. The hype for sharing personal music mixes survives, though, and it is undoubted that Muxtape is part of a larger trend in mixtape discovery sites.

3. Loopt: This location-based service beat others to the punch with an iPhone app (and popped neon collars.) Too bad it spammed everyone and showed their whereabouts without permission. Any social network-based LBS needs to have numbers to be useful, and Loopt just isn’t there yet.

4. Tumblr: Microblogging met macroblogging with this innovative platform, but Tumblr needs to improve their skinny interface and confusing citations to really win us over.

5. Face Your Manga: There’s not a lot to Face Your Manga, but you’ve never had as much fun wasting time either. So, yeah, it’s mostly hype and you’re not going to get a lot of utility out of it, but you will get a sweet avatar for your Twitter account.

6. Urban Spoon: This iPhone app even made the New York Times coverage when it launched, and while its fun to use the motion sensor, its restaurant recommendations will leave you hungry for a real guide.

7. Twitter Spam: JDE287uh9w8 is following you. Sweet! First random facebook friends, now robots spamming you on Twitter. Not that we have anything against robots, but they often don’t have many interesting things to say.

8. Blanka: If you enjoyed Street Fighter as a youth, or if you still do, chances are - at one point - you took a chance on Blanka. Were you rewarded? Maybe, but it was probably by accident. Sure, Blanka looks tough and if you mash the right buttons, he electrocutes his opponent, but everyone knows that Chun-Li is the best, and Blanka only matches up against Zangief and his inexplicable shin hair …

9. Emotes: They’re not getting a lot of attention and we’re not sure they deserve it yet, but Emotes are an interesting idea. A social site for youth, Emotes allow youngsters to work through their emotions in third person (via the aptly named “Emotes”). There’s a story in there somewhere, but for now it’s an interesting take on the common theme of social networking.

10. Placefav: The unique thing about Placefav is that it cuts to the point with location, location, location. Of all the things we snap on film, place is perhaps the most binding, as it sets a context. Placefav could be big for those who just want their images served up simply.

11. Instapaper: You see a thousand articles a day that are worth reading (RSS - noooo!) but you just don’t have time. While Instapaper isn’t offering you the best-case scenario - a time machine - they are offering the next best, which is a way to read it later. Which we still never did…until the Instapaper iPhone app! Genius.

12. Dodgeball: This LBS is an oldie but goodie that is dead simple to use. While Dodgeball’s time in the spotlight may have passed, we’ll keep “checking in” until something better comes along.

13. Drop.io’s Drop It Toolbar: Drop.io is awesome and if you don’t know, now you know. Even more awesome is Drop.io’s “Drop It” toolbar for Firefox. All you have to do is drag the file to be transferred over to the red dot on your browser. Once it’s done uploading, it will pop up in a new window. It’s easier than cake and twice as sweet.

14. Nokia N95: Speaking of time machines, we’re not sure the Nokia N95 isn’t one. It has everything else: pictures, movies, browsing, texting, barcode reading, video ringers, GPS… At a whopping $900, it’s supplanted the iPhone as THE status symbol for mobile youth.
Full posting at:
http://www.nextgreatthing.com/wordpress/2008/09/03/introducing-the-hype-rbola/

Retailers 'Sell' to Young, Virtually

Not only have Tampax developed a new campaign tapping into social network 'Stardoll' to kick-off its monthly gift club (see here) but now see how other big brands like Kohls, Sears and K-Swiss are setting up shop there to sell virtual versions of their products to girls.

Thanks again to NGT and The Wall Street Jounral for this alert.

Kohl's, Sears Build Brands As Children Clothe Their Avatars Online

Retailer Kohl's Corp. this month launched a new line of apparel, but the plaid skirts and printed T-shirts won't be sold in its 957 stores. Instead, it's selling them on Stardoll.com, a virtual community for teens and tweens where kids can fork over "Stardollars" -- purchased online at a nominal sum -- to buy apparel for their online characters.

With back-to-school sales off to a slow start, more old-line retailers and clothing labels are reaching out to kids online, enticing them to try virtual versions of their togs in hopes of making actual sales later. Kohl's first virtual line features pieces from its new Abbey Dawn collection, designed by singer Avril Lavigne. In its first 16 days, Kohl's Stardoll boutique logged some 2.2 million visits and sold 1.8 million items. Kohls.com lured 97,000 visitors who clicked through from the boutique site.

This month, casual-wear maker K-Swiss Inc. and lingerie and swimwear designer Eberjey rolled out virtual clothes on There.com. And in late July, retail pioneer Sears Holdings Corp. opened its first online boutique featuring back-to-school apparel and dorm-room furniture on teen site Zwinky.com. Sears said the boutiques logged 750,000 visitors and sold 850,000 virtual items during their first 16 days through mid-August.

These mainline retailers hope the virtual showrooms will be more effective than traditional ads in hooking tweens and teens. Users of the sites already can spend virtual dollars on virtual clothes designed by the sites, or by early adopters such as American Apparel Inc. that went virtual two years ago. The sites are places to fashion digital personalities, called "avatars," that participants use to explore new styles, relationships and behaviors. Typically, these sites now offer a click through to buy the real products.

"When you look at an ad, it's pretty quick," said Jennifer Weiderman, vice president of global marketing for K-Swiss. "But when they're in this virtual world, this gets them to spend more time [viewing] your product. It's a little bit more sticky."

Ms. Weiderman said she is dialing back her spending on TV ads this year and expects to allocate 15% of her marketing budget to online initiatives, up from 5% last year. Sears and J.C. Penney Co., which last month made virtual versions of its teen and young-adult clothing available to users of Yahoo's instant messenger service, say they've increased online ad spending this year. Kohl's also said it is allocating more of its online ad dollars this year to targeting teens. None would detail the scale of the budget shift.

Details of the arrangements vary, but a retailer or brand typically pays a fee to have a virtual community host and develop its store and products. At There.com, the fee ranges from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, depending on how elaborate the store is and how many items will be sold. The brand and the Web site sometimes split revenue from the virtual purchases. But since virtual clothes cost from under $1 to $5 -- brands regard this revenue as negligible.

"It's really a way to get shoppers to test-drive your product," said Carlos Mejia, chief financial officer of Eberjey, a maker of lingerie, swimwear and sleepwear. The brand, which largely sells to women ages 20 to 45, hopes to attract teenagers with its virtual line.

Penney decided this year to put back-to-school outfits on Yahoo after learning that, during a seven-week experiment last summer, 1.5 million avatars wore its clothing on Yahoo and 5 million Penney outfits were tried on. "It casts a very modern, current light on the brand with teens," says Mike Boylson, Penney's chief marketing officer. Before Penney's presence on Yahoo, "perhaps J.C. Penney wasn't on their radar before," he says.

Sears is marketing its virtual boutiques on billboards in the virtual world, and is hosting daily fashion shows on the site promoting its products through the end of August.

Not everyone is pleased. Patti Miller, vice president of Children Now, an Oakland, Calif.-based national children's advocacy group, expressed concern over marketing to youngsters via these virtual shops. The Federal Communications Commission in 1990 established rules governing the hourly amount of advertising directed at children. But the newer, Web-based virtual communities that have replaced TV viewing for some kids have no similar restrictions.

"Some of these younger kids, those younger than 8 and even kids up to 12, can't make the distinction between what's advertising and what's not," says Ms. Miller. She says children may not grasp that the virtual stores function as a brand advertisement.

Dave Bazant, Sears' marketing manager for online and emerging media, argues that children who frequent the virtual sites are savvy enough to know that the stores also function as a branding tool.

"It's fairly transparent -- kids are not very naïve these days," says Mr. Bazant. He notes that Sears is careful to not aggressively push its wares in these sites because teens and tweens are "turned off by direct advertising. We're not giving away our product for free. Most of these items, they have to purchase."

The online pitches are striking a chord with Jen Rediger's daughters, 13-year-old Tyler and 9-year-old Kenzie. In the first week that the Kohl's store opened on Stardoll, they spent about 70 Star Dollars, or $7, on virtual skirts and shoes. Ms. Rediger, 32, an interior designer who lives in Hoschton, Ga., says she doesn't mind her daughters being exposed to such marketing because "it's not worse than what they see on television."

Tyler has already asked her mom to take her to Kohl's to buy the real versions. "They look really cool on my doll," she says. "It's my style so I think I'll wear it a lot."

E-learning at school?

E-learning is finally taking off in the U.S. Perhaps m-learning is up next, wherein mobile devices let learning continue even after the bell rings? 

Will this provide an opportunity for online advertising to wriggle its way in and reach this highly lucrative market?

Thanks to NGT and the NY Times for this great article.

At School, Technology Starts to Turn a Corner

COUNT me a technological optimist, but I have always thought that the people who advocate putting computers in classrooms as a way to transform education were well intentioned but wide of the mark. It’s not the problem, and it’s not the answer.

Yet as a new school year begins, the time may have come to reconsider how large a role technology can play in changing education. There are promising examples, both in the United States and abroad, and they share some characteristics. The ratio of computers to pupils is one to one. Technology isn’t off in a computer lab. Computing is an integral tool in all disciplines, always at the ready.

Web-based education software has matured in the last few years, so that students, teachers and families can be linked through networks. Until recently, computing in the classroom amounted to students doing Internet searches, sending e-mail and mastering word processing, presentation programs and spreadsheets. That’s useful stuff, to be sure, but not something that alters how schools work.

The new Web education networks can open the door to broader changes. Parents become more engaged because they can monitor their children’s attendance, punctuality, homework and performance, and can get tips for helping them at home. Teachers can share methods, lesson plans and online curriculum materials.

In the classroom, the emphasis can shift to project-based learning, a real break with the textbook-and-lecture model of education. In a high school class, a project might begin with a hypothetical letter from the White House that says oil prices are spiking, the economy is faltering and the president’s poll numbers are falling. The assignment would be to devise a new energy policy in two weeks. The shared Web space for the project, for example, would include the White House letter, the sources the students must consult, their work plan and timetable, assignments for each student, the assessment criteria for their grades and, eventually, the paper the team delivers. Oral presentations would be required.

The project-based approach, some educators say, encourages active learning and produces better performance in class and on standardized tests.

The educational bottom line, it seems, is that while computer technology has matured and become more affordable, the most significant development has been a deeper understanding of how to use the technology.

“Unless you change how you teach and how kids work, new technology is not really going to make a difference,” said Bob Pearlman, a former teacher who is the director of strategic planning for the New Technology Foundation, a nonprofit organization.

The foundation, based in Napa, Calif., has developed a model for project-based teaching and is at the forefront of the drive for technology-enabled reform of education. Forty-two schools in nine states are trying the foundation’s model, and their numbers are growing rapidly.

Behind the efforts, of course, are concerns that K-12 public schools are falling short in preparing students for the twin challenges of globalization and technological change. Worries about the nation’s future competitiveness led to the creation in 2002 of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a coalition whose members include the Department of Education and technology companies like Apple, Cisco Systems, Dell and Microsoft.

The government-industry partnership identifies a set of skills that mirror those that the New Technology Foundation model is meant to nurture. Those skills include collaboration, systems thinking, self-direction and communication, both online and in person.

State officials in Indiana took a look at the foundation’s model and offered travel grants for local teachers and administrators to visit its schools in California. Sally Nichols, an English teacher, came away impressed and signed up for the new project-based teaching program at her school, Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis.

Last year, Ms. Nichols and another teacher taught a biology and literature class for freshmen. (Cross-disciplinary courses are common in the New Technology model.) Typically, half of freshmen fail biology, but under the project-based model the failure rate was cut in half.

“There’s a lot of ownership by the kids in their work instead of teachers lecturing and being the givers of all knowledge,” Ms. Nichols explained. “The classes are just much more alive. They don’t sleep in class.”

IN Indiana, the number of schools using the foundation model will increase to six this year, and an additional dozen communities have signed up for the next year, said David Shane, a member of the state board of education. “It’s caught fire in Indiana, and we’ve got to have this kind of education to prepare our young people for the future in a global economy that is immersed in technology.”

The extra cost for schools that have adopted the New Technology model is about $1,000 per student a year, once a school is set up, says Mr. Pearlman of the foundation.

In England, where the government has promoted technology in schools for a decade, the experiment with technology-driven change in education is further along.

Five years ago, the government gave computers to students at two schools in high-crime neighborhoods in Birmingham. For the students, a Web-based portal is the virtual doorway for assignments, school social activities, online mentoring, discussion groups and e-mail. Even students who are suspended from school for a few days beg not to lose their access to the portal, says Sir Mark Grundy, 49, the executive principal of Shireland Collegiate Academy and the George Salter Collegiate Academy. Today, the schools are among the top in the nation in yearly improvements in students’ performance in reading and math tests.

Sir Mark says he is convinced that advances in computing, combined with improved understanding of how to tailor the technology to different students, can help transform education.

“This is the best Trojan horse for causing change in schools that I have ever seen,” he said.

Teens use Google Earth to host illegal pool parties

Thanks to Melissa for this post - very clever stuff

By Guy Dixon
20 June 2008 07:59AM

Tech-savvy teenagers are using Google Earth to pinpoint private swimming pools for illegal summer parties..
Once a suitable venue has been chosen, partygoers conduct the final arrangements over social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo.

Sixteen revellers are thought to have gatecrashed two pools near Bournemouth in an overnight party earlier this week, prompting police fears of copy-cat incidents over the summer months.

According to police, pool-owning residents have returned from work to find their swimming pool full of beer cans.
Wealthy householders have also awoken to the sound of trespassing swimmers enjoying an illicit dip.
Google Earth pool party rules typically include fancy dress and a bike to ensure a quick escape if the party is disturbed.
"We are advising owners of swimming pools to be on their guard and extra vigilant," said a spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police.
"We would also warn prospective swimmers that using someone else's pool is trespassing and therefore illegal."

List of online communities, networks, etc for all ages

This is a great list of site that people at different life stages and ages are using online. Thanks to Web Strategy by Jeremiah for this great resource.

List of Communities, Virtual Worlds, and Social Networks for Youth, Boomers, Retired, and Beyond 

Posted: 11 Jun 2008 02:28 PM CDT

I’m doing research around how different ages using social networks, communities, and virtual worlds by age, and will compile this list as it grows. I’m looking for established community sites that are mature enough to work with brands. There is already so much coverage on mainstream social networks like Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn that we forget about the other smaller niche networks.

First, understand technographics (how ages use social media) by accessing Forrester’s profile tool <http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html> , available for free. If you know the demographics for any of these, please leave a comment.

Youth
I’m primarily seeking communties that are under 18, beyond just MySpace.
Club Penguin, Disney <http://www.clubpenguin.com/>
8-12, Virtual World Stardolls <http://www.stardoll.com/en/>
Young Girls 10-17, Social Network, virtual dolls Barbie Girls <http://barbiegirls.com/homeMtl.html>
6-16, Virtual World WeeWorld <http://www.weeworld.com/>
Youth, Avatar based Social network Zookazoo <http://www.zookazoo.com/>
6-10 year olds, Virtual World Club Penguin, Disney <http://www.clubpenguin.com>>
8-12, Social network, virtual dolls Gaia <http://www.gaiaonline.com/>
Teens, Virtual World Habbo Hotel <http://www.habbo.com/>
European Youth, Virtual World Cyworld <http://www.cyworld.com>
South Korean youth, (and now global), virtual/social network Neopets <http://www.neopets.com/>
Youth, Virtual Pets Pixie Hollow, Disney <http://disney.go.com/fairies/pixiehollow/comingSoon.html>
Young Girls, Virtual Pet Teen Second Life <http://teen.secondlife.com/>
Teen, Virtual World Webkinz <http://www.webkinz.com/>
Youth, Virtual World Piczo <http://www.piczo.com/>
Teens, Social Network Shining Stars, by Russ <http://www.shiningstars.com/>
Youth, ‘name a star’
Puzzle Pirates <http://www.puzzlepirates.com/>
Youth, Gaming, Virtual World

50+
Now of course, boomers and retired are also going to be on lifestyle social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, but I’m seeking examples that are focused in on reaching these folks.

Eons <http://www.eons.com/>
50+, Social Network BOOMj <http://www.boomj.com/>
50+, Social Network Tee Bee Dee <http://www.tbd.com/>
Boomers, Social Network There’s a larger list of Boomer sites <http://emersondirect.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/the-top-30-social-network-sites-for-baby-boomers/> , many I’ve not heard from.

Departed
Someone suggests this in the comments in Friendfeed, makes sense.
Legacy <http://www.legacy.com/NS/>
Respectance <http://respectance.com/>
Tributes.com
SweetMemoriesSite <http://www.SweetMemoriesSite.com>
ChristianMemorials <http://www.christianmemorials.com/>
PreciousMemoriesAndMore <http://www.preciousmemoriesandmore.com/> For what it’s worth, I hope this blog lives on past my time here.

Related Resources
Danah Boyd has a great PDF on Youth and Social Networks (PDF) <http://www.danah.org/papers/WhyYouthHeart.pdf>
Many reports (260) on Forrester site tagged youth <http://www.forrester.com/rb/search/results.jsp?N=0&Ntk=MainSearch&Ntx=mode+MatchAllPartial&Ntt=youth>

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog

Building websites for kids

Sorry - this is a long one. Thanks to iMedia Connection for this post.

Conquering kid culture online
By Steve Glauberman

Designing sites for kids isn't child's play -- it takes a careful balance of usability, creative intuition and regulatory compliance.

They represent an internet population that's expected to balloon to nearly 38 million in 2008. Yet in many ways, they're the hardest online audience to reach. They're kids, and they're at the heart of a riddle that's been troubling online marketers for years: How can we effectively engage them on the web?

The emergence of new internet technologies and trends has provided us with some good options for increasing children's awareness of our products and brands. Marketers have been developing all manner of virtual worlds, online communities, social networks and online gaming destinations in an effort to attract and retain the attention of kids aged 3 through 17. The movement toward creating kid-friendly virtual worlds in particular has been likened to an online gold rush, as businesses recognize the potential of these sites to draw millions of dedicated young users each month.

This potential only promises to increase. Online research firm eMarketer reported last year that 24 percent of the 34.3 million child and teen web users in the U.S. visited virtual worlds once a month with that number expected to rise to 34 percent in 2008 and over 50 percent within the next three years. Meanwhile, Mediamark Research and Intelligence recently found that nearly 80 percent of kids aged 6 to 11 routinely play online games, with boys and girls spending almost an equal amount of time on the popular online activity.

Knowing young consumers are eager to experiment with these media doesn't make our task much easier. Marketing to kids has become a competitive business; we certainly benefit from understanding where their interests lie, but simply incorporating social community or gaming components into our sites (or those of our clients) doesn't guarantee their success. Designing sites for kids requires a unique strategy that takes usability, best practices and child marketing regulations into account.

Sounds like fun
The process of designing a site for kids begins as any web project does: by analyzing the needs of its target audience. If that audience is particularly young -- aged 3 to 7 -- sound will be an essential element of your site. Although kids this age are likely to go online with their parents, it's important to make sites as accessible to them as possible. Since they aren't likely to be reading well yet, that means using sound and voice-overs to narrate text intros, site options, even registration information if users are required to become members in order to use the site.

Children's attention can be further captured by the use of video, and in cases where sound is a must, offering an accompanying narrative video makes good sense. Many kids' sites incorporate a narrated video demo into their home page to walk new users through site features and familiarize them (and their cautious parents) with the site.

Rules to design by
The "anything goes" mentality inherent in many forms of online advertising doesn't apply when you're targeting kids. Laws like the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), enacted by congress in 1998, and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPR), issued by the FTC in 1999, have been put into place to protect children online and now guide every aspect of web design from site structure to copywriting.

These laws primarily prevent the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental involvement. Website publishers are therefore required to comply on a number of levels, including by posting their privacy policies, obtaining parental consent before collecting and using personal information (though email addresses can be collected in some instances) and allowing parents to review personal information collected from their kids. The FTC maintains a site where kids, adults and businesses can all obtain more information about both laws.

Even more relevant to web design are the regulations instilled by the Children's Advertising Review Unit. Established in 1974 by the National Advertising Review Council, CARU is a self-regulatory program intended to promote responsible children's advertising. Among other things, the program's guidelines require that online advertisers and publishers prominently identify the name, company or brand associated with each ad, and that online advertising integrated into the content of a game or activity be clearly demarcated as such.

Childrens' site developers abide by these rules by marking banners with the term "advertising" and by creating "jump pages" that site users see each time they transition from an sponsor-free page to one that features third-party ads. In the case of the latter, text will typically read, "You're about to enter the commercial area of our site," and might also provide a friendly warning about internet use in general (i.e., "Remember to never give out your personal information online").

Such site pages needn't be dull; in fact, they should maintain the same playful look and tone as the remainder of the site. Take a look at an example for DiscoveryKids.com (Disclosure: Discovery Kids is a client of Enlighten).

Creative that interacts
Whether designing brand sites or virtual worlds, the focus should be on activity and interactivity. Kids expect a lot from an online experience, for various reasons. They've never known a world without the energizing action of television and film and use these as a barometer for the entertainment value delivered by a medium like the web. They also didn't get to experience the internet the way it looked ten years ago, when deliberate interactivity wasn't nearly as prevalent as it is now. If they aren't sufficiently entertained by a site, there are plenty of other options to choose from. As such, keeping them engaged is a requirement, not a perk.

There are countless creative ways in which to do this. Some sites offer interactive slideshows of new features, transform the standard mouse curser into a symbol or character or provide users with avatars with which to navigate the site's activities. In virtual worlds, kids are often given a private online space to decorate in accordance with their personal tastes and are allowed to shop online for virtual furniture and accessories using credits earned by participating in site activities. This feature can be extended to brand sites in order to increase the time spent on a property and the child's affiliation with the product, but developers should be sure to update assets regularly to retain their users' interests.

Also worth considering is the amount of interactivity available on each individual site page. Our information architecture team has found that while sites that are uncluttered generally receive a higher usability rating, it's quite the opposite with sites for kids. Children have such a high tolerance for interaction that they expect every graphic on a site page to be clickable and deliver an interesting payoff.

Another useful finding is the way in which children interact with FAQ lists and help sections on a site. Because they have little patience for sorting through a laundry list of tips in search of the one that relates to their immediate needs, it's best to identify potential usability issues section by section and offer a succinct list of answers on each site page.

It may seem like child's play, but designing sites for kids requires a concerted approach that takes into account the users' capabilities, online behavior, interests, and needs. But that doesn't mean it can't be as much fun as the end product.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/19649.asp

When youth Twitter, they Plurk

When teens Twitter they do it on Plurk - a new site that rewards your increasing sociability with Karma credits and emoticons to visualise your feelings. I've joined, and its addictive. I can definitely see how teens would fall for this Facebook style microblog... but i wonder if it would really ever replace/match the status in Facebook? Thanks to FutureLab for this post.

Plurk, Twitter for Teens?

by: Karl Long

Just heard of this new service called Plurk which is a similar “microblogging” service rather like Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku etc. According to Venture Beat it launched in January this year and seems to be targeting a more teenage demographic.

bub.blicio.us asks the question “is Plurk another Twitter?” and in many ways it is, it’s a lifestreaming/microblogging platform with friends and fans etc. The one major difference that I see in Plurk is it’s “Karma” measure, and that is one of the only reasons why I think it will be interesting to watch what happens. Karma is essentially a measure of your level of participation in the Plurk system, and it’s the kind of explicit feedback that I think can fuel the growth of social systems. One of the reasons that Yelp is so successful is it has multiple feedback mechanisms that reward and recognize the right activity in the social network, and therefore encourages more of that activity. If you reward the right “value creating” activities on your social network you set up very powerful virtuous cycles.

Mind you, as bub.blicio.us also pointed out there is no apparent business model or revenue model, agreed, but what else is new.

Original Post: http://experiencecurve.com/archives/plurk-twitter-for-teens

How to connect with teenage girls in cyber space - legally of course!

This is an interesting blog looking at how the fashion industry is using an existing gaming platform to make money, rather then generating content which they hope teenagers will engage with. 

How will other retailers embrace social networking and other interactive technologies to help them build their brands?

Thanks to Forbes.com for this post.

Teenagers are easy to reach if you know how to play their game.

For the fashion industry, traditionally a late adopter of technology, it has been a particularly steep learning experience even though pre-teens and teens directly and indirectly control billions of dollars in purchasing power. But a small Swedish company called Stardoll seems to have cracked the code on how to hook young girls (see Teen Market Overview).

Stardoll is an online community where girls ages 8 to 18 play with virtual dolls. They can make "MeDolls," dolls that look like themselves, or celebrity look-alike dolls. Girls can also dress themselves and celebrities with merchandise from a virtual shop in its virtual galleria called the "starplaza," and they can also network with other users on the site.

Join the discussion: Will retailers embrace social networking and other interactive technologies to help them build their brands? Tell us what you think in the Readers Comments section below.

Stardoll Chief Executive Mattias Miksche admits he didn't completely understand his market when he began heading the company a few years ago. "When I first saw the initial site I didn't really get it--like most men," he says. "But I showed it to my wife, who was 35, and to my daughter, who was 5--and they both absolutely loved it. So I figured there could be quite an untapped market there."

Today, Stockholm-based Stardoll features more than 330 dolls and tens of thousands of virtual garments and accessories. It is also the No. 1 site worldwide for pre-teen and teen girls, according to comScore. The site has over 7 million unique visitors per month and 16 million registered users from 200 countries.

Compare these numbers to TeenVogue, Conde Nast's magazine that targets the same demographic and has less than 3 million readers. TeenVogue's mission statement says: "Style-conscious girls everywhere know there's only one source for relevant fashion and beauty news communicated in a sophisticated tone with the power of the Vogue brand. In a time of expanding media choices, true authority is irreplaceable--and unmistakable."

Is it?

Stardoll, like Vogue, earns revenues from advertising. Advertisers on Stardoll include major fashion and entertainment brands such as Donna Karan, LVMH, Disney (nyse: DIS - news - people ) and Sephora. Stardoll also earns revenues from products sold in its virtual shop. The site sells between 60,000 to 180,000 items per day.

Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures think Stardoll is building an addictive destination for a prized demographic, and they have invested $10 million in the company.

Despite Stardoll's success, the fashion industry hasn't yet figured out how to take advantage of the company to help it build brands. Here's an example of how this might work.

Zara, a retailer based in Spain, launches a virtual collection on Stardoll, which becomes an instant viral hit among pre-teen and teenage girls. Let's say seven designs in the collection bubble up to the top as the most popular, each with an average following of 1.2 million girls. Knowing this, would Zara need any other focus group or market research to figure out exactly what is striking a chord with its target consumers?

If Zara becomes really disciplined, it can pre-launch each season's designs into Stardoll, collect market feedback and provide that data to its stores around the world. Zara can also do geographically targeted research through Stardoll. For instance, Zara's Florida stores can look at data for Florida consumers, while Los Angeles stores can drill down on what teens in L.A. like.

I spent a year working with the fashion industry during the dot-com heydays, and I was struck by how little science and analysis is applied in the fashion business. As a result, the industry remains a nightmare of surplus inventory, which leads to markdowns and unhealthy profit-and-loss statements that precariously balance companies at the edge of life and death.

But it doesn't need to be this way. Other industries, such as financial services, manufacturing and insurance, have embraced technology and benefited tremendously from its infinite potential. Why not fashion?

http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/2008/05/29/mitra-stardoll-retail-tech-ebiz-cx_sm_0530stardoll.html

Mobile Advertising Key to Reaching Consumers in Economic Downturn

[Thanks to MC Marketing Charts for this interesting post on leveraging mobile advertising]

Despite rising fuel and food prices, over one-third of consumers say the economy will not affect their spending habits - so most say it will - and one way for advertisers to grab consumers’ attention in such times may be via their mobile devices, according to a new study.

For marketers interested in reaching fickle consumers during this economic downturn, there’s hope in that 41% consumer say they have no plans to stop or cut-back on the purchase of cell phones, found a Harris Interactive study on people’s attitudes toward the economy and technology.

Most (60%) of consumers who say they will limit their discretionary spending will curtail going out to restaurants (74%) and purchasing electronics (71%), among other choices like buying fewer clothes and taking fewer vacations.

Meanwhile, the use of mobile phones has become an indispensable part of their lives for many, and many are even severing ties to landlines: 16% of US homes are using wireless phones exclusively - more than double the number from four years ago, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

These trends support the push by marketers to leverage mobile advertising as part of an integrated marketing program to promote their brands and sell products and services, Harris analysts conclude.

Mobile Advertising Findings

Mobile advertising can gain a foothold if it is unobtrusive, targeted toward an individual’s personal tastes and offers something unique, Harris said:

Among teens surveyed, over half (56%) said they would be interested in viewing mobile ads with incentives, while over one-third (37%) of adults noted that they would be receptive to such advertising.

As the best mobile advertising incentive, cash is king, with 80% of adults and 70% of teens identifying it as the top incentive for responding to mobile advertising:

Entertainment downloads (61%), free music (57%) and complimentary minutes (53%) also are popular incentives among teens.

Among adults, free minutes (49%) and discount coupons (37%) are appealing incentives. Free entertainment (31%) and music (24%) downloads also captured the attention of adults.

As for types of ads preferred, adults tend to favor dining deals (53%) whereas teens are interested in outdoor activities, travel and entertainment (70%).

Text messaging is the most preferred advertising approach for over two-thirds (69% of adults and 64% of teens) of consumers:
Teens are more willing to accept advertising images on their mobile phones (47%), versus adults (35%).

The allure of video imagery in mobile advertising is down 10% among adults from last year, but adults are now more open to ads’ being transferred automatically to their email (30%) than in the past.

Providing personal information to marketers to help them target advertising messages and products has always been a sensitive topic, but more than half (54%) of adult respondents say they are comfortable doing so for mobile advertisers, especially if offered for the right incentive. 

Others agree, but want to choose who sees this information (21%).

Teens, surprisingly, are guarded about their personal information - only 35% would divulge it, even if an incentive is offered, and 25% say they would never provide personal information.

About the data (pdf): The 2008 Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Advertising study was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive in February 2008 among 1,000 US adults age 18 and over and 200 teenagers age 13-17. The 2008 Telecom Report was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive in April 2008 among 1,000 US adults age 18 and over. The data were weighted to reflect the US population.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/topics/email/mobile-advertising-key-to-reaching-consumers-in-economic-downturn-4750/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink

Mobile marketing for teens

[Thanks to Los Angeles Times for this post]

Advertisers in touch with teens' cellphones

Youths are signing up to have pitches, photos and links to websites sent to their multifunction mobile devices.
By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 23, 2008
As she readied for last night's prom, Jamie McGraw asked her friends for advice about hairstyles, shoes and a dress.

She also turned to her cellphone for a little help.


A nation of young mobile phone users
McGraw receives daily text messages from Seventeen magazine about fashion, including tips about what to wear to the prom. She planned to take the magazine's suggestion to wear a brightly colored outfit and be prepared for "dress malfunctions." "When the texts recommend a certain look that sounds good, I will try it out, but it doesn't always mean buying something," the 17-year-old Laguna Niguel resident said.

Yakking teens and phones have been inseparable for decades. The difference today is that teens use their cellphones for a lot more than just talking. It has become a palm-size entertainment and information center increasingly consuming their time and attention. Advertisers are realizing that if they want to reach teens, they need their number -- literally.

"They're not watching TV, you're not reaching them in other places," said Andrew Miller, chief executive of Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising network. "Mobile is where they congregate."

This year, shy escorts can buy (for 99 cents) a preproduced video of a guy asking a girl to the prom ("We'd take amazing prom pictures together," he says) and then send it via mobile phone to ask a girl out, thanks to Venice-based Mogreet Inc.His nervous date can visit Cosmo Girl's mobile phone site and look at the prom section to find out how to say "No" to alcohol. And she can go to PromGirl.com to download a widget that lets her browse for prom dresses on her phone without burning up valuable Internet minutes.

It may all seem a little bothersome, but teens don't mind receiving messages about products on their phones, says Nic Covey, director of insights at research firm Nielsen Mobile. Nielsen said teens were nearly twice more likely than adults to trust and respond to advertising and pitches on mobile phones.

"For them, responding to an ad that's relevant by sending a text or following a link on their phone is a logical brand engagement," Covey said. It's so natural that the student council at Notre Dame high school in Sherman Oaks decided to invite teens to their graduation via a prerecorded video sent over a mobile phone.

Not all teens are so readily accessible, of course. Molly Nadeau, a senior at Fairfax High in Los Angeles, loves the trendy and inexpensive fashions of Forever 21 Inc., but that doesn't mean she wants to be inundated with blurbs about its latest blouses or jewelry on her mobile phone.

"Once they have my number, I just think the ads would come 24/7," she said. "I wouldn't want that." That wouldn't make her father happy, Nadeau noted, since he pays the phone bill and her plan doesn't allow for unlimited text messages.

Marketers claim they are sensitive to such resistance, saying that's why they craft the ads more in terms of useful information teens would want to get on their phones.

Hearst Magazines, for instance, has developed nine different mobile sites across different magazines, including Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. Cosmo Girl's site contains information on horoscopes, gossip, fashion, career advice and beauty tips, alongside promotions from retail giant J.C. Penney Co. and cosmetics maker Clinique Laboratories. Teens can also send a text message when they see a product they like in the magazine and sometimes receive a free sample.

"We decided we needed to follow [the reader] with our brands -- wherever she is, we needed to be there with her as a source of entertainment," said Sophia Stuart, director of mobile for Hearst Magazines Digital Media.

That means a prom section that gives girls advice on date etiquette and fun things to do aside from drinking and having sex. "We wanted to help her have a script and be there if she needs our help," Stuart said.

Other brands are messaging their way into teens' phones as well. Teens interested in Element Skateboards can sign up for text message alerts when there are skate events in their area, or when stores get new products. Those who want to be in the know about clothing retailer G by Guess can get text messages about sales and promotions.

"You have to take an active role in integrating a brand into consumers' lifestyles by being in their pockets," said Roman Tsunder, president of Access 360 Media Inc., which recently launched promotions for Guess Inc. and Element that encouraged teens to sign up to get text messages on their cellphones from the companies.

Teens don't seem to mind the text messages they receive from the retailers. Tsunder said only 4% of people who sign up for the texts ask to stop getting them. And Miller said 2% to 4% of those who see or receive ads on mobile phones click on them to find out more information. On the Internet via computers, so-called click-through rates are generally closer to 0.01%.

Some teens do mind, however, if advertisers bug them too overtly, said Alyson Hyder, media director for California at Avenue A/Razorfish, a digital marketing firm.

"They will be quick to turn on the backlash," Hyder said. That's why "brands that target the teen audience are looking at more authentic ways to insert themselves into the conversation, as opposed to advertising."

For a Nintendo Co. campaign, rather than send teens an ad about a new Nintendo game, mobile-phone marketing firm Hyperfactory published a brain teaser relating to it in game magazines. Users sent a text message to get the answer, and they received a message back with a link to sign up for alerts about the game and download free wallpaper and mobile games. The company declined to say how many consumers participated.

When Kiwibox.com, an online teen magazine, launches a service to send teens text messages with horoscopes and celebrity alerts this year, they'll include a short advertisement at the end sponsored by different brands such as Sparq Inc., a company that designs workout training programs for aspiring athletes, and Paramount Pictures.

But it can be a thin line between the type of product pitches that teens will accept on their mobile phones and those they won't.

Quentin Brown, an 18-year-old high school senior from Santa Monica, said he texted to vote during the National Basketball Assn.'s slam-dunk competition at this year's All-Star game. In return, he received a flurry of text messages with offers to buy jerseys and other basketball-related stuff. He didn't mind the texts for the jerseys, since he's interested in them and always looking for deals. But he didn't like getting ones about things he didn't care about, such as asking him to join an NBA fantasy draft or go to NBA summer camp.

"They were kind of stalking me," he said. "But then they stopped and I was glad."

alana.semuels@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/admark/la-fi-teenphone23-2008may23,0,2679094.story

See below also for stats on USA teen mobile usage:

http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/admark/la-fi-teenbox23-2008may23,0,1140698.story

Thanks Techcruch for this launch announcement on the Doko (www.dokodrop.com) tween social network game. Nice tie-in between real products, online games and social network functionality... as long as the dics take off it should be an interesting environment for tweens.
Short of a super charged, yellow ball project (http://www.verbnow.com/?IDX=yellowball&) that someone's hoping to make cash from...
----
Today sees the launch of Doko, a social networking game aimed at the tween market which claims to be “The World’s First Global Trading Game”. The game revolves around metal discs about the size of poker chips that are emblazoned with unique identifying tags. Friends are encouraged to trade discs with each other, which accrue virtual points on the Doko website (these in turn can be exchanged for real-world prizes).

Dokodiscs will be available for purchase at retail stores including Toys R Us. Kids are encouraged to register on a family-friendly social networking site, where they are assigned overly innocuous screen-names based on their favorite number and animal (I was given musmus13, a real keeper). From there, they can enter the codes found on each coin to receive their Doko Points, which can be traded in for prizes. The more often a coin is traded with other players, the more valuable it becomes (though it expires after five trades). The site tracks each coin during its journeys across the world, offering a cartoony 3D world perspective that reminded me of TwittEarth.

The game sounds like it could be a hit, but I’m left wondering what kind of strange effects it could have on its target audience. I can’t help but envision a bizarre, pre-pubescent mafia that will horde and distribute discs in an attempt to maximize profits. Or maybe I’ve just read Lord of the Flies too many times.

In any case, the social networking aspect of the site will likely appeal to many parents who would like to foster their child’s social interactions without letting them graduate to the “big kid” networks like Facebook and MySpace. Among Doko’s competitors for the tween market include Zwinky, Club Penguin, and Gaia. Even Facebook is making attempts to appease parents - yesterday they announced a number of new policies designed to safeguard against sexual predators.

Doko is a product of the Mammoth Brand of NSI International. Mammoth has been responsible for marketing more than $700 million worth of toys.