Reason for Site

The mobile phone has easily reached mainstream and has penetrated seemingly all aspects of our lives. It has been tasks easier and completed more efficiently. This technology has become welcomed into the household, as children find practical uses for it to. However, with all the powers and capabilities of the mobile phone come the social implications to adolescents. This site is meant to inform parents about the risks that a child carries as he or she carries a cell phone.

Target Audience

The main audience that this site appeals to is parents that have teens with cell phones. Ideally, this site will enlighten parents. According to U.S. Cellular statistics, roughly 60 percent of American teens own a cell phone. According to market research firm the Yankee Group, 54 percent of 8 to12 year olds will have cell phones within the next three years. This site, accordingly, has a considerable audience. Our assumption is that many parents either place emphasis on the benefits of the mobile phone over the harms or have not fully grasped the social ramifications of the phone to their children. To an equal extent, this site hopes to reach teens as well as a direct medium to informing them of the possible negative behaviors.

Marketing Plan

As this is an informational site, the primary marketing plan is to channel views through search engines. Once sufficient funds are reached, this site will be able to advertise on cell phone forums and parental discussion sites. Ideally, the site hopes to be unique and informative enough to inspire word-of-mouth advertising.

Competition

There are few other sites that address the same topics (i.e. the social ramifications on cell phones on teenagers) in detail. Most sites that are related to “cell phone harms” address the health concerns regarding the link to cancer, as well as teen driving. Therefore, this site is in a territory of its own. The ones that do address the social concerns seem more a laundry list than an in-depth analysis.

Project Costs

Startup Costs

The costs are primarily my personal work, which consists of researching the material, organizing the information, and implementing the site. Overall, I see this labor as 25-30 hours. At $10 an hour, this can be $250-300.

Maintenance Costs

Once the site reaches popularity, it would seem beneficial to upgrade to another hosting service, as Google sites has an amateur connotation. This cost can be as low as $5 a month at godaddy.com. The material, too, can change due to a new phone feature that gives rise to new questionable behaviors among the teen community. Thus, the site would have to update in response to the changing times.

Revenue

The main revenue of this site is advertising. Also, funds will be asked from cell phone organizations.

Potential Problems

This site might cause conflicts between cell phone manufacturers and cell phone carriers because this information supports limitations on teen use. However, this is a slight problem because it is protected under the “Freedom of Speech.” In fact, this site is meant to engender concerns in these companies, which would force them to add services such as parental monitoring to accommodate for parental demands.