Competition Of course, I am not the only one to note the effects of cell phones on teenagers and embark on this endeavor. News stories everywhere document cases of teens and cell phones—for both helpful utility and harmful consequences. And since the popularity of the cell phone on teen markets is ever increasing, it comes as no surprise that there exists other websites on the internet that address this human-technology relationship. From just a simple google search, I can tell that the competition exists. Be that as it may, I’m not worried. That is because I believe my website, in theory, fills a greater void and offers something other sites cannot. I have yet to find a website solely dedicated to cell phones and teens and furthermore that serves as a phone buying guide for parents. The websites with similar information as mine seem to have this information as a section of their main website, which range from a cell phone site to a parenting site to a general “information” site (e.g. about.com). A comprehensive site that compiles all of what I will cover and more importantly all that should be covered is hard to find. This environment of scattered information is where my site comes in. While other sites cover one aspect of cell phones for teens, I will go over all aspects of the buying process (e.g. explaining what a cell phone is, talking about the concerns and risks, offering solutions, going over options, etc.). Ultimately, their sites, being broad in topic, are more popular, more established, and are backed by a respectable name. However, by opting for breadth, they compromise depth. My site will focus on all aspects of cell phones, which I believe will give it the edge. Also, sites that include advices are subjective in nature. Most of these sites come from parents and adults. My site is unique in that it is coming from the perspective of a teenager and therefore offers something new to the table. This is especially important in cases that deal with teen privacy. Some sites advocate actively monitoring text messages and phone calls. As a teen, I believe this to be an invasion of privacy and would instead propose a more trusting alternative. In what follows, I will go step by step through my process of finding and evaluating the competition. I will identify the keywords I used on google search, the sites I found with overlapping material, and how my site is unique.
Search word: “Parent Buying Guide” http://www.gizmocafe.com/handhelds/parents-cell-guide/parents-cell-guide.aspx This “tech” site offers a few pages that advertise as a “parent’s guide to cell phones.” Admittedly, they did do a good and thorough job of detailing the network and service options, as well as cell phone features. However, as it is a broader-in-topic site, it fails to cover the material I find is important to parents, such as the dangers as well as possible solutions. http://www.hybridmom.com/live/family/a-parents-guide-to-kids-and-safe-texting.html This page, a part of a large site for moms, has advice on safe teen texting. However, texting is only one aspect of the teen-phone experience, and it is the only thing this page covers. It has no advice on choosing a cell phone, and is targeted toward audiences with children who already have a phone. This is only a subset of my target audience. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/howstuffworks/238-a-parents-guide-to-cell-phones-video.htm This 2-minute video only goes over the different phone options such as pay-as-you-go. I find it hard to believe that it is titled a parent’s guide. Search word: “teen cell phone” http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cheap/20030929a1.asp This two-page article, like most others, goes over the financial aspects of a cell phone and the prepaid alternative. This site overlaps in information with mine, but is limited in scope. It is a prime example of some of the “scattered information” site. http://fatherhood.about.com/od/dadsandteens/a/cell_phones.htm This site, with the broad about.com name, goes over the cell phone options as well as the possible concerns. In this respect, it is very similar to mine. However, it does not go in-depth and does not have interactive features. Search word: “teen phone buying” http://cell-phones.toptenreviews.com/smartphones/buying-a-cell-phone-for-your-teen.htm This site goes over the popular phone features, but gives no mention to the risks. http://www.yoursecurityresource.com/cobrand/in/articles/cellphone/index.html This site is primarily focused on the security risks of cell phones, but is not a comprehensive guide. http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/SavingandDebt/P46469.asp Again, this site goes over the plan options but no mention of the phone implications. Search word: “Cell Phone dangers” http://parentingteens.suite101.com/article.cfm/cell_phones_and_todays_teens The “dangers” keyword search usually returns teen driving and cancer link topics. This site is the only one I found with a short list of suggestions for keeping teens safe. But again, it is not a comprehensive buying guide. |