Posts tagged ‘PlumbBrain’
PlumbBrain Guardian: First iOS Mobile Application Launched
Ok, I know I’m a little late sharing my excitement but I just had to share anyway how much fun it is to continue to learn new things and explore new frontiers.
On April 29, 2011, we launched a new child safety mobile application for the iPod, iPad and iPhone! PlumbBrain Guardian was created by parents for parents. The app helps you keep a current photo of your child or grandchild (or a child in your care) in case they wander off unexpectedly.
One of our advisors with AMBER Alert™ says one of the key features of the PlumbBrain Guardian app is it’s reminder feature telling you to update your child’s photo. A current photo is critical to finding a lost child quickly. The AMBER Alert™ Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
Please check it out for yourself. Maybe you don’t have children in the 2-13 age range but I bet you know someone who does (OK, we’re assuming once our children reach 13 they won’t wander off!). Click here to download the app from the App Store in iTunes to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad – it’s free!
Please leave us your feedback in the comments section or contact us at mobile [at] oneseventeenmedia.com or twitter @bcarls.
19 Days and Counting
Only 19 days left to register for the Young Minds Digital Times Student Film Competition. We have fantastic prizes for our winners, including two Grand Prize packages to attend the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Other first place category winners will take home $200 in cold, hard cash. The teacher with the most student film entries, and the school with the most student film entries in Track One: Young Filmmakers Doing Good, will each win $1000! But you have to register first!!
Registration is open until February 19th. The competition is free to all student filmmakers grades 6-8 and 9-12. Film entries are due March 19th. And check the rest of our blog posts for filmmaking tips and tricks.
Tweens = $43 Billion in Spending Power
This tidbit stuck out to me from The Washington Times article, “Retailers lure parents of powerful tweens:”
“Tweens wield $43 billion in spending power annually and influence the spending of billions more on everything from cell phones to vacations to automobiles,” New York consumer behavior and marketing firm EPM Communications Inc. said in a 2008 report.”
That’s a-whole-lot-of money, and the figure doesn’t even include teen spending power. As we seek out responsible advertisers and sponsors for PlumbBrain, this study is a great reminder of the missed opportunity for retailers who do not to engage the tween market.
(Image found here)
Mobile Integration Key as Wireless Net Usage Surges
In a study released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, they share wireless internet usage has “increased sharply in 2009″ with more than half of the adult population having accessed wireless internet via laptop or mobile device. Mobile device usage has grown “73% in the 16 month interval between surveys.” Implementing a strong mobile integration strategy has always been part of our plan for PlumbBrain, and Pew’s study reinforces that increasingly youth and adults will be accessing content via mobile devices.
Queen Rania Embraces the Power of Social Media
There are many incredible opportunities through social media, but what excites me most is its power to break down barriers, promote understanding and generate meaningful dialogue. Queen Rania of Jordan agrees, as she shares on her her YouTube Channel’s spoof of Dave Letterman’s top ten list.
“…I wanted to kick start a conversation in the world’s largest community, because we’re stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share…”
Kudos to Queen Rania for choosing to be a leader in the fight against intolerance and engaging her subjects, and the world, through social media. I’m inspired by her message, and I look forward to hearing more from her.
She’s a great role model for PlumbBrain kids as they experience the same incredible power of conversation by engaging in PlumbBrain’s social media tools to improve their relationships and communications with parents, peers and mentors.
(Thanks to Roger Clague for sharing Queen Rania’s message with me and sending this great post!)
Building a Tribe of True Believers
Found via Ypulse, Dan Pankraz’s thoughts on tribal marketing for youth audiences spoke directly to what OneSeventeen Media knows motivates kids to engage. These principles will be put into application in PlumbBrain’s launch. To summarize at a high level, Pankraz calls on brands to understand the value of:
- Agitating and disrupting the status quo
- Connected collective
- Power people
- True believers
- Lead them
- Create culture
- Tribal identification
- Constant content creation and ongoing storytelling platform
Be sure to read the full post to understand the power of Pankraz’s strategy.
(Image found here)
Character Tools = Solution for Rude Kids + Parents
“Today’s tykes: Secure kids or rudest in history?” reads for me as a call to action for PlumbBrain where we can provide engaging character education tools for both kids and parents. This article makes some wide sweeping generalizations; without any comprehensive data I’m not sure how anyone accurately identifies one generation as “ruder” than another, but I appreciate the point that parents and communities need to be cultivating empathetic kids (which doesn’t mean at the expense of their self confidence). However, for every “rude” kid or parent I’ve interacted with, I can think of several delightful ones too, but I’m not sure how this ratio compares to previous generations.
Do you agree with the article’s claims of the kids are getter rudder, or are expectations and/or perceptions what are changing?
(Image found here)
Have You Hugged A Tree Today?
Happy Earth Day! See the Earth Day (#earthday) conversation happening on Twitter. Mashable also has a great article up about going green through social media.
Being better stewards of the Earth is a hot topic right now and individual households and large corporations alike are looking for ways to decrease their environmental impact. Earth Day is a great opportunity for us all to reflect on our positive and negative impacts on the natural environment; there’s also a bounty of fantastic events and activities we’ll be able to provide PlumbBrain kids organized around this day of awareness and appreciation.
(Pictured above, my favorite “earthy” picture from my weekend photo shoot)
15.5 Million Youth Using Social Networks
In 2009, 15.5 million 12-17-year-olds will use social networks according to eMarketer, and this number is expected to grow to 17.9 million by 2013. While youth reported the majority of their social networking time is spent connecting with friends, those experiences aren’t always positive:
Over 60% of those surveyed acknowledged that the things friends wrote in their profiles could harm their careers. In addition, 48% said they could be embarrassed by what they themselves wrote, and 38% said they regretted some of the items that had appeared on their pages already.
The youth market is ripe for PlumbBrain, where we can provide tools to help kids navigate the complications of growing up online.
(Image found here)
The Girl Effect: Changing the World & History
I was moved by this introductory video for The Girl Effect, a movement founded by the Nike Foundation to increase the international investment in girls as a means of social change in impoverished nations. The Girl Effect is a powerful idea, and a great example of a non-profit organization OneSeventeen Media will look to partner with to provide social-change content and opportunities for our members. By offering youth in our PlumbBrain community a chance to interact with The Girl Effect and learn from their theory of change, we’ll be expanding the breath and momentum of “the effect.”
