What teens want online and their phones

Anastasia Goodstein brings together a group of teenagers to talk about how they use mobile and the web.

• they are early adopters but the tech needs to meet core needs. This is atalk with a panel of teens from ages 12-17
• What do you like? 
  • Goodreads.com, cos a social network site, plus reviews of books, purevolume.com, signed and unsigned bands, get a taste of a lot of stuff
  • myspace and facebook, cos create own layout and put pictures, customise the design, to communicate with friends and family (sisters)
  • myspace and facebook, more facebook cos it has addons – can make own superhero.  to be connected with everyone at school. Also Digg, Newsforgamers
  • myspace, hi5, to keep in touch with friends and family – especially on holiday times.  Looks for bands/music. Meet new people from school that I don’t know.   (is 12, and is 16 on myspace)
  • myspace, mixmatters – a music website, has artists, plus a mixtape website (datbizz)
  • 17.com, to keep updated with styles, not too good, does not tell you how to do the hairstyles. hipster.com, for playlists and new music.
  • myspace, to talk to friends and family. runescape. chat to people all over the world. (12, but 99 on myspace)
• What annoys you?
  • ads everywhere, distracting ones. They slow down the computers. On nba.com, ads for Miller between each vid that got annoying – the same things everytime.  Viral attack on myspace. Insterstitial ads are really annoying. Sound files on ads. Taking 6000 years to load – so much crap to load, 800000 video ads that pop up and stay there
• Are you getting social network fatigue?
  • not changed for me, I just check periodically. With facebook I use more, due to the add-ons
  • when first on myspace, I was checking every hour, going to everyone’s pages. Once added all the pages, then just check occasionally.
  • . when I got myspace (you had to you were a total social loser). They keep updating things to try and make it better but they do not need to  – messages and pictures but it’s not my life.
• It sounds like myspace is email for you? do you use email?
  • I created my email just to get into myspace. use it to register on sites.  for fanclubs etc.
  • I use email for my sisters, and teachers at school. I email to ask for homework etc.
  • The campus has email to contact teachers and school friends.  For business I have a ‘professional’ address, to get interviews, for reporting.  You have to be able to write an email, as myspace and IM abbreviatyeswords etc. we have to keep the writing skills.
• Do you use IM
  • no – when younger to talk to school
• Phones. So what kind of phone, did you want that kind of phone. What do you have on it?
  • Don’t have a phone
  • LG Music phone. Unlimited SMS, I have to text. play tetris a lot, no ring tones, as can;t use web on phones, occasionally bluetooth it.
  • TMobile Blackberry Pearl. It’s connected to email, unlimited testing – use it a lot. Like to play pacman. A lot of ringtones, get them from phonezoo – you can do their own. No web as too expensive.
  • Trakphone – no plan, cost. only for emergencies. so it’s never charged. no ringtones or wallpaper.
  • A older sprint phone, in about 4 pieces on my pocket. nothing special – calls and SMS.   Have emergency games if I was bored out of my mind.
  • A sony exersion. Listen to music, text. I plau games – pacman and dinerdash
  • Verizon LG camera. I use texts (500/month) I pay for this. I need the texts. I have ringtones, $3 and have tetris $5. Don’t have the money for a lot.  Use camera a lot to take pictures and send to friends
  • I can record videos and watch them
  • They said they could not live without (those who had had it a while)
• How about virtual worlds?  Social networks with avatars?
  • I have one in runescape, a lot of places are trying to copy this. I spend about an hour or so working to be rich in runescape
  • Xbox live is the closest. I play people on Halo.
  • I used to use Ziwinkie, It’s really dull and boring, about 2x a year. It’s noting different.
  • Runescape, Gaia online, played many different MMOs, the cost $50/month is a problem.  the pay to play is dying on me.
  • Ziwinki, I don’t use it anymore.did not want ot play anymore
  • Don’t really use it avatar stuff anymore.

Opened up for questions?

• I’m from marketing, trying to sell. With UGC, have you done these and what do you think?
  • I did something for YouTube, for AirJordan.  It was pretty easy to use (windows movie maker)
  • If I had a camera I would do
  • I had a video camera, I have done them, just never enter as miss the deadline. It’s cool, when you interact with something they are trying to sell, it is good makes you have a little feel that you have influence?
• Does it make you respect the brand?
  • If you open up, it makes me respect that company more – makes you feel better that they think you can do as well
• I’m curious about content -news, political, cause? do you consume that? What would make you do that?
  • reading Digg for news, getting things I’m interested in. YouTube and Digg etc.
  • Interested in the debates, keep up with that. On YouTube, and google news. Wikipedia (they all use wikipedia)
  • The Onion. It’s a kind of spoof..they bring me the paper.  Things that catch my attention are funny, or give a different angle. the news is so dead sometimes, you want to turn it off. Also the Human Rights Campaign.
  • (No one goes to main news pages)
• (From PETA) do you think you can effect change online, for causes.
  • Grain of Rice donation, I did
  • The school is growing vegetables to sell and donate to a (hepper?). The school donates money to Bhopal, we send cards etc.
• Would you rather do something physical?
  • Yes, cos you get to interact with people and find out about them
  • I liked the grain of raice, as it hid the cause behind the game
  • Things that are easy to do as far as websites, they can do it from their own home, an easy out to feel like they helped.
  • I have a couple of friends involved with peta, they leave bulletins on myspace. Doing stuff online gets my attention. eg posts about drunk driving, with graphic images. etc
• (Disney) are you watching shows on tv or computer?
  • I like dramas, Veoh, crunchieworld, a lot of foreign dramas. subtitled
  • ABC family to watch it there – go to the channels sites.
  • I watch the disney channel – TV and phone. Also on web and play games
  • Usually use the DVR.  Also the web
  • Veoh
  • Watch the disney online.  Also ABC family
• Are their any shows you have to watch?
  • Wrestling. they’re really cute. CSI
  • KyleXY when they on, my mom won’t record.  CSI – love to watch as there never anything else on.
  • anime – if I miss I go to veoh, if they don’t then go elsewhere.  Some spanish drama
• I’m from the antimarketing world, trying to stop companies in selling you stuff? Would you be interested in pushing back?
  • advertising is always going to be there to help fund the website. I would help a little bit, if I did not see any progress, then back off ;)  Some advertising – a new game of course
  • They need to go with what you are going to. on nba.com I don’t want to see beer. they have to stay on websites like ebay – where you are trying to buy things.
  • it’s bad enough, it’s on TV and billboards, it is important to sell things.  There needs to be in someplaces and not in places. mysp[ace when there are 600 banners around your page is really annoying.
• I work for an interactive advertising agency. we build a lot of teen and tween brand.coms. do you visit websites like that and what types have you gone to. for online ads, do you play games which are ads?
  • I do like to play the little games,
  • WhatNext – on tv and I had to go to the site.  Maybe.
  • Tropicana – they were giving away free xbox points.
• I’m from Gamelab. how about little flashgames?
  • addictinggames.com, I like doing that.
  • the computer I use is too old, so won’t work. I like them, but can;t really play them. I think they are cool.
  • go to game sites, play new games,
  • newgrounds. a flash portal to submit games. albinoblacksheep, ebaumsworlds. not blocked on school I will go.  lots of flash games.
  • (they all know how to get round the blocks)
• Do you go outside?
  • yes. still have friends, go outside, play on basketball team
  • I go to camp, I have a job
  • football. but always on the computer, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?
• when you make plans with your friends – online, phone or person.
  • sms.
  • in person during school
  • in person or on the phone.
  • there’s a reason they invented the phone – in person or text.
• have any of you gone to a party base don a bulletin
  • no
• what don’t marketers get about the web? If you could have a greater say in how brands appear on the web would that be better
  • most adverts are very annoying, unless they are clever. I don’t like ads
  • I like give aways,

Tags: sxsw, teenpanel