February 16, 2007

Thank Heaven for Little Dongles

How to market a gadget in 5 sleazy steps:

1. tap into adult paranoia.

2. target 'passion point' of said paranoia - kids.

3. segment toward deepest paranoia - daughters sold into sex slavery via the internets.

4. manufacture gadget - make it pink!

5. make sure it only works in conjunction with same gadgets -- exponential sales increase!

Or, that's what this looks like to me. Instead of teaching kids responsible Internet and cell phone use, keeping a close eye on them, using tools ON the computer to block access to what's risky, and ripping 'privilege' devices away from them if they fail to 'get it,' instead go spend $70 on IM-Me.

(Oh, and be sure to pick up some for your daughters' friends, because IM-Me only works with other IM-Mes and only when they're in "dongle range").

Yeah, I got a dongle for ya.