We were very proud to be part of a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign, designed to help teens recognize digital dating abuse and take steps to prevent it.
As part of this national campaign, a site was launched today, using one of our domain names, thatsnotcool.com, by the Advertising Council, in partnership with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence against Women.
Our domain is just one of the pieces of the launch with an important mission:
Educate, and help prevent teen dating abuse.
Digital abuse, particularly among teens, is rapidly growing.
According to Pew Research conducted in 2007, approximately 70 percent of teens talk daily with friends on a cell phone, 60 percent send text messages daily, 54 percent send instant messages, 47 percent send email messages daily over social networking sites, and many teens are blogging.
With the benefit of these new technologies comes the risk of digital abuse, which can include unwanted, repeated calls or text messages, breaking into email or social networking accounts, or being pressured to send private or embarrassing pictures or videos.
Though this issue has gone largely undetected by most adults, it is prevalent in teen life.
“Our research confirms that teens often don’t know how to connect the dots and recognize when controlling behavior becomes abuse,” said Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler. “The That’s Not Cool campaign is designed to help start a conversation about textual harassment and digital abuse, give teens the tools to recognize and talk about it, and encourage them to define what is and isn’t okay.”
According to Technology and Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2007 (conducted by Teen Research Unlimited), one in three teens say they have been text messaged 10, 20 or 30 times an hour by a partner wanting to know where they are, what they’re doing, or who they’re with. One in four teens in a relationship have been called names, harassed or put down by their partner through cell phones and texting. More than half of teen girls (51 percent) say pressure from a guy is a reason girls send sexy messages or images, and 18 percent of teen boys say pressure from a girl is a reason (Sex and Tech Survey, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2008).
“We are very proud to join with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and R/GA on this critical campaign to help prevent teen dating abuse,” said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO, the Ad Council. “While teens often recognize the signs of physical abuse, digital abuse has many gray areas and its dangers are often minimized. This campaign will engage teens and give them the tools to draw the connection between the digital infractions they are experiencing and abuse.”
The new multimedia campaign, created pro bono by R/GA, includes an interactive website, mobile component, television, radio, print, outdoor, posters in schools and malls, and Web ads. It is designed to help teens recognize digital dating abuse and give them the tools to initiate a conversation about it. The PSAs direct audiences to visit, www.ThatsNotCool.com, where teens can find tools to “draw their own digital line” and a forum to discuss this form of abuse and seek help. The site launched in January and was promoted through an exclusive with Google across search, display and YouTube to measure the impact of each on direct traffic to the site.
“R/GA is excited to have the opportunity to bring awareness to this issue and empower teens to talk about it,” said Bob Greenberg, Chairman, CEO and Global Chief Creative Officer of R/GA. “Our goal is to connect with teens through the social media tools and digital technologies they are already using, but also through traditional channels, like TV, radio, and print posters in schools. It was an honor to be chosen by the Ad Council as the first digital agency to create such a holistic, multimedia campaign.”
The PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide this month.
Per the Ad Council’s model, the PSAs will appear in advertising time and space donated by the media.
Why did we do this.
Besides helping this valuable mission, if domainers and the domain industry want to be seen in a better light we have to start doing something positive.
Michael Mann recognized this years ago when he started Grassroots.org to give free internet services to non-profit companies.
The job to improve our image in the world starts with us.
One domain at a time.
Well Done Mike!
You have done a great think allowing the PSA to use your name!
More of us should do this!
Regards,
Robbie
Are you able to provide any more info on how things went “domain wise”? They asked to use that specific domain? You gave them a 5 year lease? You can do what with the domain after they are done etc…
I have a domain that I would like to set up something with, but am not sure the right approach or the terms to use for the domain name .
Thanks Michael for what you did. It’s great to hear stories like this!
Jamie
Great contribution to humanity.
(you have grossroots.org up there, it’s grassroots.org)
Very commendable program. And congrats to you and your wife for being involved in this, and donating your domain.
Jamie
You asked some good questions.
The first thing the ad counsel did was secure the domain. We of course were willing to work with them, but they told us from the beginning this program might or might not get the green light.
Once the domain was secured they would have to put all the other pieces together, so we entered into an agreement that would secure them the domain, but also protected us in case the program didn’t come together.
Now that the program is underway, we certainly wouldn’t pull the rug out from under them, on the basis of time, such as an end date on a lease.
We wanted to stay in the mix and wanted our name, a domainers name, to appear under the whois so we can show that we are giving back and to use as an argument against CADNA who wants to paint all domainers as scammers and scum.
If we just gave the domain away, which we have done in the past, that good deed is forgotten shortly after.
We wanted to make a long lasting impression
I will also do my part to give back and make a lasting impression to Help the young Leaders of Today make a better future for All Mankind! My thoughts are based on the World economic issues at hand and also the “Troubling pressure of Social Media sites” and time wasted by todays Youth!!! But I do control my Loving Teens and am a VERY PROUD Father.
More to Come!!
Money is “POWER” and Power will help the People with “GREAT” Leadership only!
Quote by:
Stanley Krol 2/9/2009