http://sbrooks4.googlepages.com/
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
eBay vs. Craiglist
Article Summary
On April 22, 2008, a lawsuit was filed by eBay against Craigslist, with the Delaware Court of Chancery, in the State of
According to eBay, the reason behind them filing the lawsuit is that two directors of Craigslist, Craig Newmark and their chief executive, Jim Buckmaster, have unfairly entered into transactions that have diluted eBay’s economic interest in the company by more than 10 percent. EBay alleged that both the directors have breached their fiduciary duties.
http://www.dirjournal.com/articles/ebay-slaps-lawsuit-on-craigslist/#more-42
Brief Overview
The article does not adequately define the precise reason why eBay is filing a lawsuit against Craigslist, but it does say that Craigslist “unfairly entered into transactions that have diluted eBay’s economic interest in the company by more than 10 percent”. It is a vague reason, but obviously Craigslist has made some decisions to shift that shareholders best interest. Craigslist disputes back by saying that eBay had never even mentioned any kind of complaint or “without any attempt to engage in a dialogue with us … which hints at ulterior motives”.
Class Relevance
Ebay and Craigslist are full of both marketers and consumers. These are both online companys that do one thing, bring seller and buyer together. Ebay offers their services at a global market, while Craigslist offers local deals and services. In addition, Craiglist offers listings for job postings, advertisements, and personals, free of charge (which may explain its generic appearance). People with an online business who want to market their products and/or businesses to consumers may choose to route either website to keep their costs low. Marketers could have the ambition to market their products globally through eBay, or locally through Craiglist. A Craigslist consumer will have a decision to pick up a bed or car locally, or an eBayer who wants a rare book or album that can easily be shipped cross-country or overseas. In addition to eBay and Craigslist, Yahoo! also have posting of auctions and jobs. These are a few companies that are utilized fully by the public, both marketers and consumers.
Internet Marketing
Christi Jalovec
May 21st, 2008
Internet Marketing: How to Market Your Webpage
This article, written by David Malan, describes how to easily market a website on the Internet. The author lists 5 different “pre-school” steps to follow if the user is new at Internet marketing and is on a smaller budget.
The first step the author lists is site optimization. This includes the user making their site manageable for viewers to navigate. He states that this is the most important aspect since everything after will branch off of this idea. The user will need to title their page and match it to the URL so viewers can find the webpage easily and it will be what they were looking for.
The second step is linking and indexing. This step is used so that search engines will view the users site. The author also emphasizes how not to use forums to direct viewers to the users site since it will destroy the users business rather then help it.
The third step is implement online marketing partnerships with high-profile online businesses. This step is pretty self-explanatory. It explains how to be directed from larger companies sites through banners. This is credible since these “high-profile” sites are recommended and are listed on familiar search engines like Google.
The fourth step is dabbling in paid keyword advertising. This is used when the company feels they have completed the previous steps and are ready to put money into their webpage. The author suggests Google since they are the most popular compared to some other search engines.
The fifth and final step is to involve and Internet marketing specialist. The author explains that after using steps 1-4 that the users webpage should be getting feedback and results. Now the company can hire a specialist to upkeep the users webpage. The specialist will also provide detailed reports showing how much more effective they are marketing the page.
I feel that these steps would be useful to a newer company that would like to know how to more effectively marketing their webpages. These steps looked helpful in explaining how to accomplish this. There are most likely some more detailed articles discussing more techniques to use and more specific directions but it is a nice summary. The link to this article is listed below.http://www.aj2000.com/articles/marketing-business-on-internet.htm
May 21st, 2008
Internet Marketing: How to Market Your Webpage
This article, written by David Malan, describes how to easily market a website on the Internet. The author lists 5 different “pre-school” steps to follow if the user is new at Internet marketing and is on a smaller budget.
The first step the author lists is site optimization. This includes the user making their site manageable for viewers to navigate. He states that this is the most important aspect since everything after will branch off of this idea. The user will need to title their page and match it to the URL so viewers can find the webpage easily and it will be what they were looking for.
The second step is linking and indexing. This step is used so that search engines will view the users site. The author also emphasizes how not to use forums to direct viewers to the users site since it will destroy the users business rather then help it.
The third step is implement online marketing partnerships with high-profile online businesses. This step is pretty self-explanatory. It explains how to be directed from larger companies sites through banners. This is credible since these “high-profile” sites are recommended and are listed on familiar search engines like Google.
The fourth step is dabbling in paid keyword advertising. This is used when the company feels they have completed the previous steps and are ready to put money into their webpage. The author suggests Google since they are the most popular compared to some other search engines.
The fifth and final step is to involve and Internet marketing specialist. The author explains that after using steps 1-4 that the users webpage should be getting feedback and results. Now the company can hire a specialist to upkeep the users webpage. The specialist will also provide detailed reports showing how much more effective they are marketing the page.
I feel that these steps would be useful to a newer company that would like to know how to more effectively marketing their webpages. These steps looked helpful in explaining how to accomplish this. There are most likely some more detailed articles discussing more techniques to use and more specific directions but it is a nice summary. The link to this article is listed below.http://www.aj2000.com/articles/marketing-business-on-internet.htm
Virtual Value Chain
Kelly Dresser
Internet Marketing
May 21, 2008
Virtual Value Chain
The article that I chose is titled Exploiting the Virtual Value Chain and is written by Jefferey Rayport, John J. Sviokla and Hendrik Bruinette. The article discusses how all business today have two worlds in which they compete in, the physical world and the virtual world. The physical world being described as a tangible world where managers can see, touch and physically locate information and documents. A virtual world pertains to all the information and resources on the Internet or web that cannot be physically handled. Now that businesses compete in two totally different worlds, two value chains need to be considered. It is necessary to have two different value chains and to distinguish these two worlds because the processes for creating values in them are not the same at all. Fed ex recently created a virtual value chain by allowing customers to find and track packages on their website. FedEx offers this service for free but it has created value for the customer, and in turn has increased customer loyalty, which is essential in such a competitive market as FedEx is involved. Rayport JF explains that a sequence of five activities is required to create value within a virtual value chain: Gathering information, Organising the information, Selecting the information, Synthesising the information, and Distributing the information. Through these steps it is important that each step adds to the total value created and does not destroy the value created by other activities.
Rayport goes on to explain that the three stages that companies can make use of the value created by information are; visiblity, mirroring capabilites and new customer relationships. The first stage, visiblity, allows companies to "see" physical operations through information, coordinate activities, and lay the foundation for a virtual value chain. In the second stage, mirroring capability, companies substitute virtual activities for physical activites and begin to create a parallel value chain in the marketspace. Lastly in the third stage, new customer relationships, businesses use information to establish new customer relationships. Allowing for managers to draw on the flow of information in their virtual value chain to deliver value to customers.
The article also discusses the value matrix and how each stage in the value chain allows for many new extracts from the stream of information and how each could constitiute a new product or service. Rayport also refers to this as the matrix of value opportuintites. This article discusses different aspects of the value chain and what it can do for a company. In class, we discussed very similar aspects of the value chain such as how it is a customer centric, how it provides increased customer value and how it improves the business processes. Today thousands of companies immplement value chains by having established sites on the World Wide Web to advertise products, to obtain comments from customers and to automate the interface with the customer, through electronic mail and electronic commerce. All of these components are important to the customer because they feel as if they have the control, they have a say, their wants/needs are important to the company and are met. In turn, this value chain is important to the company because it portrays customers comments, concerns, want/needs, and by being able to meet this criteria they are awarded customer loalty and increased profit for their company. For more in-depth detail see link below for a copy of the article. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5377/is_200103/ai_n21469268
Internet Marketing
May 21, 2008
Virtual Value Chain
The article that I chose is titled Exploiting the Virtual Value Chain and is written by Jefferey Rayport, John J. Sviokla and Hendrik Bruinette. The article discusses how all business today have two worlds in which they compete in, the physical world and the virtual world. The physical world being described as a tangible world where managers can see, touch and physically locate information and documents. A virtual world pertains to all the information and resources on the Internet or web that cannot be physically handled. Now that businesses compete in two totally different worlds, two value chains need to be considered. It is necessary to have two different value chains and to distinguish these two worlds because the processes for creating values in them are not the same at all. Fed ex recently created a virtual value chain by allowing customers to find and track packages on their website. FedEx offers this service for free but it has created value for the customer, and in turn has increased customer loyalty, which is essential in such a competitive market as FedEx is involved. Rayport JF explains that a sequence of five activities is required to create value within a virtual value chain: Gathering information, Organising the information, Selecting the information, Synthesising the information, and Distributing the information. Through these steps it is important that each step adds to the total value created and does not destroy the value created by other activities.
Rayport goes on to explain that the three stages that companies can make use of the value created by information are; visiblity, mirroring capabilites and new customer relationships. The first stage, visiblity, allows companies to "see" physical operations through information, coordinate activities, and lay the foundation for a virtual value chain. In the second stage, mirroring capability, companies substitute virtual activities for physical activites and begin to create a parallel value chain in the marketspace. Lastly in the third stage, new customer relationships, businesses use information to establish new customer relationships. Allowing for managers to draw on the flow of information in their virtual value chain to deliver value to customers.
The article also discusses the value matrix and how each stage in the value chain allows for many new extracts from the stream of information and how each could constitiute a new product or service. Rayport also refers to this as the matrix of value opportuintites. This article discusses different aspects of the value chain and what it can do for a company. In class, we discussed very similar aspects of the value chain such as how it is a customer centric, how it provides increased customer value and how it improves the business processes. Today thousands of companies immplement value chains by having established sites on the World Wide Web to advertise products, to obtain comments from customers and to automate the interface with the customer, through electronic mail and electronic commerce. All of these components are important to the customer because they feel as if they have the control, they have a say, their wants/needs are important to the company and are met. In turn, this value chain is important to the company because it portrays customers comments, concerns, want/needs, and by being able to meet this criteria they are awarded customer loalty and increased profit for their company. For more in-depth detail see link below for a copy of the article. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5377/is_200103/ai_n21469268
New Internet Platform Being Developed
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3689881.ece
This article discusses the new internet platform being developed, commonly referred to as Internet2. This new internet will allow data to be transferred about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection. The new internet, referred to as “the grid” in this article will be capable to transmit holographic images , allow users to make high definition video telephone calls, and also allow hundreds of thousands of gamers to play online games at the same time. The grid is said to completely change the face of the internet allowing users to communicate in ways never before thought possible. The current internet uses cables and routing equipment made for telephone calls which isn’t sufficient enough for high speed data transmission. The grid will use fiber optic cables and new routing technology. The amount of servers for this internet are said to increase from 55,000 to 200,000 in the next two years. The grid network is currently built and there are 11 centres around the world including the United States, Canada, and Europe. This will also change the way that people store information. Instead of saving data to personal computers, data will be able to be stored online and can be accessed anywhere. Although it may not be available directly to consumers, there are companies currently using the technology. One of the projects being developed is a network allowing groups of internet users who download large volumes of data that would normally take hours, to take a few minutes. This technology is thought to revolutionize society.
I think that this technology will make a huge impact in regards to marketing. Companies will be able to communicate with consumers in a completely different way. New forms of advertising will be created using this new technology. One example from the article is having holographic images being transferred online. This will completely change the way marketers advertise online, unlike anything that has been done before. As we have discussed in class, the internet has drastically changed from the early 1990’s to the technology we currently have available with the internet. Companies have been able to create a more interactive experience by using the current technologies such as flash to allow consumers to be involved in a company’s website, rather than just reading data from a webpage. This will take it to a whole new level. Support from a company website will go from online assistance being available by online chat to having a holographic image video conference giving you step by step instructions. This will also allow companies to develop better social utilities allowing consumers of their product to interact with one another better than the technologies available today. Since this technology hasn’t been seen by the general public yet it is difficult to speculate every use of this technology, but it will indeed make a big impact in online marketing.
This article discusses the new internet platform being developed, commonly referred to as Internet2. This new internet will allow data to be transferred about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection. The new internet, referred to as “the grid” in this article will be capable to transmit holographic images , allow users to make high definition video telephone calls, and also allow hundreds of thousands of gamers to play online games at the same time. The grid is said to completely change the face of the internet allowing users to communicate in ways never before thought possible. The current internet uses cables and routing equipment made for telephone calls which isn’t sufficient enough for high speed data transmission. The grid will use fiber optic cables and new routing technology. The amount of servers for this internet are said to increase from 55,000 to 200,000 in the next two years. The grid network is currently built and there are 11 centres around the world including the United States, Canada, and Europe. This will also change the way that people store information. Instead of saving data to personal computers, data will be able to be stored online and can be accessed anywhere. Although it may not be available directly to consumers, there are companies currently using the technology. One of the projects being developed is a network allowing groups of internet users who download large volumes of data that would normally take hours, to take a few minutes. This technology is thought to revolutionize society.
I think that this technology will make a huge impact in regards to marketing. Companies will be able to communicate with consumers in a completely different way. New forms of advertising will be created using this new technology. One example from the article is having holographic images being transferred online. This will completely change the way marketers advertise online, unlike anything that has been done before. As we have discussed in class, the internet has drastically changed from the early 1990’s to the technology we currently have available with the internet. Companies have been able to create a more interactive experience by using the current technologies such as flash to allow consumers to be involved in a company’s website, rather than just reading data from a webpage. This will take it to a whole new level. Support from a company website will go from online assistance being available by online chat to having a holographic image video conference giving you step by step instructions. This will also allow companies to develop better social utilities allowing consumers of their product to interact with one another better than the technologies available today. Since this technology hasn’t been seen by the general public yet it is difficult to speculate every use of this technology, but it will indeed make a big impact in online marketing.
E-marketingclass Direct Marketing
I created my own page from pages.google.com and linked my article (www.digitaloutput.net/content/contentCT.asp?P=279) up to that. If you go to the bottom of my page and click May 21 Topic #1 you will see my article and response.
My page is : http://anne.zakelj.googlepages.com
My page is : http://anne.zakelj.googlepages.com
The Impact of Online Reviews
Joseph Moran
Internet Marketing
Kevin Trainor
May 20, 2008
If you type “Los Angeles chiropractor” into the search field on the Google home page, you will be presented with almost 1.5 million results. In addition, Google Maps will display a map with ten local businesses, their locations, contact and review information matching your search. The goal of a business is to be in the number one spot. By leveraging new age word-of-mouth advertising, Dr. Michael Dorausch, a Los Angeles chiropractor, has succeeded in reaching this goal. The article I researched, “Online reviews can help grow a business” by Jefferson Graham of US Today, told Dr. Dorausch’s story.
Local listing sites with online reviews have become a popular destination for both individuals who are considering a product or service and those who want to share their experience with that product or service. An increasing number of consumers are turning to business listing sites including; Citysearch, Google, Yelp, Yahoo!local, MerchantCircle, etc. These sites provide location information and a forum for consumers to gather information about a company or product before they buy. Listing his company has dramatically increased business according to Dr. Dorausch, who reports that 80% of his new clients were referred from sites like those mentioned above. He posts signs in his office asking clients to share their experience, and occasionally solicits them to post reviews through personalized e-mailings.
The feedback and directions that potential clients receive is not the only benefit to businesses. Dr. Dorausch’s business is listed on a variety of popular local listing sites, increasing his exposure to the local community. Theses listings are then linked back to his site, which increase his site’s relevance to certain keywords. This has helped him to attain the coveted number one search result for “Los Angeles chiropractor”. It would seem that there is an immense opportunity for companies to increase their client base by utilizing the various local listing sites with review functionalities.
This topic is highly relevant to both marketers and consumers. Traffic on local listing sites have increased dramatically in the past few years, Google Maps grows 25% per year and Yelp is up 129% this year. This data screams to marketers, “LIST YOUR BUSINESS!” It is especially important for small, local businesses because of the low cost involved. Some sites charge to list, but it can be quickly earned back through the increase in business. The reviewing feature of these sites can be a double edged sword for marketers; some consumers will ignore overly flattering reviews, and then there is always the chance of getting a scathing review.
For consumers, you are given an opportunity to read up on the landscape of business offerings. You can determine if a product or service offered by a company is worth your hard earned cash. On the other hand, consumers must be careful of some reviews as the content is not always guaranteed to be the truth. Consumers also receive the benefit of getting a large listing of the businesses that offer what they are looking for in the local area, some of which they may not have initially considered. These functions allow consumers to compare businesses offering similar products/services and to offer insight into their experience with companies.
You can access the article I reviewed by clicking the following link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-05-20-online-reviews_N.htm
This post is also listed at:
http://northeastohiorambling.blogspot.com/
Internet Marketing
Kevin Trainor
May 20, 2008
If you type “Los Angeles chiropractor” into the search field on the Google home page, you will be presented with almost 1.5 million results. In addition, Google Maps will display a map with ten local businesses, their locations, contact and review information matching your search. The goal of a business is to be in the number one spot. By leveraging new age word-of-mouth advertising, Dr. Michael Dorausch, a Los Angeles chiropractor, has succeeded in reaching this goal. The article I researched, “Online reviews can help grow a business” by Jefferson Graham of US Today, told Dr. Dorausch’s story.
Local listing sites with online reviews have become a popular destination for both individuals who are considering a product or service and those who want to share their experience with that product or service. An increasing number of consumers are turning to business listing sites including; Citysearch, Google, Yelp, Yahoo!local, MerchantCircle, etc. These sites provide location information and a forum for consumers to gather information about a company or product before they buy. Listing his company has dramatically increased business according to Dr. Dorausch, who reports that 80% of his new clients were referred from sites like those mentioned above. He posts signs in his office asking clients to share their experience, and occasionally solicits them to post reviews through personalized e-mailings.
The feedback and directions that potential clients receive is not the only benefit to businesses. Dr. Dorausch’s business is listed on a variety of popular local listing sites, increasing his exposure to the local community. Theses listings are then linked back to his site, which increase his site’s relevance to certain keywords. This has helped him to attain the coveted number one search result for “Los Angeles chiropractor”. It would seem that there is an immense opportunity for companies to increase their client base by utilizing the various local listing sites with review functionalities.
This topic is highly relevant to both marketers and consumers. Traffic on local listing sites have increased dramatically in the past few years, Google Maps grows 25% per year and Yelp is up 129% this year. This data screams to marketers, “LIST YOUR BUSINESS!” It is especially important for small, local businesses because of the low cost involved. Some sites charge to list, but it can be quickly earned back through the increase in business. The reviewing feature of these sites can be a double edged sword for marketers; some consumers will ignore overly flattering reviews, and then there is always the chance of getting a scathing review.
For consumers, you are given an opportunity to read up on the landscape of business offerings. You can determine if a product or service offered by a company is worth your hard earned cash. On the other hand, consumers must be careful of some reviews as the content is not always guaranteed to be the truth. Consumers also receive the benefit of getting a large listing of the businesses that offer what they are looking for in the local area, some of which they may not have initially considered. These functions allow consumers to compare businesses offering similar products/services and to offer insight into their experience with companies.
You can access the article I reviewed by clicking the following link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/services/2008-05-20-online-reviews_N.htm
This post is also listed at:
http://northeastohiorambling.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
HeyButler.com Search Engine Revolution
To: Kevin Trainor
From: Nathan Bair
Re: Topic Paper 1
Date: 20 May 2008
There is a new search engine on the block and it is specific to north east Ohio. It is called HeyButler.com. It is one of the first regionaly exclusive search engines.
HeyButler.com launched 01 January 2008 since then it has had over 5 million hits and its membership numbers are closing in on 120,000. It is locally owned and operated and it has already created quite a buzz that has attracted over 500 local business. The rates for this ad space is very cheap by search engine standards and gives a web presence to companies that do not otherwise have the capability to do so.
The reason that this is so important is because if a person were to search Google for something they would have to sort though all of the sponsored links for all over the world just to find a local company. HeyButler.com eliminates all of that. The search criteria only allow for companies to list that are physically located between Columbus and Cleveland. They also take an interesting look at getting consumers to come back on a regular basis. They have installed games that a site member can play that could allow them to win prizes, however they can only try their luck 5 times a day then they have to wait until tomorrow. This gives a person a reason to come back and view the site again even if they are not looking for anything specifically.
The other new idea that is featured on this site is the concept of “specialized butlers.” This is an engine within the site that compiles all of the like companies that all service a similar need; i.e. the wedding butler, the anniversary butler, the homecoming butler, the holiday gift butler, etc. There are well over 50 different butlers that cater to any specific need.
This is a revolutionary type of search engine. HeyButler.com will soon have many imitators but they will go down as the innovator of these concepts.
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20080128/FREE/916703362
From: Nathan Bair
Re: Topic Paper 1
Date: 20 May 2008
There is a new search engine on the block and it is specific to north east Ohio. It is called HeyButler.com. It is one of the first regionaly exclusive search engines.
HeyButler.com launched 01 January 2008 since then it has had over 5 million hits and its membership numbers are closing in on 120,000. It is locally owned and operated and it has already created quite a buzz that has attracted over 500 local business. The rates for this ad space is very cheap by search engine standards and gives a web presence to companies that do not otherwise have the capability to do so.
The reason that this is so important is because if a person were to search Google for something they would have to sort though all of the sponsored links for all over the world just to find a local company. HeyButler.com eliminates all of that. The search criteria only allow for companies to list that are physically located between Columbus and Cleveland. They also take an interesting look at getting consumers to come back on a regular basis. They have installed games that a site member can play that could allow them to win prizes, however they can only try their luck 5 times a day then they have to wait until tomorrow. This gives a person a reason to come back and view the site again even if they are not looking for anything specifically.
The other new idea that is featured on this site is the concept of “specialized butlers.” This is an engine within the site that compiles all of the like companies that all service a similar need; i.e. the wedding butler, the anniversary butler, the homecoming butler, the holiday gift butler, etc. There are well over 50 different butlers that cater to any specific need.
This is a revolutionary type of search engine. HeyButler.com will soon have many imitators but they will go down as the innovator of these concepts.
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20080128/FREE/916703362
Microsoft Demos Zune Advertising Service (e-marketingclass)
Paper 1 on Microsoft and Advertising
The first link is to my summary and analysis on Microsoft's decision to expand its advertising efforts to various new forms of media. The second link displays the actual article that I used for discussion.
Stephen Caution
Game consoles contain environmental hazards, says Greenpeace
Ashley Gaffey 05/20/2008
Greenpeace, an environmental group, researched the toxins contained in many video-game consoles and many popular brands were found to contain hazardous toxins. Not one brand was particularly less toxic than the others. X-box, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii were all carriers of many toxic chemicals. These toxins, especially Phthalate, can have life alerting effects on developing children. Surprisingly, Europe recently mandated all gaming consoles manufacturers to eliminate certain toxins. Though, it was discovered that those laboratory testers may have missed a few toxic chemicals and the manufacturers were cleared. Phthalate is a toxin which affects the sexual development of males. This specific toxin was removed from all toys, though, a game console is not considered a toy, therefor, not subject to a mandate. There are gamers who are young children though, and this toxin is more than a threat to their development. The X-box is the only console to contain Phthalate though, and is prohibited from children's toys. Another toxin, beryllium, is hazardous if it is chewed on, for example, an infant or toddler chewing on the console. If that is not enough, if the console is buried in a landfill it can release toxic beryllium into the water and if the console (like many plastics) is incinerated it can release toxic chemicals into the air. Nintendo Wii, one of the most popular games, was found to contain high levels Bromine, also a very hazardous toxin.
This article is relevant to consumers because video-gaming is very popular and the main users of these games are children. Almost every child has played at least one video game, therefor, subject to these toxic chemicals. As well, many infants have probably chewed on a console after “big brother” left it on the floor once he was done playing. Since the scare of Lead in the many popular toys, such as Mattel Barbie, consumers have been weary of buying toys. Consumers want to be informed as to how the products are manufactured and what these products contain. This is another great example of an everyday products capability to contain hazardous elements. These manufacturers are aware of what elements comprise the final product and are not doing anything proactive to reconcile until they are caught. Comparable to many other gaming systems, Wii, contained the highest levels of Bromine compared to the others, and with its increasing popularity something must be done to ensure the toxins are squashed now. Furthermore, parents must be more aware of what infants place in their mouth, as it seems, most anything other than a pacifier could cause life-altering side effects.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/052008-game-consoles-contain-environmental-hazards.html?page=1
Greenpeace, an environmental group, researched the toxins contained in many video-game consoles and many popular brands were found to contain hazardous toxins. Not one brand was particularly less toxic than the others. X-box, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii were all carriers of many toxic chemicals. These toxins, especially Phthalate, can have life alerting effects on developing children. Surprisingly, Europe recently mandated all gaming consoles manufacturers to eliminate certain toxins. Though, it was discovered that those laboratory testers may have missed a few toxic chemicals and the manufacturers were cleared. Phthalate is a toxin which affects the sexual development of males. This specific toxin was removed from all toys, though, a game console is not considered a toy, therefor, not subject to a mandate. There are gamers who are young children though, and this toxin is more than a threat to their development. The X-box is the only console to contain Phthalate though, and is prohibited from children's toys. Another toxin, beryllium, is hazardous if it is chewed on, for example, an infant or toddler chewing on the console. If that is not enough, if the console is buried in a landfill it can release toxic beryllium into the water and if the console (like many plastics) is incinerated it can release toxic chemicals into the air. Nintendo Wii, one of the most popular games, was found to contain high levels Bromine, also a very hazardous toxin.
This article is relevant to consumers because video-gaming is very popular and the main users of these games are children. Almost every child has played at least one video game, therefor, subject to these toxic chemicals. As well, many infants have probably chewed on a console after “big brother” left it on the floor once he was done playing. Since the scare of Lead in the many popular toys, such as Mattel Barbie, consumers have been weary of buying toys. Consumers want to be informed as to how the products are manufactured and what these products contain. This is another great example of an everyday products capability to contain hazardous elements. These manufacturers are aware of what elements comprise the final product and are not doing anything proactive to reconcile until they are caught. Comparable to many other gaming systems, Wii, contained the highest levels of Bromine compared to the others, and with its increasing popularity something must be done to ensure the toxins are squashed now. Furthermore, parents must be more aware of what infants place in their mouth, as it seems, most anything other than a pacifier could cause life-altering side effects.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/052008-game-consoles-contain-environmental-hazards.html?page=1
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