MSearchGroove

Regular readers will know from this earlier post that I am attending an exciting mobile search conference in Bertinoro, Italy. It was well worth the trip, not only because the city is serene and beautiful, but because the university is the center of path-breaking informatics research and innovation. I learned that Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, flew in with his own plane to attend last year’s Web search conference - and this year an equally stellar line-up of executives and academics has gathered to give their expert view on the current state of mobile search and the outlook for the future.

Picture/image/camera search in all its forms is a hot topic, and you can count on me to come back with a deeper analysis of what was discussed and the potential impact on mobile search services. A personal favorite is MUFIN (Multi-Feature Indexing Network), which enables similarity searching for images. It gets even more interesting when you can put” for a variety of results in a variety of forms. I’m proud to report Pavel Zezula, a member of the faculty of the University of Brno and a passionate man who has spent 40 years looking at search problems and solutions, will give us the inside track on MUFIN in a Q&A following the conference.

Not that MSG follow-up coverage will be all theory (although I have to admit I am excited by this topic). I also had the pleasure to meet with telco executives who have all agreed to tell MSG about their mobile search pilots and plans. In short, MSG will also have some worthwhile “scoops” - so check back for exclusive Q&As that speak volumes about their current and future search ad advertising strategy.

Special highlights so far (the conference continues tomorrow) are Carlo Alberto Liccardi from Telecom Italia Lab, who will give us the inside track on a content and context (!) sharing platform that provides the basis for a photo/video sharing service set to launch this year.

It’s wonderful to attend a conference that will have a profound impact on the present and future focus of mobile search. Thanks to the organizers for inviting me to speak - and thanks to the academics and executives who have agreed to be featured in the coming days. Your support is an important confirmation of MSG’s blueprint and business model: To be a knowledge resource and thinking space for this industry.

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• Web 2.0, Mobile Research, Mobile Social Networking, Multimodal Search, Mobile Search, Mobile Advertising

In-Brief: On the heels of wins with T-Mobile USA and India’s Tata Teleservices, MSG gets the inside track on Juice Wireless, the company behind the mobile social networking app JuiceCaster, from the source. Nick Desai, Juice Wireless CEO, updates us on Mobile Video Search (MVS), the free search app that may pay dividends.

Will the usual suspects (Google Yahoo, Microsoft, Ask) dominate mobile search? This summary post from AltSearchEngines (and the rousing success of its AltSearch Day) tells us it’s by no means a shoo-in. The site counts 227 alternative search engines in the online space. Sure, they may only have 1.7 percent market share, but the fact that there are so many of them speaks volumes about our increasing need for vertical search engines. (And then there is the novel idea of building a single federated search for alternative search that would most definitely give Google & Co a run for their money.)

A Long Tail of search engines is flourishing in the online space - will it be the same in mobile? And more importantly when can we expect it?

Common sense tells us the personal nature of the device and the variety of content types available create the perfect Petri dish for vertical mobile search. (Consider mobile music and mobile games search - two content-specific search services we can look for this year.) In line with MSG’s brief to track and analyze all the flavors of mobile search coming online, I have set up briefings with the vertical search companies I’m sure we’ll see more of soon. I also have an exciting mix of multimodal (visual/voice) search providers in the pipeline - so please check back regularly.

One company on my radar is Juice Wireless, which earlier this year took the wraps off its Mobile Video Search (MVS) service. As the video below shows, this free and first-of-its kind service allows anyone with a mobile phone (capable of viewing video) to search for videos (user-created content as well as professionally produced videos from brands and media companies) by texting keywords to the shortcode 84462 (in the U.S.). The search tool sends the user a reply with links to the requested content.

The MVS announcement got some media attention, but I missed a closer look at Juice Wireless strategy and some straight answers to some nuts and bolts questions. For example, what is the connection between mobile search and JuiceCaster - the company’s hugely successful social networking app/subscription service lets users upload/share pictures and videos directly from their camera phones to more than 20 online social networking and blogging sites (including MySpace, Facebook and Twitter)? More importantly, why does it make business/commercial sense?

I caught up with Nick, who was fortunately forthcoming with answers, stats and a status report on his wider plans to partner with media companies/brands and let them reserve keywords in a “Google AdWords-like model.”

Listen to the podcast. [11:37]

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• Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Search, Mobile Content, Mobile Advertising, Podcasts

This has been a fantastic week - and I can’t wait until the weekend! That’s when I start my trek to the Bertinoro International Center for Informatics for Search Goes Mobile. The mobile search workshop/think tank brings together a  high profile group of mobile operators, search engine company execs and academics, to discuss the state of mobile search and the future of the mobile Web.

I am looking forward to multiple mind-melds and meet-ups with super-cool attendees and speakers including Enrico Bagnasco, Head of Research and Trends, Telecom Italia; Usama Fayyad, Chief Data Officer and Executive VP, Yahoo; John Gage, Chief Researcher and Vice President of the Science Office, SUN Microsystems; David Maguire, Chief Scientist & Director, ESRI; Andrei Broder, Vice President of Computational Advertising, Yahoo Research; Hans-Christian Haugli, Senior Vice President and Head, Telenor R&I; Phyllis Reuther, CTO, MCN (a white label mobile search platform provider), and researchers and faculty from universities/institutes across Europe.

My sincere thanks to the organizers and to Geoffrey Canright, Senior Research Scientist, Telenor R&I, for inviting me to speak on my favorite topic - federated mobile search. Naturally, I will want to dedicate my complete time and attention to the event (I’m also not sure of the rules on live blogging), so I may chose to circle back with impressions and analysis when I return on May 1.

And while I am thanking the people who have made my day, and brought MSG a giant leap forward in the process, allow me to recognize Charles Knight once more. His site, AltSearchEngines, widely referred to as “the voice of alternative search” is the only destination of its kind and caliber. I am proud that Charles chose to feature my recent Q&A with Thumbplay as a guest post . Through email exchanges and now frequent phone calls Charles and I recognize we share a passion for search - in all its forms. We have therefore pledged to collaborate more closely to ensure our sites showcase the alternative mobile search solutions (and vendors) sure to have a profound impact on the space. If you would like to be considered, then please contact me.

Today I also had the opportunity to connect with Christian Hernandez Gallardo, Head of Distribution Partnerships, Google. Thanks to Anthony House at Google for setting up this private briefing on short notice.

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• Web 2.0, Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Search, Mobile Advertising

The Carnival of Mobilists (CoM) is on at Skydeck this week with a great line-up of posts from authors and pundits (many of whom are MSG authors and enthusiasts, I’m pleased to say).

Andrew Grill, whom I highly regard for his ability to zero in on the key components of successful location-based services, literally provides us with a blueprint for a new way to deliver mobile advertising to consumers based on aggregated information. As he points out: User data, segmented by characteristics such as calling patterns (where we call and how often we call), direct (permission based) user profiling, and cellular location are three inputs that will help drive user acceptance of mobile advertising.

Another post that stands out comes from Ajit Jaokar, who reviews Cincinnati Bell’s strategy under the leadership of Jack Cassidy. His post also happens to be a perfect complement to this Q&A, which takes a closer look at the carrier’s on-device portal (ODP) launch and commitment to being the on-ramp to the open mobile Web. And speaking of the open mobile Web, this post from John Puterbaugh expertly explains the role of widgets in the larger scheme of things.

But the post I’d like to highlight comes from Dennis at WAP Review. He walks us through the issues around transcoding (reformatting PC sites for display on mobile devices) and updates us on the tie-up between Openwave and Sprint to overcome the downside of transcoding (namely, poor usability, broken links and a disruption in downloads). There’s good news to report and Dennis commends OpenWave, Sprint and InfoGin for “recognizing the value of off portal mobile publishers and content vendors” by adopting Rules for Responsible Reformatting: A Developer Manifesto, a document called that offers suggestions on how content reforming could/should/must work.

Dennis also summarizes a webcast hosted by Sprint and Openwave to discuss Openwave’s OpenWeb roadmap and larger questions around transcoding. In July, Sprint, in partnership with Motricity, will launch Mobile Internet 2.0, a new mobile portal enabling users to “customize their portal view to include only the content they want and will also suggest content to users based on links they have clicked in the past.” Once again - more (choice) is better, but open is best.

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• Web 2.0, Location-based services, Usability, Personalization, Mobile Advertising, On-Device Portals, Content Discovery

In-brief: A mix of metrics MSG reports as a matter of record. Companies mentioned: AdMob, Bango, MLiven, Hitwise, Yahoo, Nielsen Mobile, Medio Systems & abphone.

ADMOB: Regular readers will recall that MSG has consistently presented AdMob metrics and analysis. To create maximum value and benefit for the vibrant and growing MSG community, Jason Spero, AdMob VP Marketing, and I have agreed to work together to create a “briefing room”, offering readers a knowledge resource where they can view AdMob mobile advertising metrics as well as research exclusive to MSG. I am very excited about what our companies can co-create and thank AdMob for its generous support. As Jason put it, AdMob looks to MSG to supply quality analysis and answer the all-important “why” question behind breaking news. I am honored that MSG is that destination and pledge to maintain our high standard of quality for a long time to come. (MSG is just getting started!) Other companies interested in creating a “briefing room” with MSG should contact me directly - our ad sales team comes on board on May 1.)

In the March Metrics Report, we see several additions/improvements in AdMob’s network traffic classification, aimed at enabling advertisers to better target their audiences and plan campaigns. In line with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) definition of four standard screen sizes, AdMob not only serves different banner sizes to each of the four standard screen sizes; it has also added MMA screen size to the monthly report, providing a breakdown (on an worldwide and per country basis) of the traffic share of each of the MMA screen sizes.

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• Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Research, Mobile Search, Mobile Music, Mobile Content, Mobile Advertising

In-Brief: Cincinnati Bell Wireless (CBW) recently became the first U.S. carrier to launch an on-device portal (ODP) from SurfKitchen, a provider whose software has been deployed by mobile operators including Orange Group, Telefonica Moviles España, Telstra, Maxis, Etisalat and ALJAWAL (Saudi Telecom). Eric Schimpf, General Manager of Consumer Wireless for Cincinnati Bell, talks about the decision, the pivotal importance of an ODP platform and the carrier’s future roadmap. Another worthwhile post on CBW strategy comes from Ajit Jaokar via Open Gardens, who examines the merits of a bottom-up/super-local approach to telecoms services.

In case you missed the news in the CTIA shuffle, Cincinnati Bell Wireless (CBW) - a regional carrier that counts some 600,000 mobile subscribers in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio areas — has tied up with SurfKitchen to become the ODP provider’s first North American customer.

I saw the news but held out for a briefing/Q&A with Eric Schimpf to connect the dots and confirm what I see is a trend to ODPs gathering serious momentum in the U.S. The wait was worth it - and my thanks to Eric and his team (as well as Barbara Bajkowski from Blanc & Otus Public Relations and Kate Nichols, SurfKitchen Marketing Communications Director) for making this happen.

By way of background: CBW’s new mobile data services portal, MyPhone, now uses SurfKitchen’s client on the handset to bubble up and promote key data services such as content downloads short code programs and email which CBW offers as part of its ZoomTown DSL email platform. The ODP delivers a fully branded user experience incorporating digital content, information services and native handset features on a single, intuitive and visually engaging interface. Eric tells me CBW is initially launching the service as a pre-installed application (as a main menu icon for easy discoverability) on four handset models. Plans are to have the client available on approximately 80 percent of the handsets by 4Q 2008. For the existing base, the client will also be available as an OTA download via a link on the WAP portal. This, he says, will help drive early adoption of the MyPhone experience
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• Personalization, Usability, On-Device Portals, Mobile Search, Mobile Advertising, Content Discovery

In-brief: As a matter of record, MSG reports the metrics that matter. However, this social media metrics post (via ReadWriteWeb) merits closer analysis. The same goes for Movial’s Social Communicator (from DEMO 08), a solution that could super-charge how we use social media across devices, platforms - the works! Look for more mobile metrics this week.

Yesterday, ReadWriteWeb (RWW), a must-read website written by Richard MacManus and a team of Internet thinkers/enthusiasts, turned five. The destination — one of the top 20 blogs in the world, btw — expertly and consistently delivers detailed coverage of technology, trends, and (my personal favorites) social media and search. (Charles Knight’s AltSearchEngine is an invaluable and essential read - I’m pleased to report our paths have crossed on this guest post, and I’m greatly looking forward to more of the same.)

But RWW’s fifth anniversary isn’t the only stat I wanted to highlight. RWW also brings us insightful social media metrics and analysis . Inspired by this post from Museum 2.0, RWW summarizes the dimensions of a social media scale and a new way of segmenting the real people who really participate in social media.

For example, the occasional user - the “participant” - generally fits 1-5 hours for social media activities into their weekly routine. Users at this lower end of the scale can juggle the tasks of setting up and maintaining pages and groups on MySpace and Facebook, running a Twitter feed, and uploading images to a site like Flickr. A far cry from all the cool stuff we’re supposed to be doing with the flood of social media tools/sites/services at our finger tips. So much social media - so little time…

Sarah Perez, who wrote the post at RWW, also treats us to the results of a “completely unscientific Twitter poll” that speaks volumes. Her conclusion (and the title of her post): Real people don’t have time for social media. Sure, respondents to her Twitter poll argue we will and must make time for what is important, and social media is an increasingly more important part of our lives. It makes sense that we’ll squeeze it in somehow. But I contend the breakthrough will come when social media is an integral part of our lives.

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• Mobile Research, Web 2.0, Mobile Social Networking, Personalization, Mobile Content

I’m sure many MSG readers are already familiar with the Carnival of Mobilists - but since I know many of my newest and most loyal readers are in Asia, allow me to formally introduce the Carnival and the excellent roster of authors involved. From mobile diva Darla Mack, to mobile pundits (Tomi Ahonen and Alan Moore) at Communities Dominate Brands, to mobile industry strategist Rudy De Waele, to Debi Jones, social media guru and practitioner (her video rocks!), the Carnival brings together the best posts of the week from bloggers who walk the talk. (CTIA allowed me to connect with many of the Mobilists personally. It was a high point of the event and I greatly look forward to continuing the dialogue and showcasing their excellent work/sites here…)

This week the Carnival is hosted by Debi Jones at MobileJones, who not only eloquently summarizes a long list of worthwhile posts, but also connects the dots to uncover a growing trend to mobile services mashups. Andrew Grill, a frequent contributor to MSG and a brave voice in the location-based services (LBS) debate, gives us his take on the mashup of Facebook and LBS, and Ajit Jaokar, a long-time MSG supporter and industry luminary over at Open Gardens, draws some surprising conclusions from his own mashup of Gmail and Blackberry. And speaking of surprises, I applaud the candor and common sense presented in this practical post (via Mobilestance.com) on the issue of mobile advertising glut and the approaches buyers and sellers can/should take.

Overall, great stuff - so check it out. Or - better yet - enter your post and join the conversation. (MSG was also in the line-up with my take on Qualcomm’s emerging services strategy, a popular post that got a lot of attention in the blogosphere and was picked up by MoCoNews, a must-read daily news site I am proud to say I was a part of for some 16 months before founding MSG.)

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• Web 2.0, Location-based services, Mobile Research, Usability, Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Content, Personalization, Mobile Advertising

In-Brief: Eric Chan shares his research and views on the state of recommendation. Based on a meticulous study of mobile search on the T-Mobile USA and Verizon portals (powered by white label mobile search provider Medio Systems), Eric concludes recommendation is work-in-progress. But, boy, the industry has a long way to go!

I took some time off yesterday to work on my presentation for Search Goes Mobile, an invitation-only workshop from April 28-30 that brings together senior search company execs, mobile operator representatives and top academics to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we create truly mobile mobile search. (More about this closer to the date.)

I also used the “downtime” from MSG for a long overdue mind-meld with Eric Chan, mobile evangelist, thought-leader, blogger and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Eric also founded Caboodle Networks, a company that developed the know-how and the patents to deliver recommendations based on the user’s context. He later sold the company to mobile search platform provider MCN, a move I reported here.

(I’m also proud to report Eric, who shares the MSG vision, will be a regular contributor to MSG, providing us with his take on content recommendation, key players and offers aimed at content cross-sell and upsell, as well as the delivery of relevant and useful mobile advertising. He has also agreed to collaborate with me and Peggy Albright as we develop a series of mobile search performance reports. I’m honored to have Eric on board and greatly look forward to what we can co-create. )

In January/February 2008 Eric compiled some remarkable data on recommendation, research he agreed today to share with MSG.

Before analyzing the results, which he gathered by testing the ability of the T-Mobile USA and Verizon portals to deliver search results and content recommendations, I wish to make it clear that this is not a judgment of T-Mobile USA/Verizon abilities. It is an objective look at service performance and plea to all companies to push the boundaries of what is possible. In fact, Eric commends both operators (and their search provider Medio) for improving content categorization and successfully tackling the issue of query ambiguity. Good progress, but there’s still a long way to go - for everyone…

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• Mobile Research, Recommendation, On-Device Portals, Mobile Search

In-brief: The news that Russell Beattie has pulled the plug on Mowser speaks volumes about the state of the mobile Web. But is he right when he concludes: “The mobile traffic just isn’t there. It’s not there now, and it won’t be” ? Or has he - and the rest of us - overlooked exciting activity at the fringe of the mobile Web involving Generation Y, who sees the mobile as a social device first and an information device second? A closer look at a recent white paper from Taptu, a socially-assisted mobile search provider, may provide some answers. Please log in or register to read this article and let me know your thoughts…

Like many of us I was blown away by the news that Russell was giving up on Mowser, his transcoding startup that has just marked its first year this month. Russell failed to raise funding for his venture. But the root cause runs deeper than that and is inextricably linked with the spread of the mobile Web - or more accurately put, the failure of the mobile Web to make its mark.

As he put it: “I don’t actually believe in the “Mobile Web” anymore, and therefore am less inclined to spend time and effort in a market I think is limited at best, and dying at worst. I’m talking specifically about sites that are geared 100 percent towards mobile phones and have little to no PC Web presence. Two years ago I was convinced that the mobile Web would continue to evolve in the West to mimic what was happening in countries like Japan and Korea, but it hasn’t happened, and now I’m sure it isn’t going to.”

Russell is tired of wasting his time - and provides us with ample evidence to believe that “the mobile traffic just isn’t there. It’s not there now, and it won’t be.” But before jumping to this rash conclusion I urge us all to read Carlo Longino’s balanced assessment of this milestone over at MobHappy. He points out that the current “dumbed-down” mobile Web - chock-full of content rendered for lowest-common-denominator handsets - is most likely to blame. It’s this mindset/model that may be dead in the water - but never the mobile Web itself.

I’m inspired by Carlo’s conclusion: “…In my eyes, the rest of the “mobile Web” - delivering content and services that delight mobile users, is only getting started.”

In fact, it may be that the mobile Web is already alive and kicking - flourishing at the fringe and under our radar.

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• Mobile Research, Web 2.0, Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Search, Mobile Advertising