MSearchGroove

First, an update on MSG. The site has been down over the last days due to some server problems that also kept me from posting yesterday, but Paul Nash and the team at fifty50 have it under control. We’ve decided to move the site to a new server tomorrow in preparation for MSG expansion and a few surprises.

In the meantime, I’m catching up on my reading and planning coverage/features/podcasts for the next weeks. Top of the list is the Carnival of Mobilists (CoM), which is on this week at Xen Mendelsohn’s Xellular Identity. It’s a great line-up as always, but a few really merit a closer look.

My favorite (and Xen’s as well since it was her pick for the best post of the week) is a deep-dive from mobile consultant, author and esteemed colleague Tomi Ahonen. He expertly and eloquently outlines the advantages of mobile as a mass media (the 7^th Mass Media channel) and provides examples that make me wonder (as he does) why we don’t “think mobile” when we develop mobile content/apps/ads/etc…

To drive home this point he describes MTV, a content creator that truly “gets” it. When MTV shoots Jackass, for example, they do it with two separate camera crews. One focuses on producing a show for the TV screen, and the other films it for display and enjoyment on the mobile phone. Both crews shoot the same action, but they do it with the media in mind. Tomi’s conclusion: “This is the level of thinking we need. Don’t copy. Develop expressly for the 7th Mass Media.”

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

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In-Brief: A look at AdMob Mobile Analytics & an exclusive Q&A that connects the dots to describe the competitive landscape and answer the all-important question: Why does data matter? Plus: A surprising scoop direct from Bango CEO Ray Anderson ….

Jason Spero, AdMob VP Marketing, pre-briefed me on the company’s new release analytics tool just prior to my last speaking engagement. I was excited because I could see this was not just another product announcement (and thus I decided not to report it as one).

It’s a tool that puts AdMob back in play and potentially one step ahead of rival vendors including Amethon Solutions, Google (which hasn’t yet launched a mobile analytics product!), Mobilytics, TigTags and Wapalizer. In fact, this worthwhile assessment via ClickZ concludes Bango is AdMob’s closest challenger, and I’m inclined to agree.

Or could it be the other way around?
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• Mobile Research, Mobile Search, Mobile Advertising

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In-Brief: In response to the comment Medio Systems’ co-founder Michael “Luni” Libes recently posted on MSG I tested Verizon’s Get It Now service. My analysis reveals what Verizon delivers - and doesn’t.Mobile search is about allowing users to find what they already know they want. It’s important to get search right, but even power-search does little to encourage impulse buying behavior. That’s where recommendations come in. Unlike search results, recommendations suggest similar content to users based on their search queries. It is also possible to base recommendations on other factors such as browsing patterns, purchasing habits or intelligent segmentation - but the mobile industry, for the most part, isn’t there yet.

What the industry can do is match content recommendations with keywords. At least, that’s what I assumed when I began my study of mobile search/recommendation on the T-Mobile USA and Verizon portals. However, I am forced to conclude that the industry has a long way to go before it properly implements content recommendations. To be fair, the industry has to get search right first, (which it is currently struggling to do), but I believe the industry should tackle these issues in parallel as the technologies are intertwined and mutually beneficial.

In response to my earlier post Luni correctly pointed out that the searches were performed from within Verizon’s Vcast Music application. He stated that “for a better experience on a Verizon phone, subscribers (today) must download the “Get It Now Search” application, which will search not only the VCast Music catalog, but also the ringtones, ringback tones, wallpaper, games, and applications catalogs, all from a single search box.”

Curious to see if there would be a vast difference in the quality of the results I downloaded the Get It Now app to my handset and conducted mobile searches for a variety of content, the results of which I have documented in this post.

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• Mobile Research, Recommendation, Mobile Search, Mobile Music, Content Discovery

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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

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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

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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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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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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

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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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In-Brief: A summary report from IIR’s recent Mobile Internet Conference held in Berlin yields important insights into how the market is likely to shape up (and shake-out) as users flock to take advantage of new flat rate data packages. Some stats to consider: TeliaSonera reports a whopping 700 percent (!) increase in data revenue growth in 2007 with mobile content accounting for roughly one-third of the total. Meanwhile, Bouygues Telecom reveals flat rate data tariffs translate into a higher number of active Internet users and 3.5 times as much traffic. BTW, slides from the event can be purchased from IIR for GBP399. For more information call customer services on +44 (0)20 7017 7483, quote the event code CG2447MSG and then download them from www.iir-conferences.com/mobileinternet.

I’m back in the blogosphere after four days in Berlin, where I was engrossed in discussions, debates and dialogues around the state of the mobile Internet at the aptly titled IIR Mobile Internet Conference (which I also helped organize). The message that linked the presentations, panel discussions and afternoon round tables: Flat rate data packages are the key driver of Internet use. But this is more than a hunch; executives from TeliaSonera and Bouygues Telecom shared some insightful stats to back it up.

Indra Asander, Senior VP of Content, TeliaSonera, gave us the inside track on SurfOpen across Scandinavia and the Baltic region. The textbook model operator-branded portal that breaks the usability barrier by presenting users with a uniform toolbar across the portal (a unique approach Peggy reported here last month). Predictably, the impact of this approach on Internet usage and behaviour is profound. Indra reports 4-11 sessions per user - ranging from 30-72 page views per session and totalling up to 17MB of data. Overall, some 40 percent of users are online for more than 15 minutes, although it’s also necessary to point out that the same proportion of users spends less than 5 minutes per session.

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