The statistic showing 66% of social happens on mobile devices is one of many you read in the countless reports on social media, monitoring and analytics. As I have started to see it again and again like a meme, I began to think does it really? Certainly more of us are connected with mobile devices allowing us to read tweets, view (when formatted) webpages and interact with some social networks.
But does the information we need most appear with us on our mobile devices? I find that things I create, share and do are more personal in nature. For business I may forward an email, but I am certainly not creating documents on my phone. I hardly find a webpage business worthy on my tiny mobile browser I would bookmark or send. I never find a location check-in that would make a difference in someones activity stream in the company.
I find myself interacting with my mobile device to find the immediate answer to a problem, like directions and finding a movie. I sometimes hit Amazon or other sites for a targeted purchase. So if you goal is to provide an immediate and simple web experience, I am there. If you plan on me spending time interacting long term, I will find another site.
Mobile social is about consumer driven activity. Being able to provide value to the mobile device in quick fashion is a key differentiator. If I am mobile I do not have time for lengthy interaction and interfaces. Activity streams are basically useless on mobile devices. I can not offer the amount of attention necessary to glean any value. Large forms and options are counter-intuitive. Allow me to drill down when needed with filters through simple clicks.
All of this brings me full circle to the start of the posting. Is my interaction with your service and site really social or just as a consumer? Does social business and mobile really have a big intersection or just at points where I read email, open an attachment and look for quick information hits?
SxSW apps : Draw Something, Eventbrite and FedEX app reviews
Tue, May 22nd 2012 10:10a Chris Miller Paul Steel and Chris Miller at SxSW 2012 in Austin, TX sit live at the FedEX Food Truck to cover the apps Draw Something, Eventbrite and the awesome FedEX mobile app.
Draw Something from OMGPOP took over quick and made them huge amounts of money from the premium version and in app purchases. Eventbrite left us wanting so much more and the lack of actual usage at SxSW was obvious. Thanks to the FedEX social media team for letting us record at their food truck and the app is constantly in us [read] Keywords: mobile
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SxSW Live : 5Degrees and Forecast app reviews
Mon, Apr 16th 2012 10:37a Chris Miller Paul Steel and Chris Miller at SxSW 2012 in Austin, TX sit live in the Samsung Blogger Lounge to cover the apps 5Degrees and Forecast.
We were happy with 5Degrees and impressed with the team that we met while there. They put a lot of effort into the product and have been releasing updates regularly. As for Forecast, we have mixed feelings still as they continue to grow. I think we see more for the app that hasn’t been delivered yet and we hope shows up to have us use it more often.
Do n [read] Keywords: blogger
mobile
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Social Identity in Three Layers interview with Pelpina Trip
Wed, Mar 21st 2012 4:12p Chris Miller I had the opportunity to be interviewed while at SxSW 2012 in Austin, TX by my friend Pelpina Trip. She is the host of WebWatching and published through FrankWatching, a large Netherlands based website portal.
I define the three layers for a social identity in this brief introduction to what will soon be a published book on social identity layers and steps to start creating your own layers now. Including fake personas for security verifications on sites.
The video has taken off. Much th [read] Keywords: archive
javascript
security
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SxSW Live: Waddle and Gopago app reviews
Thu, Mar 15th 2012 2:55p Chris Miller Paul Steel and myself sat at the Flurry VIP party and ran into the founders of Waddle and then attempted to use the payment system Gopago while in the Bing lot.
We were very happy with the interface and functionality of Waddle. The team has made a great product. The following quote from Gigaom was awesome:
It doesn’t force you to log in with your Facebook account. It doesn’t pull in the photos you’ve shared on Instagram. It doesn’t encourage you to share your photos publicly at all. In [read] Keywords: facebook
interface
security
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SxSW Live: Borglar and Arball app reviews
Tue, Mar 13th 2012 11:12a Chris Miller Paul Steel and I race over to Screenburn at SxSW 2012 in the Palmer Center. We got sucked in. Here is the apps we are pushing back out to you.
We not only find amazing video games but some great apps. We find a virtual reality game called Borglar and another called Arball. See the video for our review and make sure to watch the Screenburn 2012 walkthrough in four minutes. [read] Keywords: planetlotus
planetlotus.org
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SxSW Live: Screenburn 2012 walkthrough in 4 minutes
Mon, Mar 12th 2012 7:53p Chris Miller We took a tour of the whole show at Screenburn 2012 while at SxSW in Parker Center. You can catch app reviews from the Screenburn show in the YouTube channel.
After we toured the floor finding the best of the best, we made the video and give you a quick stop at each highlight. The whole show floor in 4 minutes. [read] Keywords:
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SxSW Live: Isis and Banjo app reviews
Sun, Mar 11th 2012 11:39a Chris Miller Welcome to SxSW 2012 everyone. We are already deep into countless apps being launched and pitched. Paul and I are kicking off the mobile app reviews with Isis and Banjo.
Isis really isn’t launching, yet again this year we find out. Isis is a Near field communication technology providing your mobile device the ability to become a digital wallet. By being in close proximity to the payment terminal and entering your pin, you can quickly check out.
Other capabilities later would inclu [read] Keywords: mobile
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Get your startup name in lights with IBM at SxSW
Sat, Mar 10th 2012 11:12a Chris Miller IBM suddenly appeared in force at SxSW 2012 with eight or so sessions and a social media assessment area and Future of Social Lounge While they were not a sponsor, we were told they were funding some items.
This session as titled above coupled some university and education panelists with venture capital and then IBM employees. They were here to find some candidates for the Smarter Planet campaign that are startups. Interestingly, attendees around us stated they would rather see some smaller star [read] Keywords: ibm
development
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Do you GetGlue? Spiked Studio shows are there to check in!
Mon, Mar 5th 2012 12:08p Chris Miller If you have not used GetGlue, it is a service to “check in” but has nothing to do with location. It is only about letting others know what you are watching, reading or listening to. It is a discovery service for things your friends like to watch, participate in and listen to since you get most recommendations from them anyway.
They also take a different approach in the gamification reward system. You are able to unlock badges and stickers based on how often you check into a s [read] Keywords: blackberry
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Nokia finally merges location service Plazes into Maps service with Nokia Pulse
Wed, Feb 29th 2012 1:20p Chris Miller I was a long time user of an early pioneer location-based site Plazes dating back to July 2005. Then in 2008 the announcement was made that the acquisition of Plazes was made by Nokia. After absorbing their 13 or so employees it still functioned but became very dormant. I would have thought Nokia would jump on the opportunity to integrate an existing location-based service into their phones directly. Instead I watched it languish.
It seems that recent announcements points to Nokia M [read] Keywords: interface
mobile
