What Is 'Mobile Social Networking'?

There's lots of talk these days about "mobile social networking," but what does that mean exactly? Does it mean reading Facebook news feeds via a mobile device or updating Twitter, for example, from a mobile phone? Or does it mean using location-awareness on your phone through an application to interact or communicate with people nearby who are similarly mobile? Of course the two are not mutually exclusive -- and Facebook (and MySpace) will evolve over time to increasingly take mobile and location into account. 

Excerpts from AdMob UK Interview

I ran across this interview of AdMob's European "MD" Thomas Shulz. Here are the interesting bits (verbatim):

Have mobile users been resistant to ads?

'Mobile TV' Is Dead, Long Live Mobile Video

Mobile TV is dead, dead, dead. You heard it here first folks.

Anyone who's been reading this blog knows that I'm a detractor of "mobile TV" -- that is, the business model of paying a premium subscription for live TV on your mobile phone. I do however think that mobile video will continue to grow dramatically over time. The issue is: what's the business model?

KGB Moves Further Beyond 'DA' with Texperts Acquisition

The idea of a distributed network of non-professional "responders" to a mobile question or search is one logical evolution of DA -- the original form of mobile search. In the past we informally labeled this concept "social DA." It's the marriage of search and social networking in a mobile context.

Mosio has tried to develop that model; ChaCha is working with a version of that model and, in the UK, so is the paid service Texperts. (Twitter may eventually develop this as well.)

LSN: Local Mobile Platform/Ad Network

Yesterday, Local Solutions Network launched mobile widgets on the Yahoo! Go platform. Today I had a chance to speak with Lee Durham, CEO of LSN about it and a range of other mobile topics.

The company has been around since 2001 and forged early deals with carriers in the US to deliver local news and other local content to the carrier deck (and beyond). The content comes via local TV affiliates and, increasingly, newspapers. 

Amobee Adds Support for iPhone and Android

Mobile ad server/ad network Amobee has added the iPhone and Android platform to it roster of operating systems and formats it can serve ads into. It joins AdMob and JumpTap (and Google) in targeting the iPhone and related smartphone devices:

Mobile Shopping Ahead of the Curve

There's really no good name for it but it's happening: multi-channel in-store shopping. That's where people do price comparisons or product review checks in the store while a consumer is looking at/for a product. There's also the scenario where she or he buys it online (right there) because it's sold out. And increasingly consumers will also be able to look for it at a nearby store (TheFind allows this, as does Android's ShopSavvy).

JumpTap Launches ADtap Publisher Solution

JumpTap has launched a broad mobile ad solution for publishers it's calling ADTap, with an emphasis on the iPhone. According to the release out this morning:

The solution offers mobile publishers, media companies and iPhone application developers a powerful means to monetize their traffic and streamline sales to brands and agencies. It gives advertisers the most effective ways to reach consumers on premium mobile websites and properties.

• Ad Networks
• Mobile Advertising

• Read more

Google Allowing Targeting of "iPhones and Other Mobile Devices"

Google is now making available the ability to target the "iPhone and other mobile devices with full Internet browsers." This was spotted by Search Engine Watch (forums) and I became aware of it via SEO Roundtable. Here's the administrative screen:

Argument for Mobile Advertising -- Today

The scale is nearly there; the targeting is there. The numbers are growing. I published a piece in iMedia Connection a few weeks ago that tries to make the case for mobile advertising today: