Killer App: Mobile Social Networks
Submitted by John Boxall on November 30, 2006 - 12:33am.
With all the buzz social networking has been creating on the web it seems only natural that it would create an equal fuss in the mobile field.
Indeed, the mobile phone itself is just waiting to embrace distributed networking. Already we use mobiles to connect with friends, family and colleagues on a one to one basis. The nature of this one to one connection is based upon old thinking rooted in obsolete technology. We no longer need constrain ourselves to communicating with a single individual. With the current generation of web and mobile technologies, one to many or broadcast communication stands to replace one to one conversations as the norm.
For proof of this dramatic shift, one need only look to North American college phenomenon Facebook. In my own experience, the number of public one to many 'Wall' posts received by users on Facebook is an order of magnitude greater than traditional private one to one 'Messages'. I won't delve into the scientific explanations behind this trend but simply take it as a sign that much of the communication between individuals does not to be limited to two parties. Social networks enable this one to many communication.
Extending web-based social networking sites to mobile phones is a fairly trivial task.
The big players have already made their foray into mobile field with Myspace and Facebook recently announcing mobile versions of their websites. Their implementation strategy is based on recreating their websites on small screens. While both mobile apps certainly perform the job of mini-me admirably, neither is pushing the boundaries of innovation. Secondly, both have chosen to partner with individual carriers with Myspace working with Helio and Facebook with Cingular. This deployment strategy is counter-intuitive. The value of a social network is exponentially proportion to the number of users. Simply put, limit the users, limit the network.
Introducing unique features enabled by mobile phones to extend the functionality of social networking is where the real challenge lies.
And that's exactly what a number of mobile specific social networks are doing. Dodgeball, Twitter, Loopt; the list of companies trying to make a name for themselves in the mobile social network world is as long as it is diverse. Vancouver based AirG claims to have 10 million users of its mobile social network. Using a combination of technologies from GPS to SMS, these services attempt to a location element to social networking, enabling users to tag locations and alert others of their current 'Status'. Even with these innovations, many mobile based social network must cope without the established user base of the large web-based networks. With the saturated state of the current market, many of these start-ups seem doomed to obscurity.
What are the ingredients for the mobile killer app? No one has found the answer just yet. But I believe it's a sure bet that harnessing new forms of communication will be key in its implementation.
Indeed, the mobile phone itself is just waiting to embrace distributed networking. Already we use mobiles to connect with friends, family and colleagues on a one to one basis. The nature of this one to one connection is based upon old thinking rooted in obsolete technology. We no longer need constrain ourselves to communicating with a single individual. With the current generation of web and mobile technologies, one to many or broadcast communication stands to replace one to one conversations as the norm.
For proof of this dramatic shift, one need only look to North American college phenomenon Facebook. In my own experience, the number of public one to many 'Wall' posts received by users on Facebook is an order of magnitude greater than traditional private one to one 'Messages'. I won't delve into the scientific explanations behind this trend but simply take it as a sign that much of the communication between individuals does not to be limited to two parties. Social networks enable this one to many communication.
Extending web-based social networking sites to mobile phones is a fairly trivial task.
The big players have already made their foray into mobile field with Myspace and Facebook recently announcing mobile versions of their websites. Their implementation strategy is based on recreating their websites on small screens. While both mobile apps certainly perform the job of mini-me admirably, neither is pushing the boundaries of innovation. Secondly, both have chosen to partner with individual carriers with Myspace working with Helio and Facebook with Cingular. This deployment strategy is counter-intuitive. The value of a social network is exponentially proportion to the number of users. Simply put, limit the users, limit the network.
Introducing unique features enabled by mobile phones to extend the functionality of social networking is where the real challenge lies.
And that's exactly what a number of mobile specific social networks are doing. Dodgeball, Twitter, Loopt; the list of companies trying to make a name for themselves in the mobile social network world is as long as it is diverse. Vancouver based AirG claims to have 10 million users of its mobile social network. Using a combination of technologies from GPS to SMS, these services attempt to a location element to social networking, enabling users to tag locations and alert others of their current 'Status'. Even with these innovations, many mobile based social network must cope without the established user base of the large web-based networks. With the saturated state of the current market, many of these start-ups seem doomed to obscurity.
What are the ingredients for the mobile killer app? No one has found the answer just yet. But I believe it's a sure bet that harnessing new forms of communication will be key in its implementation.
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