We live in an increasingly mobile world and the decision to extend brand communication to the mobile channel seems inevitable.  On the other hand, making this decision in a way that will pay off in the long-run is a less apparent process.

Mobile data measurement brings with it challenges that are very different from fixed web measurement.  For example carrier restrictions, platform variations and mobile browser limitations are such that mobile product applications don’t easily lend themselves to uniform measurement across devices.  In order to be able to use data as a strategic asset, measurement standards must be such that they can be applied to a wide range if devices.

Taia Postalati

Interactive Ontario recently hosted an AMA webinar featured Greg Dowling, Vice President of Mobile Strategy & Measurement at Semphonic and former Head of Analysis for Nokia.  Dowling was leading Nokia’s recent initiative to implement first worldwide mobile analytics measurement standard, and his insights can be applied to mobile marketing.

Looking at mobile phone penetration by manufacturers, Nokia leads the way with over a third of the worldwide handset market.  In the smartphone category, Nokia’s Symbian operating system makes up just over half of the smartphones used globally, followed by RIM at 20 per cent and iPhone at 15 per cent. (Gartner)  However iPhone owners use their devices much more than the owners of any of its competitors do.

Nokia’s approach to mobile product extension for its clients begins by aligning brand objectives with mobile strategy. 

 Lack of a definitive mobile strategy is the biggest challenge to generating a positive return on investment in mobile products.  Often times, the decision to create a mobile product is tactical rather than strategic.  At this early stage in mobile marketing adoption, this may very well be a viable approach.  However without relevant functionality and broad handset reach, a mobile product is simply a branding exercise designed to attract consumer’s attention instead of focusing on conversion.. Plantronics Discovery 975

Determining a brand’s mobile suitability means asking what it is about a brand that is compelling to a mobile audience.  Moving an entire website to the mobile web or building an application is not always the best way to communicate with consumers. 

In many cases a simple but well executed text messaging campaign is more fitting.  For example, a brand that handles perishable inventory, like a restaurant, will likely have a customer base that is interested in being notified about promotions.  Another company that has several locations in an urban centre, like a retailer, will likely have customers who want to be able to find a nearest location on their cell phone.

When you’re thinking about how to structure your mobile product offering you have to be mindful of the range of devices in the hands of your consumers and also have clearly articulated brand objectives.  If you want to get into mobile you should begin the strategy process now.

Happy Quit Facebook Day. 

Think of the endless invitation to Mafia Wars or pleas to search for a missing cow on Farmville, not the constant updates from friends who just have to tell the world that they “just can’t wait for Friday†or that a “Sausage, eggs and mee goreng and a cup of Nescafe Gold†really perked them up today. All that could come to an end.. Motorola A1200 Speaker with flip

Nestor Arellano

 

Last time I checked the Quit Facebook Day movement, which officially starts today has only signed up 26,977 committed Facebook quitters out of the social networking site’s 400 million members. So good luck with that.

However, writer Steven Vaughan-Nichols has come up with a list of seven alternative sites that you might what to check out. We have his list here but you can also read the whole story on ITBusiness.ca

WikiHow also has this step-by-step advice on Facebook-weary on how to kick the habbit – How to Quit Facebook.

 

Here’s Steve’s list:

Appleseed

While this open-source project is still in beta, it’s an interesting take on social networking. Instead of being under the control of one company and one set of administrators, Appleseed works via a distributed server software package tied together with the ASN (Appleseed Social Network).

That means that as a user, you select and log into an Appleseed site. Once there, you connect with friends, send messages, share photos and videos, join discussions and participate in all the usual social networking stuff. Don’t like the specific Appleseed site you’re on? Then sign up for a different one and, according to the site, “immediately reconnect with everyone in your network.”

Diaspora

Diaspora, for all the headlines it’s gotten, is still not much more than an idea.

Technically, Diaspora sounds a lot like Appleseed. It’s also going to be built from open-source software, and it’s going to be a distributed network server application. The first Diaspora code release is slated for September.

Elgg

Rather than being a social network, Elgg is designed for companies and groups to run their own social networks.

You can either run your own Elgg installation — according to the Web site, the developers will be happy to help you — or you can host your site with a provider that specializes in Elgg sites. Starting later this summer, you’ll also be able to host it on Elgg.com itself.

While businesses and social groups may find Elgg interesting, it’s not really a Facebook competitor in and of itself.

Lorea

Lorea describes itself as “a project to create secure social cybernetic systems, in which human networks will become simultaneously represented on a virtual shared world.” It’s an experimental social network that combines some aspects of social networking, such as communities and real-time updating a la Twitter, with blogging.

Lorea may be less a Facebook competitor than a site for programmers who want to explore the fundamental concepts of how social networks should work.

OneSocialWeb

Unlike Appleseed and Diaspora, the Vodafone Group’s OneSocialWeb is not only hoping to become a social network itself, but also to be the focal point for all the other social networks you may belong to.

For example, if OneSocialWeb works as planned, it will provide the common infrastructure from which you can access all your friends’ information, photos, comments, etc., from Twitter, Facebook and other networks.

Of course, for this to work, the other social networks would have to agree to play by OneSocialWeb’s rules — and I suspect they won’t want to make it easy for users to jump from their own network to another.

Look for a public OneSocialWeb beta later this summer.

Pligg

Like Elgg, Pligg is an open-source platform for building social networks. The key difference between the two is that Pligg is also a content management system.

Specifically, Pligg is a CMS that enables users to submit and vote on news articles, like Digg. Besides the usual up-or-down voting system, Pligg offers a chance to rate the articles using a five-star scale. While more than good enough for this kind of story-sharing, Pligg really isn’t going to be the basis of a Facebook-type network.

Pip.io

Here’s the good news: Pip.io is already up and running, and it is a real would-be Facebook competitor. Here’s the bad news: It is still very rough.

For instance, when Steve  asked it to find members of Pip.io whom he already knew by using his Gmail contact list, it instead offered to let him invite everyone on his thousand-plus address book to join him on Pip.io.

The interface, which owes more to Twitter than to Facebook, is easy to use. It also enables you to use other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter from Pip.io. In short, Pip.io is trying to be both a social network and a social network client.

It may, eventually, do quite well at all these jobs. But for now, it’s a work in progress.