Google Adsense for Mobile Launches

Google Adsense™ for Mobile launched yesterday.

What wasn’t announced fully was if the program is different in any way than traditional Adsense. It would also be interesting to understand how Google is exactly defining mobile websites.

As people start to use it, I’m sure these issues will become transparent.

Suburban Chicago Silicon Prairie Social Internet and Technology Mixer Thursday

Tim Courtney sent me the following note late last week, I hope to see you there….

When: Thursday, September 20, 2007 from 6:30-10:00pm
Where: Mullen’s Bar & Grill 3080 Warrenville Rd., Lisle, IL 60532

An opportunity to connect in an informal setting with like-minded people in technology; whether you’re an upwardly mobile professional, a job seeker, an entrepreneur, or a VC. We welcome everyone, including IT workers, e-commerce companies, Internet and Web 2.0 startups, mobile and mobile marketing, and B2B services.

The event is free to attend, free drinks and food will be provided. RSVP is required at http://siliconprairiesocial.eventbrite.com.

For more information see www.siliconprairiesocial.com or call Tim Courtney at 630.983.6064 or tcourtney at xnet.com.

SES San Jose 2007 Day 3 - Mobile Search Optimization

Moderator:

Speakers:

Cindy Crum, Blue Moon Works

- Many aspects of Mobile Optimization follow Traditional SEO Wisdom
- Optimal Mobile Experience = Return Mobile Traffic = Better Results in Mobile Search Engines
- Device Independence: Traditional sites being viewed on Mobile Technology

What is Different About Mobile?
- Industry is in infancy
- Different bots / Crawlers
- Mobile Search Engines More Like Portals
- Many Different Browsers possible
- Slow Download Speed and Connectivity Issues

Development Best Practices
XHTML
Traditional Browsers are forgiving – Mobile Browsers are not
Infinite Combinations possible
Right Accessibility Standards Make it ideal
Avoid unnecessary code
Separate Content from design with CSS

External CSS
- Separates content from design
- Minimizes Code Required
- Decreases Load Time
- Ensures Correct Display on Different Screen Resolutions
- Allows you to specify rendering

Have mobile specific stylesheets
- One set of code, two stylesheets
- Screen first, handheld is second one in cascade
- Caveat: “display:none” to hide elements in either rendering

Use appropriate headers - HTTP User-agent, Accept and MIME types

iPhone

Google has a separate search page for the iPhone

Log in omitted, features and some ads are omitted

Follow all SEO Best Preactices
- Minimize File Size
- Submit your Site to Mobile Search Engines

Testing is important
- Opera, Skeezer, Google device simulators
- Test transcoded versus non-transcoded versions of Your Site

Validate your Site with mobile code checkers…

Embrace the Interactivity
- Provide relevant Info for People who are mobile
- Include your main address in the footer
- Make Phone Numbers and Email Addresses

Move your navigation to the bottom

Gregory Markel, Infuse Creative, LLC

No longer a WAP/Mobi world

Nokia S60 and Opera True web browser

Goog-411 (live demo rendered incorrect result)

Get listed in Google Local Business Listings

.mobi is diminishing in important

Optimization is synomonous with marketing

Mobile voice search is becoming more important

Rachel Pasqua, iCrossing

iCrossing started looking at mobile in 2005

3rd screen will come first

2.3 billion mobile subscribers as opposed to 1 billion users

Summarized the iCrossing “How America Searches Mobile, April 2007” report

SES San Jose 2007 Day 2 - AOL Mobile Search Lunch

Speaker Senior Product Manager Farhan Memon discussed the recent launch of AOL mobile search over a special lunch session. I was impressed by his presentation.

One thing that is quite clear is that they clearly get that mobile search is about leveraging data from other traditional web properties (which AOL has plenty of) and for this reason, I now wish to learn more about their offering and plans. Presently, they get ads from a combination of Ingenio and Third Screen Media a recent acquisition. It’s unclear what causes which ad type to show up when.

Afterwards Farhan and Scott Knowles, Senior Program Manager said they’d follow up with me in more detail, I look forward to learning more about the offering.

FAST Lays Off 148 People About 20% of Workforce

As reported by Search Engine Journal and elsewhere - FAST is laying off 148 employees. Based on the last public number I have of 735 this would be about 20% of the workforce, which is rather significant.

A 23 minute audio presentation by FAST is available here in English at the bottom. There is no information on the breakdown of the country distribution of the layoffs or how this will affect mobile search though it would seem that it might cause a slowdown of this activity.

This news may rekindle the news of potential merger of FAST with Infospace.

adtech Chicago: Tactical Search Strategies: Local and Mobile Search

August 1, 2007 session…

MODERATOR:
Chris Bowler, VP, Media Director, Agency.com

PANELISTS:
Warren Kay, Director of Emerging Products, Yahoo! Search Marketing (not present)

Dominic Preuss, Product Manager, Local Advertising, Google

Janice Rohn, VP of Consumer Experience, Yellowpages.com

John du Pre Gauntt, Senior Analyst, eMarketer

The most important thing about this session is that half of the people from the previous session left – it shows that people don’t understand search and understand its’ importance in the eventual mobile domination. This session was presentations and much less dynamic.

Dominic –
Local and mobile are very much the same. Google Maps changes the way that people uses maps. Google Earth has some great partnerships. Google search on the wap browser. Gmail is an important part of our strategy. It is in a single repository. Discussed local business center. Make sure your information is up to date. Coupons for Maps. Regional targeting, country, state, city and radius. Google Local Business Ads. Google Mobile Ads – shorter messaging, link to mobile website, click to call enabled, carrier targeting, markup language targeting.

Janice Rohn – unfortunately had to leave the room for almost all of her talk…

John – Technical scale is not an issue. It’s about answers not links. It’s about all the collateral as well. The pain is very high. The carriers are not supporting a cookie like feature. Cross-carrier targeting it hard. Talked about a number of challenges facing the space and the fragmentation issues. For every $1 you spend on mobile spend $2 on training your staff. If you have the most wonderful mobile experience and a lousy customer experience, it does not matter! I couldn’t agree more.

Mobile Location Enabled Services 2007

While backing up files to reinstall Windows due to a virus I caught while at Blogher, I noticed that I had not posted my notes from the wonderful inaugural Mobile Location Enabled Services 2007 conference hosted by Abbie Badcock back in May. Apologies Abbie, your conference was both fun and productive.

Without a doubt, Mobile Location Enabled Services is a premier and unique event due to the variety of verticals in one place. Abbie Badcock has brought together a great mix of mobile search, mobile marketing and advertising, mobile local content, mobile social networking and a serious discussion to building the conversation regarding the resolution of the many to the realization of the potential of mobile location. I look forward to participating and driving the conversation in future years.

Symbian – Jerry Panagrossi, VP, US Operations, Symbian

The original STAR TREK Comunicator 1965-69

Fast forward to the 21st Century - PND, GPS Bluetooth, etc

1 Billion mobile phones shipped in 2006

Mobile subscribers projected 3 Billion by YE2007 and 4 Billion by YE 4 Billion!!!

Showed chart migrating from voice, data enabled then 3G phones – many with built in GPS.

Showed chart with why smart phones have high mobility and utility more than other presently available devices. Symbian believes that there is going to be mass market adoption.

Mobile Telecoms + Internet + Location Services + Automotive = Innovation

Emerging Disruptive Market Forces
Mobile Market Saturation
Open Mobile Platforms
Ad$ (advertising)

Data Services Deployment Trend
- Market Saturation
- 3G Deployment
- Service Rollout
- Smart Phone Adoption

Traditional economies are saturated with cell phones while others are not.

LBS ranks highest in consumer interest – survey Compete, Inc.

Services Segmentation - Public Safety, Consumer, Enterprise

Sports Tracker

Pixto, recently acquired my Nokia. Shows amazing technology that will categorize photos by location and combine is with relevant data about the location.

LBS Deployment challenges
- Locations indoors, underground, tunnels
- Reflection with large buildings
- A-GPS evolution
- Wifi
Database fragmentation
- Traffic updates and POIs
- Mobile data roaming – predictable billing when roaming internationally

A glimpse of the future
- Improved smartphone car communication

Trueposition – Joseph Khoury – VP of Business Development

$200 Million in Revenue, 480 employees, 100 international patents, subsidiary of Liberty Media

Incorporates all location technologies

History of company started with E911 emergency services in the USA.
Asset Tracking
Secure inter-carrier location information provider

Trueposition offers high accuracy Finder System, 75,000 Base Stations Deployed, 270 million POPs covered in the US.

High Accuracy Wireless Location System – best in class platform.

Finder System Benefits
Consistent accuracy across entire network – better than 50 meters most of the time – also incorporates velocity, heading power level signal to noise ratio.

Consumer interest – Turn by Turn Navigation

Market growth is happening again, but has conditions in a complex cross-industry ecosystem.

Drivers of LBS demand ramp up are many and they are complex.

Is getting into the business of building devices.

Mark Jacobstein, EVP, Loopt

Amazing privacy advocate, doesn’t store what they don’t need.

Monetizing Local Content for the Mobile Marketplace

Presentation was rapid fire short statements – amazingly engaging – hard to take notes on though.

Peter Friedland, Analyst, Soliel Group
Charnsin Tulasthien, Product Manager – Consumer Application and GPS Solutions, Sprint
Michael Nappi, VP of Media Development, Traffic.com
Christ Hazelton, Senior Analyst – Mobility Device Technology and Trends, IDC

Charnsin – How do we provide relevant POIs?

Michael – There are other areas to discuss in regards to bringing in advertising in context.

In regard to traffic, we brought in traffic information to you originally via alerts. The data can be brought into mobile and GPS applications. When traveling it’s an informational thing. I might be looking for more information in an unfamiliar information. These models will flourish.

Charnsin – Traffic is just another piece of information. We can provide not only alerts, but rerouting information.

Will it be the walled garden? The Google or Yahoo! approach?

Charnsin – There are things that are accessible via our phones.

LBS Advertising will users accept it?

Michael – We deliver information on an opt-in basis. Click per Route. Advertising based alerts. We own the content and vertically integrate it all the way up. Phones are becoming multimedia devices more each day. There is a lot of useful advertising models. There is an integration from focus groups that will lead the way.

Mobile Search Panel – Mobile Search + Location = Fulfilled User Expectations?
Jeff Rice, VP Market Development, Skyhookwireless
Matt Ward-Sheinman, Director of Product Management, Medio Systems
Neal Karasic, Director of Product Management, Jumptap
Steve McGuigan, VP Business Development, Hallmark
Peter Classen, Director of Business Development, Infospace

How is it appropriate?

Matt: The advantages of having it in your pocket is great. The comparison to the Internet is not accurate.

Steve: It comes down to relevancy and speed.

Peter: I aggress as well. The difference between web vs. mobile. Frisbee is a good example. If someone is typing that in a mobile phone they probably want to buy one at a store.

Location based, which ones are tied to a search.

Peter: 90%+

Matt: Statistically not very good. 15% percent are local search, though this is undercounted. You get ringtone content and other related items.

Steve. A search can be about sports,

Neal: User supplied location is not ideal. Most people search near home, so that is important data. Yesterday, I looked for a taxi in Detriot even though I was still in Boston. There are things around that.

Peter: I agree with Matt about the Madonna. It’s better when you can add the local context to the search.

Pizza, question on voice search

Peter: It would be great but it’s complex. We partner with Voicebox.

Peter: Human assisted search won’t work. Mobile search only when it’s free. Consumers are free.

Matt: Search on the Internet and advertising. I expect a rich client app to be there. There is a cost to a GPS fix. It needs to be free and advertising supported. Put them in when appropriate. Never sacrifice the user experience.

Neal: I basically agree. Search being free. That is the model that is going to work and users expect. We bring advertisers to the table. We want the ecosystem to work.
Steve: Local search and directories haven’t changed enough for mobile. Until we get there we need to use the directory model.

Jeff: We are reworking the paid model in Internet, I understand that is changing….

Matt: Carriers want to defend their advertisers. It’s hard to go across the operator networks. Google and Yahoo! have tried. They have large groups.

Neal: We partner.

Profit from Proximity Based Marketing
David Williams, CEO and Publisher LBS Globe
Jay Gould, VP of Business Development, Profilium Inc.
Scott Pearson, VP Sales, Enpocket
Brian McNiff, Vice President of Marketing, Technocom Corporation

How fast is locational proximity going to factor in?

Jay: We believe that throwing location in the mix is critical.

Brian: We believe it’s vital to mobile marketing. I got 4 Starbucks sms messages today. For small business to justify moving away from the yellow pages, we need to see it.

Jay: We need to build the value chain going up.

Brian: The operators are giving

Google Apparently Offering Mobile Adwords Vouchers

I just got an email from an SEM shop saying that Google offering “is now offering vouchers worth up to $150 to be used in targeted Google Mobile AdWords campaigns”

Is anyone using this so far? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Potential Chicago Cab Strike July 31 - How to Get to adtech(ad:tech) via CTA

With today’s possible cab strike in Chicago, I thought it would be a good idea to post CTA bus options to arrive at the west end of Navy Pier. Please note that even with these bus options, it is a10 minute walk to the east end of Navy Pier where the Festival Hall is located. I highly suggest taking the bus instead of walking the entire distance and wish the actually CTA stopped at Navy Pier East Entrance #2. Please check out my current question on Yahoo! Answers regarding Navy Pier.

Here are some tips on how to navigate via CTA to Navy Pier. Cash fare on the CTA is currently $2. This is a pdf map of the areas described below.

From the Sheraton: the #29, #65 and #124 buses stop in front of the Sheraton on Illinois and terminate and 600 East Grand Avenue, this will save you three blocks of walking.

The number#124 bus starts in the West Loop at Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center and terminates at 600 East Grand Avenue.

If traveling from Midway Airport, take the Orange line to Roosevelt, walk down the stairs and travel one block west to State Street. Take the#29 State bus northbound to 600 East Grand Avenue.

If traveling from O’hare Airport, take the blue line to Monroe, walk up the stairs, then walk one block east to State Street. Take the#29 State bus northbound to 600 East Grand Avenue.

For those staying at a hotel a bit further north, the #66 bus travels east on Chicago Avenue, then south on Fairbanks to Grand to 600 East Grand Avenue.

For those of you attending ad:tech, I have the following high level networking objectives and look forward to speaking with you (please drop me an email contained on my Bio page):

1) I’m seeking anyone with senior contacts at major search engines

2) Anyone with ideas or connections to publishers, advertisers or investors regarding mobile search and mobile advertising.

Have a great show!

iphone Mash Up

Willitblend.com shows the ultimate iphone mash up!

Oddly the iphone + Blendtec blender on eBay is selling for above retail of both items new. People will buy the strangest things.

Mobile Phones Causing Memory Loss?

According to an article in the Telegraph that seems to be the case. It’s thought provoking to ponder these effects on non-usage, much like how some people who have never learned how to do math manually as well. The article stated:

Professor Ian Robertson, a neuropsychology expert based at Trinity College Dublin who carried out the study, said: “People have more to remember these days, and they are relying on technology for their memory.

“But the less you use of your memory, the poorer it becomes. This may be reflected in the survey findings which show that the over 50s who grew up committing more to memory report better performance in many areas than those under 30 who are heavily reliant on technology to act as their day to day aide memoir.”

Professor Roberston, who oversaw the research to mark the launch of Puzzler Brain Trainer Magazine, said that a series of five simple exercises a day can help to increase memory capacity.

As many as a third of those surveyed under the age of 30 were unable to recall their home telephone number without resorting to their mobile phones or to notes.

Medio Systems Names Robert P Lilleness Chief Operating Officer

As per this press release, Medio Systems named Robert P. Lilleness Chief Operating Officer this month.

It’s notable to me  in that he has no previous direct search or advertising experience.

His ownership of Smarthome is certainly an interesting wrinkle. Perhaps Medio sees a potential revenue model in providing services to control devices in your home from the mobile phone someday?

Jason Spero of Admob Interviewed

Saw this brief interview of Jason Spero of Admob here.

It would be interesting to interview Admob CEO Omar Hamoui sometime soon on the state of mobile advertising and mobile ad networks.

At Barcamp Chicago

Hi there! Please say hello and introduce yourself! If you’re not here, send me an email!

If you’d like to learn a little about me so you can talk more, please check out my Chicago marketing leader bio.

This picture might help enable you to do that!

adtech Chicago 2007 is July 31-August 1

Search, Social Media, Video, Gaming and Mobile Advertising leaders will gather in Chicago at a new location on Navy Pier on July 31 and August 1. Many new speakers and a few surprising speakers this year on the agenda. I look forward to seeing you there!

Chetan Sharma Releases Unified Mobile Data Platform White Paper

It was a pleasure meeting Chetan at CTIA in March. Chetan just released a white paper you can get here.

I wish I would have gotten to talk with him more, hopefully we can do this during his Chicago visit later this month.

He also chaired a mobile panel discussion in April in Seattle which you can read about here.

Mobile Search and Content Needs Flexible Revenue Models

“There has to be all sorts of models, both subscription and ad-supported,” Fox Interactive senior vice president and general manager John Smelzer said, speaking at the iHollywood Forum’s Mobile Entertainment Summit. While the revenue mix may be different, he added that the key to driving user adoption of all types of content is “to make the entry point easy.” Source Article

I couldn’t agree with this more. There are too many subscription only mobile models emerging, this will slow adoption in an already fragmented market.  The mobile medium is not a failure, many of the business models are. It’s a fascinating paradox. There are too many 20th Century business cases that are being built that work on paper but not in reality.

Texting Teen Gets $1,100 Bill For One Month

This Washington Post Article does a good job of laying out the increasing problem. With increasing stories like this, it will be interesting to watch what if any backlash occurs.

Mobile Screen Capture and Mobile RSS Readers

Barry Schwartz made a real nice post about how take a mobile screen capture with Quicktake. In addition, he’s ventured into comparing mobile RSS readers, a place I have not yet gone frequently.

Microsoft Strategic Account Summit 2007

The main parts of the Microsoft Strategic Account Summit are today and Wednesday, here is the schedule. My initial thoughts:

1) I wish it were broadcast online, even the Chris Cornell concert, this is a lost opportunity for exposure to those who can’t be at the summit and build positive PR.

2) We’re going to hear another round of Yahoo! and Microsoft merger talk. Much like Charlene Li, I do not think this is the best path. They would be better off hiring teams of people with experience innovating products and services in different industries. This get past the limiting beliefs of continually hiring passive candidates who demonstrate no loyalty or passion for their present companies.

3) Why is John Battelle the only person at the summit blogging his thoughts? His post is the only one I could find about the opening night’s festivities.

4) I’m interested in information about the people shaping mobile search at the summit, please contact me.

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