Both mobile phones and online social networks keep today’s consumers connected, and their roles seem to be converging. Currently, wireless content providers are in a position that could enable them to leverage the unique properties of mobility in combination with the power of social networking to reach the desirable segment of downtimers; the 28 million US adults who have jobs with significant downtime that do not sit in front of a computer all day. One clear example of this trend can be seen in the way mobile phones are beginning to take on tasks consumers traditionally did over their computers. Almost 45% of current wireless customers already manage their account to some extent on their handset (viewing or paying their bill, viewing minutes, etc.).

In the online world, Compete currently sees social networkers frequenting an average of three social networking sites such as MySpace, Linked-In and other online communities that allow users to create and link profiles. Despite this busy networking schedule, these same online socialites say there is still room in their lives for more sites. Forty-five percent of social networkers say they would be willing to participate in at least four social networks (7% would join 10 or more), leaving an opening wireless companies can help fill.

Currently, 48% of social networkers join online communities in order to find entertaining content such as photos, music and videos, and 38% join to get information from other people. Successful handset extensions of social networks will need to optimize users’ abilities to perform these actions while overcoming the constraints of a two inch screen.

By leveraging unique mobile benefits like in-network calling, personal information management, location-based services (like Helio’s Buddy Beacon) and digital media on the fly, service providers can provide the sticky brand experience that will entice downtimers to take the management of their personal networks and content from their desktops into work.


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  1. william

    Are social networks with closed widget systems social networks or Silos ?

    Are Bebo, Myspace and the rest cutting edge and new or are they the same old portal song in dance in different clothing.

    A music widget that will only work on one social network. This brings up many of the same issues that we have with drm and the lack of interoperablity.

    If we want to sell music will we now have to upload or tracks and become a member of all of the social networks.

    Why do these services charge the artist and not the majors.

    The ugly hidden truth about most of the current music services offering (Check the Snocap pricing matrix here ) for artist is that through complicated fee matrix that hide the fact that they create an uneven playing field for independent artist and labels that are not attached to one of the majors. Some of the services that participate in the lowering of the field for independents artist and labels are backed by the majors either financially (Directly or through proxy investors) or helped along in their business by begin given some access to content. This means that the through these services the majors have cooped the independent artist into their distribution channel and into their drm schemes. All of this while charging the independent artist and label to use the service.

    I think that the only way to truly lower the playing field for independent artist and labels is to have a service that gives them the ability to sell and distribute their content at a price point that mathces what the majors would pay to use such a service. Zero.
    Currently Darmik.com charges no fee to list or to sell music. Currently Artist and independents that sell on Darmik.com receive 100% of the revenue. All we ask in return is that you use your Darmik payment rule to donate to at least one Darmik listed charity. Once an Aritst or Label has their tracks on Darmik they can be easily sold on the adelph.us social network as well as any other webpage or social network. As companies Adelph.us and Darmik give a portion of their revenue to charity.

  2. Mathpoints

    Wednesday Tech Buzz - March 28, 2007

    45% social networkers say they would be willing to participate in at least four social networks

  3. Yooki

    There’s a social aggregator called 8hands which helps dealing with more than one membership without going insane.

  4. Brian

    Could VOIS.com become another Facebook?

    Since the advent of social networking sites in 1997, the phenomenon has taken the world by storm. Once called a passing fad social networking is now a thriving business, in 2006, alone it garnered over $6.5 billion in revenue, while the three biggest players, connected over 280 million subscribers in a way never known before to society. This form of connection has drawn the globe closer together than anyone ever predicted.

    Just a few years ago, MySpace.com, solely dominated the social networking site market with almost 80% of the social networking site market but now websites like Facebook entered the social networking site race becoming the 8th most viewed website in the U.S. according to web measuring traffic site Alexa.com. Facebook.com which originally started at Harvard University , later extended to Boston area schools and beyond has mystified many naysayer’s with its explosive growth over the last three years and an astounding asking price of $10-$15 billion dollars for the company. But who will be next?

    Who will carry the torch into the future?

    With the rapid growth of the likes of MySpace and Facebook the burning question on everyone’s tongue is who is next? As with any burgeoning field many newcomers will and go but only the strong and unique will survive. Already many in the field have stumbled, as indicated by their traffic rankings, including heavily funded Eons.com with its former Monster.com founder at the helm, Hooverspot.com and Boomj.com with its ridiculous Web 3.0 slogan. There are many possibilities but it is a dark horse coming fast into view and taking hold in the social networking site market at the global level that has us interested the website - Vois.com. Less than a year ago, this newest contender directed at 25 to 50 years olds graced the absolute bottom of the list with its website ranked at a dismal 5,000,000. With not so much as a squeak this rising star has come from the depths of anonymity growing an eye-popping 10,000% in less than one year to make itself known worldwide now sporting a recent web traffic ranking in the 5,000 range.

    Understanding the Market

    When people in the United States hear about Facebook and other services such as MySpace the widely held belief is that these websites are globally used and are as synonymous as Google or Yahoo in regards to having a global market presence. This idea is completely misguided. Now it is true that both of these social networking giants are geared to service the western industrialized cultures but when it comes to the markets of the future, the emerging markets, they have virtually no presence. The sites themselves are heavily Anglicized, and Facebook in particular has an extremely complicated web interface that eludes even those familiar with the language, making them virtually inaccessible in other parts of the world even where English is the main language.

    Our interest in Vois is global and geopolitical. Simply, Vois understands this lack of market service and is building its provision model on a global research concept developed by Goldman Sachs a few years ago. The concept is basically predicated on the belief that beginning now using current economic models and continuing those models over the next few decades will lead to a major paradigm shift in the world regarding nations who are current economic leaders like those being the USA and the other members of the G-7 and those who will become dominant in the world economy mainly the BRICs. In the Goldman research report Goldman highlights the fastest growing nations and has dubbed them with the two acronyms BRIC’s and N-11. BRIC standing for ( Brazil, R ussia, India and China) representing the fastest growing economies and N-11 or what are being called the Next-11 representing the next 11 countries to emerge as future important economies such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam. This approach has already been implemented with some success with companies like Orkut, who has over 80% of the market share in Brazil and large holdings in India and Eastern Europe . Other providers such as Hi5 have the world as their focus and are making great strides in global market share while Facebook builds itself into a niche provider wholly unready to take on the world.

    A Growing Presence

    As Vois breaks new ground in the world market pursuing previously ignored demographics, they afford themselves the opportunity of tremendous growth unfettered by the giants such as Facebook and MySpace. While cultivating this new user base, Vois will also be able to monopolize on their business revenue strategies, creating an area of commerce that will make their site increasingly attractive to business and users the world over. This concept, dubbed sCommerce, allows the subscriber to promote themselves in both personal and a professional fashion while giving them the option of setting up shop on the site. This approach will allow business owners to target their market in a way never before allowing them to focus on interested groups of individuals while providing follow-up without having to commit to wasteful blanket campaigns that are typically the order of the day. This newfound border will allow Vois to explore new revenue models while provide a tremendous service for both their regular subscribers and business subscribers alike. With all this going on, rapid traffic growth to the site, we pose the question - is Vois the next Facebook, it sure looks like it but only time will tell….

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  6. nigel

    Social networking has become very niche with networkers joining in only to the sites which they find relavent. Music is one of the biggest draws to social networking sites. Sites like http://www.Mozes.com offer music on cellphones so that subscribers get updates

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