Soon Mobile Internet Will Own Our Soul!

Just finished up day 2 of #MXM2010 (Mobile Cross Media 2010) that discussed the convergence of mobile and web internet, and how companies can keep up to the rapidly growing and changing mobile space.
I was informed about the event in the first place because I have been keeping in touch with Gillian Museig (aka SEOmom) from SEOmoz.org and she would be in New York from Seattle for this event. At first I was questioning if this event was for me, as I am currently more on the SEO, Social media side then the mobile apps, but felt it was worth it just for contacts, see Gillian again, and get an idea what is going on in the mobile world. I reached out to Greg Schwartz from mobatech mobile app development, since I did some consulting work with him before and it would have been cool if he had made it in from Detroit.
Tuesday, the first day, was a smaller training session to educate those interested and give an idea how to even make a mobile website and a basic mobile application. MAN, DO I NEED TO FOCUS ON MOBILE MORE! After day 1, I really see how mobile is blending into web – how the PC is dead, and laptop will phase out in a few more years. I have been using my new galaxy S smartphone with android since I’ve been back in USA and it is AMAZING – I am forcing myself to try to do as much from it as possible – obviously voice and text and email, but also twitter, facebook, foursquare, online banking, calendar, contacts, chats, blogging, dropbox (my online hard drive) the list goes on and on. And with google voice, I don’t even use minutes, can control my phone number routing, privacy, etc. It has been mindblowing, and this 1 day training opened my eyes up to so much more that is coming. Also got to take a walk with Gillian (yes, to the post office, I had bar products shipments to make from the new storage area in manhattan), and she coached me and is helping me prepare for professional consulting life back in USA after my years in China.
Was so exhausted from that horrible bus trip the night before I took a quick nap afterwards, made a bunch of phone calls, chats, and emails (again from my mobile), and got other work done. But I know conferences are the best ways to quickly get into an industry and meet the big players, so I had to go.
Day 2 (today, Wednesday) was a larger hall, and a larger audience with multiple panels discussed how mobile was affecting the current industries: – search (SEO), Social (SMM), video, analytics, and how to even measure your mobile efforts
I am not sure how techie I want to get on my personal blog, but I will hit on some eye opening points

SWAT – is the basis of Mobile marketing – S being Sms (text messages), W being Web, A being Applications , and T being Togetherness to keep a balance in all of this.

Other cool highlights:

• Turning apps on/off free at different times or seasons – so you can let users download it for free, but only can use it free at certain times of the day or under certain cirumstances, seems like a win/win.

• Mobile search is 1 person – so the search database knows more about you….kinda scary, but true to realize, the websites know more about YOU by your phone ,because its much less likely people share 1 phone, but common people share 1 computer.

• Google is all over mobile, more then anything – they are buying up startups, and agressively trying to dominate the mobile web, because they think it is the future!

• 1/3 of android search is voice – that is pretty amazing, I have a android phone and I don’t do that, but they say that many people with android phones do their search by speaking into the phone….and this will only grow over time (LONG TAIL search terms anyone…)!

• Don’t think of mobile, think of the idea the web is everywhere now….car, google AI driven cars – Google isn’t trying to take over the mobile internet, its trying to take over the FUTURE of search….and taht is VOICE, speaking outloud where you want to go, who you want to meet, what you want to buy, and it will deliver it for you….from driving your car to the place to buy it, or the place to eat, etc. MINDBLOWING, but maybe its not as far away as we think….

• In store searching, buy online, showroom – i didn’t keep the statistics, but the idea is more and more people PRICE COMPARE in the PHYSICAL STORE…..maybe then they see it cheaper on amazon.com and then buy it online and ship to their house, instead of buying at the store their in. THEN THE IDEA OF SHOWROOMS comes to mind, without inventory….going inside a showroom of the products you want, testing it out, and ordering it to be delivered to your home (MAYBE EVEN SAME DAY DELIVERY BY COURIER) its just amazing, but why not, right? Stores can be more personable, smaller, and there won’t be massive stores with tall aisles of inventory….it is more sales-person driven and user experience driven.

• Video, ppl can watch local news now on phone – children at college away from their hometown can now use their mobile to download an app to see their hometown evening news, to see how the weather is, the traffic was, the high school baseball games.

• Not just in customer mind, but in their heart – this isn’t really new, but its the idea that you don’t just want to BRAINWASH the consumer with the idea that they have to buy your product, but MAKE THEM BELIEVE IN YOUR VISION and your idea, and want your company to succeed and support your company by buying your brand over the competition. Obviously good examples are apple, red bull

• The phone will be more connected to us, it will read our temperature, our emotions, our location, our friends who are near us, and suggest friends near us we should meet! Its our virtual assistant.

To wrap things up we had mizmetro sing, and pitched her new mobile app coming out tomorrow that will promote her music, as well as highlight all the cool UNDERGROUND bars and hidden spots for tourists and locals alike to see in new york city!

And this all reminded me another good reason I feel I should stay in usa, specifically nyc – as it s the 2nd largest mobile user base (from what I heard, being after san Francisco , third is baltimore). THE WORLD IS CHANGING RAPIDLY. In China, the idea that I have to use these stupid VPNs to escape the GFW (great firewall of China) that is blocking my internet experience lost me there. Sad again that it is holding back innovation, but anyway, this is the advantage of America – and marketing is still dominant in USA over the rest of the world. I want to be involved in this mobile revolution!

LOCAL, MOBILE, SOCIAL.