Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

The Iranian crisis put Twitter in the spotlight as an organizational tool showcasing how the online world could be used to communicate and unite people, despite government censorship. Armed with cell phones, Iranians were able to text, tweet, and send pictures and videos to the world community, focusing the spotlight on this world-altering event. Their efforts were not in vain; the international community rose in uproar to defend the democratic principles of Iran, forcing political and religious leaders to publicly discuss the issues.

The universal access and power afforded by digital tools is breeding a new kind of world citizen and establishing this type of “citizen journalism" as a crucial supplement to traditional media.  A couple years back we wrote about Dateline's citizen journalism on Facebook, and the trend has only been growing with the advent of enabling platforms and the increasing prevalence of mobile phones. From protests to war, anyone with a cell phone can become an automatic witness to history and participate in the process--even in a small way.

Speaking to Rachel Sterne, founder of citizen journalism site GroundReport, about the integration of citizen journalism and mobile devices, she emphatically linked the two: “Mobile devices are the perfect tool for on-the-ground reporting: they enable event documentation that is instant, rich and location-based. Tools like TwitPic, a photo publishing Twitter application, the iPhone's new YouTube video publishing feature, and the Nokia N97's video streaming ability, empower people to report wherever they are with multimedia capabilities.”

There is plenty of criticism around treating citizen journalism as news, and it has some legitimate grounds. The most prominent ones are the lack of verified sourcing, the often limited analytical skills found in many articles, and devaluation of the professional reporting. But criticism aside, this movement promises to grow as more people around the world connect using their mobile device. “As the trend of ground reporting grows, the challenge for citizen journalism organizations is to distinguish fact from fiction," says Sterne. "This need will only grow as the world becomes savvier in using mobile devices and content production tools to document events and share information. These are early days for the phenomenon. Eventually, citizen reporting will be just another crucial element of the mainstream news production process, an information source that is part of every journalist's toolkit”.

Beyond just reporting events, this trend highlights a redefined sense of “me” in the new generation. In the past, community participation often had to dominate the members’ individuality to exist. Within citizen journalism, both the indivudual and the group can coexist. It promotes individual activity and sourcing, while enabling the person to still take part in something bigger than them. It also proves the value of Twitter--and  the lifestreaming concept as a whole--beyond telling people what you are eating for lunch.

Social Media’s Effect on Learning [AllThingsD]
Research of University of Washington is showing that online social networking actually helps learning processes. The interaction activates certain parts of the brain way more than watching TV, for example.

The Rise of Iran's Citizen Journalists [BBC News]
Armed with cell phones, the Iranians redefined the modern protest movement. These new media habits have integrated into Iran's society, and news sources are relying now on these millions of eyes to keep them informed.

Teens Don’t Tweet; Twitter’s Growth Not Fueled By Youth [Nielsen Wire]
According to new Nielsen research, only 16% of Twitter users are under 24, and a mere 6.6% of teens have even tried it (compared to 12.1% for over 25).

If Microsoft Wants Yahoo’s Mobile Search, They’ll Have To Earn It [mocoNews]
Although Microsoft and Yahoo entered an exclusive search engine relationship, Yahoo retains the right to use other providers for their mobile presence to avoid limitations, as the platform grows and evolves.

QR Code Sand Castle [CScout Japan]
A Toyko-based company build a giant QR code out of sand on a Shonan beach, which was actually readable by most phones. Check it out: Sinap Summer 2009 Project.

Wish Upon a Mobile Phone [textually.org]
For the launch of the Android HTC on Vodafone, Marvellous developed "The Wish Factory": Users describe what they wish their mobile could do, get ranked by others, and one wish will actually be granted.

Death Of Advertising, Birth Of Collaboration? [PSFK]
As the model of one-way advertising is slowly dying, a more collaborative form of marketing is taking shape--from crowd-sourced initiatives to mutual beneficial partnerships.

How Gen-Y Startups Use Social Media to Shatter the Status Quo [Mashable]
By integrating the social media sphere at the basis of their business plans,  Gen Y s entrepreneurs are leveraging what they know best, to get them where they want to be.

Spotify Is Already Out For iPhone (Unofficially) [moconews]
Spotify, a streaming music service, has been getting rave reviews in Europe as it tries to make a successful freemium model.They've built an Android app, but there's been doubt as to whether Apple would allow their client onto the iPhone as their unlimited on-demand music could cannibalise the iTunes Store. It seems some have gotten tired of waiting, though, and have jailbroken their phones to load the app.

Use Your iPhone to Track Your Happiness [Fast Company]
A PhD student from Harvard has released an app (based on a previously-implemented SMS diary platform) that enables you keep tabs on your happiness. It pings you at  regular intervals throughout the day, asking for your input. The hope is to get a broader picture of trends in your mood and what factors are behind them.

Drive for The 'Augmented' Stadium [BBC News]
Folks at the University of Glasgow behind the "smart stadium" project are creating software that links fans' smartphones into a network so they can easily share messages, images and video. This would enable both spectators and at-home viewers to share their thoughts, impressions, and feelings while watching the game.

iWantMore [trendcentral]
A selection of iPhone gadgets that will boost your photo and video experiences:

>>Zgrip iPhone Pro: A simple, yet effective grip for the iPhone. It takes away all the shakiness when filming, offering more stable memories.

>>MiLi Pro: Due in September, this small device is a video projector for your favorite mobile phone.

>>The Quattro: Allows for lens attachments on the camera,  improving zoom and image quality. It also serves as a protective case.

UK Text Donations Will Be VAT Free [velti]
In an effort to promote and boost SMS donations, the Mobile Data Association has decided to strip all VAT from SMS donations in the UK.

Advertisers, Consumers Disagree on Ad Effectiveness [MarketingVOX]
Research from Harris shows some differences in how advertisers and consumers perceive different types of ads: 39% of advertisers use empathy while 75% consumers say this has little to no effect, 25% of ads use motivational speech while 2/5 of consumers say this doesn't work.

Monetize The Audience, Not The Content [A VC]
With the NY Times looking to monetize it's online articles, whatever decision could make or break the future of the newspaper. Online/mobile ads need to get money from people that want to pay, not from everyone who uses it.

Barcode Replacement Shown Off [BBC News]
MIT researchers have just finished developing a new barcode format, called Bokodes. The new format is 0.1 inches, can hold a thousand times the information of regular barcodes and can be read by any mobile phone camera.

Tweet Your Senator: Healthcare Reform Gets a Presidential Mashup [Mashable]
Although tweeting in the White House is officially banned, BarackObama.com has launched a new feature that lets users tweet their senators to support health care reform.

Iran: Regime Uses SMS Messages to Threaten People [textually.org]
The Ministry of Intelligence in Iran is sending out texts to warn citizens that they should stop to engage in "illegal gatherings" or risk arrest and interrogation.

It's On With Alexa Chung' & The 'New' Convergence [YPulse]
MTV's new TRL-replacement, "It's on with Alexa Chung," seeks to use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as mechanisms for audience participation. Anastasia asks whether this type of interactivity a.k.a. "convergence" a.k.a. MTV's way of "recognizing and embracing what they’re [our audience] doing" will make "It's On" a hit.

Best Buy Challenges Walmart on Employee Smarts [AdAge]
According to BestBuy's CMO, Barry Judge, the retailer is focusing its budget on new media, including mobile. Next week's Sunday circular will for the first time include short-code text messages, allowing consumers to text message and receive more info about a product. "We're thinking about mobile and its ability to be a response device, so essentially every ad can turn into a response ad, because everyone has a mobile phone in their pocket," he explains.

Q&A with Clay Shirky on Twitter and Iran [TED]
Some great points on how real-time interactive tools like Twitter are giving ordinary citizens extraordinary new powers to impact real-world events, as we're seeing in Iran this week. Could this "hashtag activism," as we'll call it, actually make a difference? Shirky points out that "even if it's just retweeting, you're aiding the goal that dissidents have always sought: the awareness that the outside world is paying attention is really valuable."

Mindblowing #IranElection Stats: 221,744 Tweets Per Hour at Peak [Mashable]
While numbers can be off, these trends clearly demonstrate that social media has been front-and-center in the Iran election protests. The Iranian government has reportedly been trying to censor some of this communication, but clearly people are finding ways around it.

Tangled Web of Technology Can Be Both Boon and Bane [AdAge]
Global marketers are turning to mobile when trying to package a global mission into local experiences.

Brands on Twitter: When silence is the best policy [econsultancy]
With over 4 million users on Twitter, there is a lot of noise on the service. And brands need to avoid creating more of it.

Turn your iPhone into an art gallery, for cheap [MobileCrunch]
Personalizing your device just got a lot cheaper--and cooler--with “Start Mobile” iPhone Galleries. Each feature a bundled collection of curated artist wallpapers, delivered as 99¢ iPhone apps, and provide a much needed alternative to iTunes clipart.

Celebrity, Product and Joke Names Grabbed as Facebook Vanity URLs [NYT Bits Blog]
Speaking of personalization, nearly 6 million Facebook members have registered a custom name since the feature became available late Friday night.

Mobile? Tethering? Yeah But... [Future Perfect]
What good is a mobile phone if its plugged in? Chipchase gives some examples of countries skirting the power issue with standardized cables (Japan), top-up batteries sold at convenience stores (Japan again), chargers in fast food joints (India) and restaurants (China).

Nokia to Offer Life Tools for Rural Mobile Users [CIO]
Nokia plans to roll out its Life Tools suite of services (including local weather forecasts, advice on growing crops, English lessons, and advice on taking exam) to more emerging markets following a successful pilot program in India.

Smartphone Rises Fast From Gadget to Necessity [NYTimes.com]
Despite the recession, people are still opening their wallets for smartphones, mostly to keep up with the social expectation is that one is nearly always connected and reachable almost instantly via e-mail. The smartphone is the instrument of that connectedness — and thus worth the cost, both as a communications tool and as a status symbol.

iPhone Augmented Reality [Fast Company]
Now that the iPhone has a compass, expect to see a wave of Augmented Reality applications--and pedestrian collisions.

Layar
The first mobile Augmented Reality browser premiered in the Netherlands, check it out here.

Down The Mobile Anti-Marketing Hole [Mediapost's MobileInsider]
The last thing your marketing campaign should provoke is frustration. So despite the lure of using not-yet-mainstream technologies like 2D barcodes, simplicity is always key.

How Mobile Makes Bricks-and-Mortar Retail Accountable [AdAge]
Our piece with Tribal DDB's Christine Lin on how mobile marketing can do for traditional commerce what online advertising did for e-commerce: make it measurable.