What’s in an mZine?

Publishers have been engaged in a commercial arms race since Caxton first hawked chivalric romances to the nobility of C15 England. Our recent past is more obscure. Who was the first online publisher is a debatable question. My favourite candidate is the magnificently named ezine ‘The Cult of the Dead Cow’ popular in the hacker community of the ‘80’s.

The publisher of ‘Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye’ would find modern online publications remarkably similar to their print forbears. Video and hyperlink aside the home page serves the same function as a magazine cover – promoting brand and articles within.

Sadly the print metaphor does not extend to mobile. MZines are developed for browsing but they lack the space to display content. The ease with which titles could be launched on DOCOMO’s i-mode platform further delayed the emergence of a truly native format.

Apple’s iPhone allows users to download apps which separate presentation and content layers creating a much richer mobile experience. Through products such as Stanza iPhone has become the world’s most popular eBook reader. However iPhone comprise a small fraction of the total mobile audience, insufficient in numbers to attract modern publishers.

I believe Google’s mobile search has enabled publishers to develop the first authentic mZines which exploit the capabilities of mobile devices. mZines will resemble pamphlets, small collections of related articles, which are found through searching the phones deck. Publishers who optimize their content for mobile search will see increased visitor traffic and a greater return for advertisers.

Where might this lead?

Web 3.0 is also the best model for mobile devices. Ultimately publishers will develop mZine channels, Apps for non Apple devices, which will allow users to browse content by theme. Individual titles will comprise commissioned content which is personalized by location or interest.

Tweet 'your dead'

'In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, news of which spread by Twitter...'

An unnecessary article on Social Media Influence goes onto argue Twitter is a form of journalism.

Government mashups

Recovering from two weeks in court my eye was caught by this map on D.C. Pedestrian, Recent crimes in DC. The narratives are poetic in their brevity.

C-1 REPORTS THAT HE MET S-1 ON THE STREET AND AGREED TO MEET AT THE LISTED LOCATION. WHILE AT THE LOCATION C-1 WAS APPROACHED BY S-2 AND S-3. S-2 SAID THIS IS MY HOUSE, YOU''RE GOING TO GIVE ME SOMETHING.

Other topics on the site really lack impact in comparison:
- See how much money you save
- See how much pollution you avoid
- Check out the health benefits

There's more on http://mashable.com/2008/11/13/government-mashups/

Books ditched

The City Academy is to abandon text books in favour of E-books in an attempt 'to eliminate costly tomes.'

I despair.

-- Post From My iPhone

Pattern recognition

G1 excitement tempered at Cimex this week. Highly numerate owners keep getting locked out of their devices. Suggest Google replace visual lock with a geek friendly equation.

-- Post From My iPhone

Bond v Bourne

Emerged from the latest Bond to agree Quantum of Solace is saved by the Second Unit Director.

Was fascinated by the different approach to information technology in both films. The CIA sensibly rely on MMS to direct their killers. HM Government appears to have commissioned their OS from EIDOS.

-- Post From My iPhone

Hidden in plain sight

Mobile phones are poor internet browsers. The screen is too small, you never know how expensive a web page will be to view and navigation is frustrating.

In the real world designers have made the mobile internet accessible by making it smaller – literally. BBC News has been re-imagined as a simpler place with fewer headlines, reduced navigation and simpler content. However ‘mobile lite’ versions of the broadband experience only reinforce the mobile internet as a place to visit when you have time to kill.

The iPhone offers a full fat internet experience from a mobile device, but the truth it a very poor telephone experience. This week the App Store celebrated the real success story of iPhone. 200 million mobile applications downloaded in 16 weeks.

The best of these use place and context to create powerful social tools. A fascinating political app, Obama ’08, turned supporters into fundraisers armed with the latest talking points delivered straight to your phone. These calls would be logged and the ‘stats’ forwards to campaign headquarters in Illinois.

Democrats ‘voting for change’ may be relaxed by this level of oversight. However they may not be so happy when brands attempt to execute similar campaigns.

It’s not necessary to own an iPhone to experience the future. A new generation of location based services (LBS) can turn every mobile into a smart device. These rely on user context (time and place) to provide relevant information. Operators can determine your approximate position using the cellular network so it’s not even necessary to own a GPS phone. Useful if you want to find the nearest coffee shop or hospital. Not so useful when you get spammed by dating services.

Making money to fund location based services is exercising operators, manufacturers and developers equally. The Cloud, Europe’s largest WiFi provider, segments users by age, location and device. This allows advertisers to promote services to specific users. The drawback is that as yet, numbers are insufficient to fund free ‘Hotspots’ in stations and hotels. This unlikely to be the case for long.

The exciting new development is that Mobile search is becoming subjective. The supremely local Moximity demonstrates how to bring social networks into the real world. This service provides a local search based on personal preferences and the ‘traces of friends’.

In the US, dedicated mobile social networks, such as Buddy Finder, allow users to track friends. In the UK some 10% of mobile users access social websites such as Facebook, Bebo and Myspace. These pared down websites still require users to actively publishing information.

This is changing.

As Obama ’08 demonstrates mobile apps can mine personal data. An application which broadcasts your position on the network raises issues of privacy and security. Is it appropriate to be tracked on all occasions, can you turn this functionality off?

The evidence is that users do not use the tools they are given. Less than 5% of users apply privacy controls on Facebook. Managing your mobile profile across time and place is an even more complex mental transaction. Users must consider:
· Time – do I want to be viewed after 8pm?
· Place – do I want to be viewed by colleagues/clients/spouse at weekends?
· Friends – which of my friends can see me?

There is a commercial battle for location based search. Operators have been slow to exploit this market place. Manufacturers such as Nokia and Apple have stepped in with products that detect your location and provide context from details stored on the phone.

Users of these new devices may not be aware how capable they are.