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Reed Hundt: On the Future of Mobile Media and Social Networks

Published September 13th, 2007 in Misc.. 0 Comments

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Reed Hundt, the former Chariman of the FCC, writes about the true larger trends for mobile media and services over at the TPMCafe…here is a key quote from his posting:

“The inevitable corollary will be that mobile devices provide the primary mode of access to the Internet. Mobile computing devices — laptops and “tweeners” (objects between cellphones and laptops) — will become the primary means of using microprocessor power, at least for consumers.

The means for forming groups, gathering information, developing beliefs, sharing values, and taking action –what we apprehend now as social networks — will become as widespread and effective as mobile communications itself. The handheld device will become the essential technology for performing the mechanical job of interacting within and between societies.

No single part of government in the United States pays much attention to these trends …the implications of the new mobile web vastly outstrip government’s capability to think about those implications …Businesses in this field, on the other hand, are well aware of what’s going on.”

Next Generation of Voters: Tweens and Technology

Published September 4th, 2007 in Misc.. 0 Comments

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In another sign of the “next generation” of voters… A recent survey of “tweens” showed their most desired items to buy as they go back to school…

69% of the students aged between 7 - 12 years old “say they strongly desire a cell phone to complete their back-to-school wares, even naming the new iPhone as one of their choices.”

“When asked what one item they most wanted before hearing the first school bell, the 10-12 year olds who responded to the online survey listed cell phones and computers above their interests for a new backpack or book bag…”
And this is part of a larger trend:
“…Compared to the 2006 ShopLocal survey for teenagers ages 13-17, there was an 18 percent increase among those who said they most wanted a new cell phone and a 15 percent decrease in those who most wanted clothing or accessories.”

Social Networks and the 2008 Elections

Published August 23rd, 2007 in Industry Statistics and Research and Internet and Politics News. 4 Comments

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A GMI poll was just released on the effect of Social Networks like Myspace and Facebook on the 2008 election. It had some very interesting findings:

“The poll revealed that 17 percent of consumers have looked at presidential candidates’ MySpace, Facebook, or other social networking pages.”
and that “it’s not just youngsters who are checking out the candidates’ profiles: 62 percent who say they’ve looked at a candidate’s MySpace or Facebook page are over 30.”

After visiting a candidate’s page, more than half (53 percent) say they are more likely to vote for the candidate…. Sixty-four percent say they felt like they personally knew the candidate better after visiting their social networking page….”

And also: “41 percent say MySpace and other social networking sites will affect the presidential race and 51 percent think voter turnout among young adults will increase due to social networking sites like MySpace.”

Here is the press release about the poll:
http://www.gmi-mr.com/gmipoll/release.php?p=20070821

New Numbers on Text Messaging in America

Published July 30th, 2007 in Misc.. 0 Comments

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New numbers on text messaging adoption from Jupiter Research, as described in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

“About 52 percent of the roughly 226 million cellphone users across the country sent a text message in 2006, according to JupiterResearch. That’s up considerably from 44 percent the previous year.

And the growth is expected to continue through 2011, when 6 out of every 10 wireless users are texting, according to JupiterResearch.”

Washington Post: “Text-Friendly Hopefuls Vie For Hearts And Thumbs”

Published June 30th, 2007 in Misc.. 0 Comments

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Be sure to check out the front page article in today’s Post on text messaging and the 2008 election, a number of folks - including myself - are quoted talking over the early efforts this cycle at using the new medium….

The article is a good snapshot of US mobile political action circa 2007… so far…

Blue Man Mobile

Published June 18th, 2007 in Misc.. 0 Comments

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From the NY Times… this article shows about 10% to 16% audience response to contests at concerts and plays:

“For a similar promotion with a tour of the rock-oriented theatrical production Blue Man Group, an average of 16 percent of audience members sent text messages, Mr. Bazadona said.

In a tour that covered 60 cities in 90 days, about 50,000 people sent text messages. “This means that each night, 16 percent of the house is leaving the theater with Blue Man Group somehow represented on their mobile phone,” Mr. Bazadona said.”

Recent Polling on Cellphone ONLY households…

Published May 14th, 2007 in Misc., Mobile News and Industry Statistics and Research. 1 Comment

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From the AP news:
“More than a quarter of young adults have only cellphones, making them the leading edge of a strengthening move away from traditional landline telephones, a federal survey showed Monday…

One in four people aged 18 to 24 had only cellphones, as did 29% of those aged 25 to 29, the study showed. The percentages declined with age after that, with 2% of those 65 or over having only cellphones.

The trend away from landline phones affects the telephone industry, 911 emergency service providers, and government and private polling organizations, which rely heavily on random calls to households with wired telephones.

“All those wireless adults are missed” in those marketing and opinion surveys, said Stephen Blumberg, senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an author of the report.

That’s a potential problem because people with only cellphones tend to be disproportionately young and have lower incomes. Studies have so far concluded that cell-phone-only users are not a large or diverse enough group to affect the accuracy of broad polls that omit them.

The data, from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, also found:

•15% of Hispanic adults, 13% of black adults, 12% of Asians and 11% of whites had only cellphones;

•22% of the poorest adults had only cellphones, double the rate for those who are not poor;

•13% of males and 11% of females had cellphones only;

•Nearly 2% of adults had no phone at all.”

A good question

Published May 11th, 2007 in Industry Statistics and Research and Internet and Politics News. 0 Comments

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…From AP News…And expect this same trend to hit the political ad space with a fury:

“Where have all the TV Viewers gone? In TV’s worst spring in recent memory, an alarming number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show….

Scariest of all for the networks, however, is the idea that many people are now making their own television schedules. The industry isn’t fully equipped to keep track of them, and as a result the networks are scrambling to hold on to the nearly $8.8 billion they collected during last spring’s ad-buying season.

“This may be the spring where we see a radical shift in the way the culture thinks of watching TV,” said Sarah Bunting, co-founder of the Web site Television Without Pity… This year, for the first time, Nielsen is measuring viewership in the estimated 17 percent of homes with digital video recorders….

If you recorded “Desperate Housewives” this spring and watched it more than 24 hours later, you’re not counted in the show’s ratings. Same thing if you bought a copy of a show on iTunes and watched it on your iPod or cell phone, or streamed an episode from a network Web site.

“People are not consuming less television, they’re watching it in different ways, and the measurements haven’t caught up,” said Alan Wurtzel, chief research executive at NBC (owned by General Electric Co.).

The numbers can be significant. When “The Office” aired on NBC on April 5, Nielsen said there were 5.8 million people watching. Add in the people who recorded the episode and watched it within the next week, and viewership swelled to 7.6 million, a 32 percent increase, Nielsen said.”

Next Generations of Voters and Cell Phone Ownership

Published May 7th, 2007 in Industry Statistics and Research. 0 Comments

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New Numbers from IGR Research:
“…according to a major new multiclient study from iGR, approximately 50 to 70 percent of 12- to 14-year olds have their own cell phones. Penetration among those aged 15 to 17 years is even higher; the vast majority have used a cell phone for more than two years. Moreover, a significant percentage of 5 to 9 year olds now have their own cell phones… The biggest finding in this study, compared to iGR’s 2005 groundbreaking study, is that given the above usage and penetration data, the new battleground for handset OEMs and mobile operators in the teen/tween segment is now among children aged 10 and under.”

Half of Mobile Internet Users Use Mobile Search

Published April 25th, 2007 in Industry Statistics and Research. 0 Comments

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From the latest research at iCrossing on Mobile Search:
“30% of mobile users access the Internet on their mobile devices, 75% of those who do also conduct searches. In addition, the study finds that users prefer to search via the major search engines rather than via carriers’ mobile platforms… 50% of them doing so several times a week…”

Mobile Democracy Blog by Media 50 Group

Reed Hundt: On the Future of Mobile Media and Social Networks

Next Generation of Voters: Tweens and Technology

Social Networks and the 2008 Elections

New Numbers on Text Messaging in America

Washington Post: “Text-Friendly Hopefuls Vie For Hearts And Thumbs”

Blue Man Mobile

Recent Polling on Cellphone ONLY households…

A good question

Next Generations of Voters and Cell Phone Ownership

Half of Mobile Internet Users Use Mobile Search

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