Open Gardens

Are video advertisements like Brightcove destroying the web experience?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:14:18 +0000

I was trying to read an artice on wired .. It is practically unreadable because it waits for 'Brightcove'. This is very painful .. and I notice similar experiecnce from Linkedin as well i.e. the ad does not even display .. it simply waits .. (so therefore the ad takes FAR longer to play out) .. Is this common? Note this is not about the ad itself .. but rather that these servers seem to have a longer delay thereby making the ad(if you can call it that since it does not even show!) longer. Anyone else seeing this?

Is a 45% drop in the rate of Amazon deforestation related to the death of the newspaper industry?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:37:23 +0000

The rate of deforestation in the Amazon has dropped by 45% and is the lowest on record since monitoring began 21 years ago, Brazil's government says. This is GREAT news. Are we seeing the green effects of the death of the newspaper industry? There have been recessions before - but not a 45% drop in rate of deforestation. The difference now is - newspapers are dying I wonder if anyone is investigating the green effects of the death of the newspaper industry? i.e. it would be interesting to see if a 45% drop in the rate of Amazon deforestation is related to the death of the newspaper industry .. But this is great news for the rest of us .. and for the Planet .. Image source: The Economist

The acquisition of Admob by Google is as big as the launch of the iPhone

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:54:17 +0000

The acquisition of Admob by Google is a seminal moment .. Much like the launch of the iPhone. That might seem like an exaggeration, but I think it indicates a turning point for the industry .. And a wake-up call for both the advertising industry and Telecoms. Consider this .. The traditional ad agencies could not build an off portal ad engine. They are still stuck in the mindset of 'creatives' and 'Digital' to TOTALLY miss the boom in mobile advertising. I met a senior ad exec once who said that their agency specialises in 'Digital' .. I half jokingly asked him . If he had worked on 'Analogue'(i.e. opposite of Digital) .. he took it as a compliment and launched into a debate of how wonderful the days of TV were for the advertising industry (when the revenue, rates and metrics were predictable and their audience did not 'talk back') ... I did not really expect him to understand mobile, let alone the Internet. The guy was in a 1980s time warp .. His mind(and heart) lay with TV.. If agencies do not evolve, then one has to question their long term existence .. See The elephant in the room: Can agencies be a part Agency 2.0? Now, consider Telecoms. The Admob story is also a big win for the off-portal strategy. I cannot say the same for Advertising initiatives confined to specific Operators since it's hard to see how they can match the billions of impressions. With players like Apple and Google, the rate of change for Telecoms now mirrors that of the Web and new thinking is needed going forward. However, many in the industry still like to base their strategies and reports towards the Operator - partly for historical reasons, partly because they believe that's their customer. But why is this acquisition such a big landmark? The Admob acquisition and growth reflects a deeper trend by the customer towards Mobile Web and Mobile Apps. It indicates that Mobile Web and Mobile Apps are becoming the most significant elements of the Mobile industry surpassing both Voice and SMS in importance. Why? We all know that Mobile Web and Mobile Apps are a significant(if not primary) mode of access to the Web for many people .. but the Admob figures indicate that the manner of access is significant .. Historically, the belief was - people accessed the Mobile Web with an 'intent' (such as 'find my nearest') .. If that were the case, we would never have seen such a large number of ad impressions. So, the Mobile Web access has become pervasive .. instead if 'intent based' In other words, the Mobile Web (and Mobile Apps) have arrived. And brings good news to Admob, a company which I have been following for a while, knowing Russell Buckley for many years now Google acquires Admob for $750m - Congrats Russell Buckley .. But still .. some old views persist. Just yesterday, Jim Ryan of Motricity said .. "If the mobile internet turns into the general internet, then shame on us" Only Rupert Murdoch springs to mind when I read the comment about paying for news .. And even he would not be so myopic to think that 'mobile' news will be paid for ... So, I think while old views persist, this is a wake up call for the industry

But the Admob acquisition shows that Mobile Web and Mobile Apps have 'arrived'!

Image source: http://www.dft.gov.uk/144130/165189/256478/257655/image001.jpg

Social media 09 event ..

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:38:13 +0000

On Thursday this week there is an eight week focus in London of some 40 social media conference and events. mashup* is the kick off event with the speakers including Sarah Beeny (Channel 4), Robin Wight (President Engine and WCRS) Mat Morrison, Giles Rhys Jones (Ogilvy Group), Andrew Grill and many more This event on Thursday 12th Nov from 14.00 so you can get a good mornings work done, grab a bite to eat on the way and spend an afternoon learning, sharing and understanding how social media is being used across business, government, charity & politics. see more at Social media 2009 event

Don Dodge - exit interview at Techcrunch

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:56:47 +0000

Microsoft loses Don Dodge. Like many people, I feel this was a bad mistake .. In a world where Apps and Appstores make everything into a platform, the value of a person who can engage with third parties effectively is invaluable!

Google acquires Admob for $750m - Congrats Russell Buckley ..

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:49:44 +0000

Google acquires Admob for $750m - Congrats Russell Buckley .. VP alliances of Admob who has been an architect of their vision from the outset. Russell has also been my first two contacts in the industry(Along with Simon Buckingham of Mobile Streams) and its been ten years since I have watched Zagme and then Admob. Very well deserved! It's a great move for both companies and for the industry as a whole. shows Google's commitment to mobile! Very nice note from Omar on their site

There has never been a better time to be in this industry!

From Omar's note - I've been working in mobile for over 7 years now. Before AdMob, I founded two separate mobile startups that never got significant traction. It was so frustrating to build what I knew was an incredible service only to find myself unable to distribute or monetize the product without a carrier or handset deal. Turns out, I wasn't the only one. Talk to any veteran in mobile and they will tell you just how hard it was to get things done only a few years ago. I remember we used to have a cynical saying that summarized both the promise that mobile possessed and the monumental barriers we could not cross: "Mobile is the future, and always will be." That frustration is what led me to found AdMob a few years ago while I was in grad school. Over the years I've been fortunate enough to gather a tremendously talented group of employees. Together we've been a part of helping to create a healthy and vibrant environment where developers and publishers, small and large, can both promote their services as well as benefit from the attention and usage their products attract. In our early days we were focused primarily on the mobile web, and gained immense satisfaction from each new business that our service made possible within the mobile browser. Then came the iPhone. Suddenly, Apple solved so many problems that had plagued mobile for so long. They showed all of us the way forward and their efforts have led to a landslide of rapid improvements in our space. We were so excited by the promise the iPhone represented that we shifted a significant portion of our attention to that device in its very early days. We launched the first iPhone ad units focused on the web and quickly added the capability to run ads in applications. Now with the addition of excellent devices from Palm, Nokia, RIM, and plethora of Android powered smartphones, we have all the preconditions necessary for what will be a tidal wave of mobile browsing and app usage. But let there be no mistake. Our business, and the mobile industry in general, owes Apple a debt of gratitude.

Jonathan Ive's video clip on "getting design out of the way."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:34:59 +0000

loved it!

What future for the mobile phone in a multi-platform world?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:01:08 +0000

Marek Pawlowski, who created the Mobile User Experience conference asked me my views on : What future for the mobile phone in a multi-platform world? (which is also the theme of the MEX conference this year) Here are my views: There was once a notion of the mobile device as a remote control to our life. Initially, that notion was fanciful .. but today it may be closer than we think .. As mobile networks become more open - they will embrace the opportunities from non phone devices. Thus, the phone (if we may call it that) will embrace functionality from other devices. This is already happening. But more importantly, the idea of a 'connection' will be decoupled from the person. People already have more than one phones in many cases .. but devices will also be network enabled. This makes a big difference. So, what technologies/initiatives are making this possible in the near future(three to five years)? If we get that right - then we can indeed predict the role of the mobile device in the multiplatform world Here are my bets a) The Cloud - which unifies the Web, Mobile and social network domains b) The Internet of things enabled through the Cloud / mobile device: The phone becomes a magic wand to the cloud services: Mobile sensor based interface to the cloud to jump start the Internet of things .. c) DLNA d) Smart Grids which provide a 'use case' for ubiquitous computing. I am doing some research in this space if you are interested e) LTE - Why LTE is needed next year f) Femtocells and homegateways Some notes .. I believe that TV(as it is currently) will NOT adapt fast enough .. see I don't need two government funded TV channels - I need a wikipedia button on my Sky remote .. and these developments will be good for the Operator as their network gets deployed into more areas It will also be good for device makers .. The word 'mobile phone' will have no meaning and will be used only as a fallback from the old days - just the the word 'computer' is used today i.e. at one time the primary function of the computer was to 'compute' today .. we take that function for granted .. Comments welcome!

Heroes of the Mobile Screen event

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:00:24 +0000

Our friend Helen Keegan is creating an interesting event called Heroes of the Mobile Screen in London. It's unique feature is that it also brings (alongwith the rest of the industry) secondary school pupils, college students and other members of the same generation together in one room. With speakers like JP Rangaswami, Daniel Appelquist, Doug Richards, Peggy Ann Salz and others, this should be an interesting event. You can see more at Heroes of the Mobile Screen

Are you using readers like Stanza on the iPhone

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:24:22 +0000

Hello I am trying to get some information about books on iPhone. I would be interested to speak to you if you use book readers like Stanza on the iPhone and / or if you read any books on the iPhone or mobile devices. If so, please email me at ajit.jaokar at futuretext.com

The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:51:17 +0000

Every year, I support the The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal - so I thought I should blog about it this year. You can donate through this link

Want to use your Orange iPhone? There's a cap for that

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:08:57 +0000

One of the best headlines I have seen in the guardian ... So essentially, they are saying that they aren't going to stop you from using non-Orange streaming applications, but if you overstep their limits then it's a way that they can enforce the terms of your contract. Read more at .. Want to use your Orange iPhone? There's a cap for that

Excellent techcrunch article: For The Future Of The Media Industry, Look In The App Store

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:06:18 +0000

This is an excellent article from Techcrunch:

Source: For The Future Of The Media Industry, Look In The App Store

Sections I liked are: a) Media scarcity is dead. In the future my son will have a flash drive that he will pay $29 for that will have the capacity to hold all movies and music ever released by a major label, studio or tv/cable network. b) But the entertainment industry has a vested interest in the success of this new type of convergence, as within it lies the secret to its continuing prosperity. The only way to block the incredible ease of pirating any content a media company can generate is to couple said experiences with extensions that live in the cloud and enhance that experience for consumers. Not just for some fancy DRM but for real value creation. c) They must begin to create a product that is not simply a static digital file that can be easily copied and distributed, but rather view media as a dynamic "application" with extensions via the web. d) Even today if you look in the iTunes App Store you will see a myriad range of "Apps" that are just evolved ways to package media. While the traditional part of iTunes still mirrors the product taxonomy of a Tower Records, the App Store is creating a folksonomy of media products. It is where new ideas evolve, thrive and go instinctively based on market power. The App Store is where the action is. This is where evolution is unfolding as direct consumer spending spurs media development. e) In preparing this post, Erick asked me, "Is Apple is a media company?" I thought about that and the answer is really that Apple is what media companies are missing. The missing part of the puzzle is what made media conglomerates such juggernauts in the past. Namely, distribution. f) The internet is stripping them of their control over the how their products are distributed. Media companies used to be able to create scarcity merely by delaying the distribution of their products across different channels--theaters, pay-per-view, DVD, cable channels, network TV, and so on. The internet disrupts this ability to create media scarcity. It is such a huge disruption, in fact, that it threatens the fundamental profit engine of the media business. g) If you are a media exec and you look at your product and at the end of the day it's a digital file that can be copied, then you have a serious problem with your format. Think of your product like a pie chart of the value you are giving the consumer. If 100% of the value is in that file, it is not a sound approach for defending the future of your business. However, if a portion of the experience is derived thorough an integration with a Web component that will yield additional value in functionality or social elements, then it will be more sustainable. There are many such examples emerging in the app store (I am T-Pain, TapTap and many more). Applications that let consumers interact with the media. Create things and share them with their friends. These will not only make the consumer the one who markets your product, but also create an unprecedented level of engagement. That level of engagement will directly map to reduction in piracy as consumers will pay for this experience and wont be able to copy it. h) Sell access and experiences, not media files.

Do we need a global back channel of volunteers to facilitate issue based collaboration?

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:24:33 +0000

Synopsis and Background

This year, I have been nominated to the World Economic Forum's Global agenda for the future of the Internet. This article is based on a discussion paper I created for the World Economic Forum. Ideas and comments welcome. If you want to email me, please contact me at ajit.jaokar at futuretext.com. This discussion paper explores the need to create a global back channel of volunteers to facilitate issue based collaboration. In diplomacy, the idea of a back channel i.e. an unofficial channel of communication between states or other political entities, is well known. As the threats and opportunities for the Internet become global, there is a potentially a need to create a co-responding global network of volunteers and experts who are experts in their own subject matter. The Internet itself was built on these ideas at a lower layer of the stack. In that sense, it is a matter of extending the collaborative ethos of the Internet from the network layer to the service layer. The Web makes such collaboration feasible

Introduction

The Global agenda on the future of the Internet aims to look at the international structures of cooperation and how they should be improved and whether there is space to make them more effective. The main difference of this initiative from other ones is that it aims to develop policy recommendations that have an international component. The goal of the GRI report is to highlight areas where there is potentially an opportunity to address global challenges in a systemic way and identify medium to long-term solutions. On a broader level, 3 dimensions of ideas relevant for drafting a discussion paper were identified: 1. Foundational dimension: what does the Internet stand for on a principles level? 2. Challenges in scoping out the principles. 3. Recommendations for the future

The Challenges

The current Internet has been built upon the End to end principle which advocates that whenever possible, communications protocol operations should be defined to occur at the end-points of a communications system, or as close as possible to the resource being controlled i.e. The nodes are smart (intelligence shifts to the edges of the network) and the network itself is agnostic. This simplicity of the network has led to its phenomenal growth. Any technology that leads to be widely adopted comes under the scrutiny of control elements. The Internet is no different. Ironically, the very success has led to some issues that could not have been foreseen and the Internet is now seen to be under threat from real or perceived dangers. The Challenge now becomes how to preserve the ethos of the Internet (i.e. the end to end principle which has led to its growth) and at the same time overcome some of the challenges facing it. We need to also overcome the secondary challenges ex: Mobility, threats to generativity, incorporation of intelligent devices etc Note that the Internet itself offers no guarantees across the stack - from the packet level (i.e. no guarantee that a packet will be delivered) to the service level. Inspite of this, it clearly 'works' because the ethos of the Internet (based on collaboration, meritocracy and co-operation) is its core strength. This ethos has been shown to work at a network layer (for instance the management of Internet protocols) and the platform layer (open source collaboration models). However, crucially: the ethos of the Internet and its underlying spirit of co-operation is not well understood at the service/user/application layer. We all take for granted the workings of the Internet without appreciating the underlying conversations (often between volunteers) which keeps this mechanism growing in a scale free manner

Technology transforms us from a hierarchy to a Network

Technology raises fundamental questions about the way our societies and economies work. Specifically, • The Internet transforms us from a hierarchy to a network. • The network model is pervasive and natural (brain, neurons, ant colonies etc). It has stood the test of time in nature and is proving resilient on the Internet. • Intelligence, the capacity to manage and also the responsibility shifts to the edge - and that means to the people! Users can share files, content, data, but also computing and storage resources. A shift of value to the edge of the network empowers the individual - and hence is a sacrosanct principle • Convergence is here. We are going from the Internet of computers, to the Internet of people (web 2.0) to the Internet of things. This convergence will 'talk' many languages: through open source, private clouds, Twitter, Skype, LTE.

Collaboration

• The technological mechanisms underlying the Internet are understood but not so it's collaboration mechanisms. Technology is good at connecting - but connections are not collaboration. Thus, we need 'something else'i.e. the missing social/collaborative overlay on top of the Internet. • In a network structure, Self-organization is the paradigm. I.e. a spontaneous creation of a globally coherent pattern out of local interactions. Which is why collaboration is the key. • On first impressions, individuals acting independently could be seen as a mechanism to destroy limited resources. In 1968 Garrett Hardinan the article "The Tragedy of the Commons". The article describes a dilemma in which multiple individuals, acting independently according to their self-interest, ultimately destroy a shared limited resource (commons).However, when economists began to look at ecosystems of commonly managed resources he discovered that often they work quite well. • Natural selection (for instance in Ant colonies, wolves, Geese etc), favours cooperation but under specific conditions. In the paper "A Simple Rule for the Evolution of Cooperation on Graphs and Social Networks" Ohtsukiet al demonstrate that: if the benefit of the altruistic act 'b'divided by the cost 'c', exceed the average number of neighbors, k. cooperation is a consequence of social (and net) viscosity. • We are witnessing a Cambrian explosion in new ideas, enterprises and concepts globally. • In addition to mass collaboration, the Internet takes us from 'mass to niche'. It creates new business models like carpools and couch surfing which are based on collaboration at niche levels

Recommendations and ideas for discussion

If everyone us separated by just 6 links (six degrees of separation), how can we leverage this property going forward?(for trust, Identity etc). In keeping with the emphasis on collaboration, here are some thoughts to consider to extend the ideas of collaboration to a global scale: • Creation of a global 'back channel' i.e. collaborative channel to overcome issues like SPAM etc. These mechanisms of collaboration are the foundation of the Internet and already exist in diplomacy and other circles. These could be extended to issues. The Web makes such collaboration feasible. • A study and taxonomy of collaboration models and their applicability to the issues facing the Internet today • A greater understanding of Peer to Peer and it's role in the future of the Internet • A creation of a 'best practices' document for collaboration and lessons learnt from it • Creating an awareness of the ethos of the Internet and how the same sprit can apply at the service layer of the stack • A blueprint of a social overlay on top of the Internet which would incorporate Trust and Identity • Creating an awareness of the threats to the Internet including threats to the generative nature of the Internet

Conclusions

In diplomacy, the idea of a back channel i.e. an unofficial channel of communication between states or other political entities is well known. As the threats and opportunities for the Internet become global, there is a potentially a need to create a co-responding global network of volunteers and experts who are experts in their own subject matter. The Internet itself was built on these ideas at a lower layer of the stack. In that sense, it is a matter of extending the collaborative ethos of the Internet from the network layer to the service layer. The Web makes such collaboration feasible Comments and ideas welcome! ajit.jaokar at futuretext.com. Image source: http://ayanthianandagoda.org/

Is the uptake of casual games/games for women a myth?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:49:03 +0000

Here is a thought .. A few years ago, Casual gaming was supposed to be a big beneficiary in the near future. Same with games for women (i.e. not games for the typical male audience) Now .. the iPhone is a successful platform across the sexes i.e. we see many women who use the iPhone But the top iPhone games of all times shows mainly male oriented games and / or old favourites There does not seem to be an uptake of casual games or games for women - even when the platform(iPhone) is adopted and used by a wider segment Hence, is the uptake of casual games/games for women a myth?

Update

Many people have said that there is some evidence in terms of comments on games from women etc - but my point is the iPhone offers many data points -ex we know how many women have bought phones - how many games have been downloaded from those phones - etc etc. Yet, there does not seem to be any direct emperical study. There is some good analysis about casual games and the iPhone ex: from venturebeat