Mobile Social Networking News

The marketing opportunity of mobile social networking

2009-11-10T08:45:40+00:00

Combining two of the hottest channels in marketing today, mobile and social, would seem a marketer's dream: rising mobile usage, consumers flocking to social networks, and social networking emerging as one of the fastest-growing activities among mobile users everywhere. But in reality, putting mobile and social together is not a classic one-plus-one-equals-three scenario. In fact, because mobile and social are still emerging channels, when you put the two of them together, you get an even less mature proposition. Part of the problem is ownership: Who owns mobile marketing, who owns social programs, and who takes responsibility when those lines get not only crossed but also inextricably intertwined? And what steps do marketers take to gain a voice in the conversations taking place across mobile social networks? I go into these and other issues in detail in my upcoming eMarketer report on mobile social networking and location-based services, and it's really in the union of the two where the potential lies for marketers.

Loopt aims for that mobile, social and real-time sweet spot with Pulse

2009-11-10T08:44:28+00:00

Mobile social network Loopt is getting into the real-time game with Pulse, which will bring recommendations for things to do to depending on where you are and what’s popular at the moment. It pulls in data from content partners like Zagat, Daily Candy and Thrillist along with its own users’ activity to figure out which places are busy. CEO Sam Altman calls it “social local discovery” — where should you go given where you are now and what your friends are doing? They’ve also co-opted the idea of “check-ins,” where you update your location as you get into a place like a restaurant or bar.

Mobile Social Networking Blurs Lines

2009-11-10T08:43:17+00:00

I just submitted a draft of new report on mobile social networking, which should be released in early November. It’s a fast-emerging space, and yet another example of consumers moving much faster than marketers. In other words, there are a lot more mobile users on social networks than there are marketers. Part of the reason is the both mobile and social are emerging channels. Combine the two of them together, and well, you have an even less mature proposition. Not necessarily a lack of marketing opportunities, but more complications getting programs off the ground, as I learned from conversations with marketing executives. For example, here’s a snippet from my interview with Adam Broitman, co-founder of Cir.cus:

Mobile social network aka-aki raises ’several millions of euros’ in funding

2009-11-10T08:42:18+00:00

Berlin-based aka-aki, which offers a location-based social network for mobiles, has raised additional funding. The amount of this second round of financing was not disclosed, although the company did say it was ’several millions of euros’. Investors were Creathor Venture and Innovacom. Aka-aki has been running its mobile social networking service for about two years now and says its community is growing much faster than anticipated. Aka-aki’s Roman Hänsler tells me the user base is currently 350,000 users strong and located around the world. The company started generating revenue only last August, mainly through advertising.

Mobile social network Flirtomatic hedges its bets with MetroPCS

2009-11-10T08:41:51+00:00

We’ve been following Flirtomatic for some time on GoMo. The mobile chat and dating service is one of the prime examples of how to launch, advertise and monetise a mobile service. Now the mobile social network has announced a deal with American mobile operator, MetroPCS. But how much use is that really going to be?

Flixster Crosses 8 Million Mobile Users

2009-11-10T08:38:40+00:00

Flixster, a social network for movie fans, is doing pretty well. Earlier this week, Flixster crossed ~ 8M users across their mobile app lineup. Of that 8M, 75% have used the app in the past 90 days. Users are currently rating one movie every 5 seconds, whilst watching ~140 trailers per minute, 24 hours a day.

Zong , A Mobile Payments Platform On Steroids A Potential PayPal Killer

2009-11-09T16:04:26+00:00

Zong has seen tremendous growth over the past year from when the company debuted its mobile payments service from the TechCrunch50 demo pit. Zong’s model of billing micropayments to your cell phone bill caught our eye and sure enough, less than one year later, the startup is picking up serious traction, including a partnership with Facebook to power the purchase of the social network’s new currency. And in 2009 alone, Zong has processed mobile payments for over 10 million unique users worldwide. Today, Zong is launching a new feature that not only expands its payment services, but could make a lasting impact on the micropayments field.

Loopt Acquiring Rival Mobile Social Network GraffitiGEO

2009-11-09T16:02:21+00:00

Some consolidation in the rapidly crowding location-aware mobile social app arena. TechCrunch is reporting that Loopt has acquired rival location-based app developer GraffitiGEO. We’ve pinged both companies for confirmation. Loopt co-founder and CEO Sam Altman confirmed the deal. A newcomer to the space, Y Combinator-backed GraffitiGEO launched this summer; its first product is a hybrid review/voting iPhone app that lets users see restaurants close to them on a map, and give a quick thumbs up or thumbs down. It also supports pithy, Twitter-like reviews.

“Humari Awaz” Pakistan’s 1st Mobile Social Network

2009-11-09T16:01:37+00:00

Pakistan’s first Mobile phone based Social Network, named as “Humari Awaz” will be emerging has emerged soon with assistance from United State of America, announced Secretary Clinton during her visit to Pakistan.

Would You Pay $199 for a Mobile Twitter Device With “Lifetime” Service?

2009-11-05T08:46:56+00:00

If you’re not already familiar with Peek, it’s a company making phone-factor handhelds that aren’t actually phones: for about $15 a month they’ll get you a device with a QWERTY keyboard for checking email and/or sending SMS. Now apparently they have made and plan to market a Peek device that does one thing and one thing only: Twitter (Twitter). There’s already an Amazon page for the TwitterPeek device, and a photo of the packaging has appeared courtesy of Peter Ha