One of my favourite blog post titles that always makes me smile is ‘200X: Year of Mobile!’ Because even though I am completely addicted to my phone and the internet, so bring on the revolution, it always seems funny when people try and date things that broadly and decisively. – and how much happens in a year on the web anyway! Having said that a few mobile stories have caught my eye recently:
- Pro-Tibet Olympic Protests in San Francisco Aided by Mobile Tech – Over 1,300 text messages were sent to protestors throughout the day using TxtMarks allowing them to co-ordinate their protests and stay in touch. There was also live mobile streaming from those involved on Qik and a Twitter page – overall a really simple bundle of technologies supporting the protestors with mobile as the essential element. Backed up when I spoke to a friend who’s part of the Climate Camp events, who commented on the increasing importance and value of such technologies.
- Texting The Vote…Just Like On ‘American Idol – YPulse who are a fave youth marketing site popped up some speculative thoughts on text-voting for the elections. It appealled after a conversation here about my own annoyance at failing to register to vote for the London Mayoral elections, and how difficult in general government make it for you to get involved. This will increasingly be the perspective of kids who’ve been web surfers since birth, who will find such slow, bureaucratic admin-heavy processes too much of a barrier to engagement.
- You have 1 new message: Little Jimmy has lice – Via Darika at Grapevine Consulting and Stuart at PocketPicks, this clever but yuck application of texting to alert parents to school headlice outbreaks – eww!
Not to mention, seeing my first Spinvox message – very impressive.
All these examples are exciting, innovative, about causes and quite often about reaching young people – even if it is with a nit comb.
