Mobile Social Networking

Times are a changing.  If you’re old enough (like a few of us here), you’ll remember the first mobile phones that came out, and how enormous they were.  When people called them bricks, there was a very good reason for it.   So who would have thought , a few years down the line, they’d be as small as a box of matches and that nearly everyone would have one.   In fact, there are so many of us who have them, research conducted by Computer World predicts that by 2012 almost a billion people worldwide will have mobile phones.

With that many users it’s not  hard to see the potential of online marketing, advertising and of course mobile social networking.

Facebook, has been quick off the mark and is already providing an on-the-move service where users can update their profiles, send messages to friends and add to the fun wall.  But they’re not alone, there’s lots of developers eager to take a big bite of the silicone mobile social networking cherry.

The latest is Buzzd and Groovr.  Buzzd that allows you to see what’s going on in your neighbourhood, tell your friends about it, give an up-the-minute rating on events and generally keep in touch on the move.   And there’s also Groovr, which also lets you keep in touch with your mates on a night out, post pictures, leave messages and add videos.

These are just two of the networks available at present, and there will be more not far behind.  As always the question is which will survive and which will die into the mists of obscurity.  Whatever the answer, one thing is clear, the mobile industry is definitely one we should be keeping our eye on as there are likely to be more and more developments for websites, online marketing and social networking.