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Social Networking on Your Phone? Not So Much Now, but Soon

posted on May 26, 2008


By Michelle Greer

There is nothing more annoying than trying to browse the web on a tiny mobile phone screen. Viewing one page on the web is hard enough. Conducting searches, updating web content, or watching a YouTube clip on a run-of-the-mill cell phone is nothing more than a painful experience.

It’s no surprise then that social networking is not very popular on mobile phones. According to a a survey conducted by Local Mobile Search, only 6% of the 1,022 respondents to a survey on the topic have actually used their mobile phones for social networking. However, 30% of respondents said they were interested in the idea of using their cell phones this way. 10% showed a “keen interest” in mobile social networking.

Will more and more consumers use their phones to arrange Tweetups, plug local restaurants on their Facebook page or blog, or stream sporting events on Qik? Apple’s release of the second generation and rumored 3G iPhone should help this push. One can only anticipate that other U.S. phone distributors will follow Apple’s lead by making it easier and easier to socialize using the web.

About Michelle Greer

Michelle Greer is an internet marketer/geek out of Austin, Texas. You can find her writings about ecommerce at onlinebusiness.volusion.com and her social networking blog at michellesblog.net.


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  • http://foolishmumbles.com Top Rated

    I think your right Michelle. Give the fanaticism that is social networking, it’s only a matter of time before it permeates the mobile market. Time and as you say, and some better hardware in the hands of users. Social networking already scares me enough by being such a time sink, I may never buy a new cell phone.

    Top Rated’s last blog post..My Six Word Memoir

  • http://www.barbaraling.com Barbara Ling

    I think it will certainly grow and grow….more and more people are using their mobile phones to access the Internet for all sorts of information gathering/networking reasons. It’s one of the reasons why I plan on getting my iPhone or Blackberry Bold this summer…

    Barbara

    Barbara Ling’s last blog post..77 Great resources regarding Happy Memorial Day!

  • http://www.gadgets4nowt.co.uk PS3

    I’ve just got my first iPhone and experience the web on a mobile device, so looking forward to mobile social networking.

  • http://exposedseo@gmail.com seo dude

    It is still not so practical. I’m talking about connection speed and resolutions even though new browser technologies and website accessibility makes it doable.

  • http://www.absolveonline.com web design

    I have used face book on my phone and honestly, I don’t really see the point..I’m never so desperate that I cant spend 2 days with out it

  • http://www.dksp.dk Speedbådskørekort

    Whats the ppoint of telling your network that you are bored sick and have to write a status message on your mo bile?

  • http://www.nickmarketing.com Ken Nickless

    I personally can’t see the point of using a mobile for any internet based programs until the phone manufacturers make a mobile with a keypad that can be operated with both hands! (Roughly the same size as my notepad)

  • http://sachendra.wordpress.com Sachendra Yadav

    I couldn’t agree more. I have gone through a couple of mobile social networks out there and they are nowhere near my expectations. So I decided to list down a few scenarios.

    Sachendra Yadav’s last blog post..What I want from my Mobile Social Network

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/mallix Mallix

    O please – nobody here heard of Opera Mini? Been using it on my mobile for ages, and it supports all my fav sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Flickr etc – it even compresses the info so it loads quicker – sure 3G helps with speed and iPhone has bigger screen but social networking on standard mobile phones has been around for ages – get with the program!

  • http://www.michellesblog.net Michelle Greer

    @Mallix Opera is great, but I still don’t see how you can compare other screens to the iPhone screen in terms of convenience.

    @speedbadskorekort @web design If you have ever been to a conference where everyone uses Twitter, you will see how convenient social networking on a mobile phone can be. Facebook isn’t the only social network.

    @seodude That’s why the 3G network is important. It’s a much faster connection. Sprint has even been talking about their 4G network initiative, but they’ve been talking for some time and I haven’t seen anything about it recently.

    Michelle Greer’s last blog post..$20 Will Help a Family Reconnect after the Burma Cyclone

  • http://www.greatpriceshere.com Nicole

    Mankind will soon be networking only and not working seriously! Such developments will affect productivity. Look at the studies of employees already using up to 40% of the time on personal Internet use during working hours!

  • http://mp3leben.com Tiffany

    If it’s true that social networking permeates the mobile market, I don’t think it will accepted well by the market. Viewing in narrow screen and controlling with a finger is really uncomfortable.

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