Faithfull readers -
Earlier today I was on the lookout for mobile media portals, 3rd party products that can run on operators' mobile platforms allowing them to earn revenue from the data streaming across their networks without having to deal with bothersome issues such as IPR protection and censorship.
While I found that providers of these platforms are indeed slowly emerging and gaining a place in the mobile media value chain, my feeling is that despite all the arguments about the user-interface (UI) challenges of mobile rather than internet media consumption, it will still probably be the main search engines and internet portals who establish dominance in the mobile media world.
For this reason, I'm going to highlight today 2 search engine newsbriefs from UCLA's AsiaMedia Program.
The first, "Cyworld-Emphas merger alerts Naver," discusses a recently announced merger in the South Korean serach engine space that will bring together SKT's Cyworld SNS (Social Networking Service) and Nate portal with the Empas search engine. While the move was expected and the article maintains that the deal will bring competition to Naver, the leading portal, I think another key story here is how bringing these three roles (SNS, Portal, Search Enging) together under one roof points the way to an online experience where peer connection, algoroithm, and editorial contributions all work in parallel to guide surfing behavior. I expect it will be more than just search technologies that spread across all three new partners.
The second article, "Google receives license to provide Internet content in China," discusses the recent ICP (Internet Content Provider) license Google received in China. If the industry matures the way many observiers think it will, Google may well continue to develop its impotance in both internet and mobile searching in China.
That's all for today. Thanks,
Gary
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Daily News
A few pieces of news I liked today:
1. iPhone requires server-side components. I wonder how many operators will migrate to a business model whereby they relegate control of some of their more profitable services (media) to 3rd parties. Some of this is happening with Mobile TV already, but I know operators will do all they can to try not to let this happen. Anyone seen a really forward-looking operator media platform initiative recently?
2. Baidu bowls Google a fastball. Baidu is expanding internationally. First Japan, then Europe, then the world...
3. QQ to enter the CRM service market. I'm happy to see Tencent bringing IM to China's CRM market. I'm not sure how many small and medium Chinese businesses currently have sufficiently mature internet strategies to demand real-time customer communication tools, but it's a step forward nonetheless...
4. Korea to regulate user generated content. The upcoming regulations place copyright and other content burdens on the creator. Much of Korean UCC is already created using a real-name registration system. Its not yet clear to what degree this will spread to the rest of Asia...
5. Music piracy in Asia fact sheet. Synovate released an interesting report recently. Here are some of the key figures.
1. iPhone requires server-side components. I wonder how many operators will migrate to a business model whereby they relegate control of some of their more profitable services (media) to 3rd parties. Some of this is happening with Mobile TV already, but I know operators will do all they can to try not to let this happen. Anyone seen a really forward-looking operator media platform initiative recently?
2. Baidu bowls Google a fastball. Baidu is expanding internationally. First Japan, then Europe, then the world...
3. QQ to enter the CRM service market. I'm happy to see Tencent bringing IM to China's CRM market. I'm not sure how many small and medium Chinese businesses currently have sufficiently mature internet strategies to demand real-time customer communication tools, but it's a step forward nonetheless...
4. Korea to regulate user generated content. The upcoming regulations place copyright and other content burdens on the creator. Much of Korean UCC is already created using a real-name registration system. Its not yet clear to what degree this will spread to the rest of Asia...
5. Music piracy in Asia fact sheet. Synovate released an interesting report recently. Here are some of the key figures.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Pioneers on the road to my dream
Finally, after trying for 10-months, I'm going this Monday to Mobile Monday Beijing.
What is Mobile Monday you may be asking? Mobile Monday is an international knowledge sharing network for the wireless industry. It helps people like me know who is doing what in the industry and what important trends to try and keep on top of.
I know the best time to have gone to Mobile Monday would probably have been last fall when I was looking for work in the industry, but circumstances conspired against me. What is it then that makes me decide to go this time for sure?
The answer is the topic, Mobile Social Ventures! Now I'm currently doing a few projects on corporate social responsibility and in my time at the World Bank I did a fair bit of work on development, and even the use of technology to support development, but in the context of my current private sector consulting activities, it's often hard to see the links between these social engagements and the business-orientation of my industry as a whole.
Yet murmurs have been growing for a few years now about new business models whereby businesses, no less profit-oriented than they are today, nevertheless make contributions to society either as a by-product of their main businesses or (ideally) as the core offering of the business itself.
Next Monday's talk promises to highlight some of these emerging business models that help wireless companies make healthy profits through the provision of social goods.
I'm always hesitant about putting my dreams on paper, but I've been saying for some time that a goal of mine is to develop the consulting skills necessary to aid the financial and business planning of mobile social ventures such as we will be talking about at the meeting. I hope that some of what we discuss on Monday and some of the people I meet at the discussion will help me move one step closer to this dream.
Peace.
What is Mobile Monday you may be asking? Mobile Monday is an international knowledge sharing network for the wireless industry. It helps people like me know who is doing what in the industry and what important trends to try and keep on top of.
I know the best time to have gone to Mobile Monday would probably have been last fall when I was looking for work in the industry, but circumstances conspired against me. What is it then that makes me decide to go this time for sure?
The answer is the topic, Mobile Social Ventures! Now I'm currently doing a few projects on corporate social responsibility and in my time at the World Bank I did a fair bit of work on development, and even the use of technology to support development, but in the context of my current private sector consulting activities, it's often hard to see the links between these social engagements and the business-orientation of my industry as a whole.
Yet murmurs have been growing for a few years now about new business models whereby businesses, no less profit-oriented than they are today, nevertheless make contributions to society either as a by-product of their main businesses or (ideally) as the core offering of the business itself.
Next Monday's talk promises to highlight some of these emerging business models that help wireless companies make healthy profits through the provision of social goods.
I'm always hesitant about putting my dreams on paper, but I've been saying for some time that a goal of mine is to develop the consulting skills necessary to aid the financial and business planning of mobile social ventures such as we will be talking about at the meeting. I hope that some of what we discuss on Monday and some of the people I meet at the discussion will help me move one step closer to this dream.
Peace.
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