The following links are provided for users who are using assistive technologies such as screen readers and for users who would prefer to navigate with the keyboard

There is also a back to top of page link at the end of all pages

Don’t get caught on the hop

As the number of mobile internet users begins to explode exponentially the need to formulate a mobile content publishing strategy can no longer be ignored.

The  honeymoon is over. Sure I still love my iPhone but the days of playing and downloading apps just to see what they will do are gone. Today my iPhone is just another productivity tool that most of the time I take for granted.

So it is with every piece of fundamentally disruptive technology.

I’m no longer conscious of how frequently I use my iPhone – I just know I use it a lot. I compulsively check email, keep up with the news, check the weather, navigate, listen to music and surf the web. I assume that I am always “online” with even the slightest loss in connectivity leaving me decidedly uncomfortable.

You may or may not identify with me today. Indeed, you may just attribute my comments to the fact that I’m a technical person and technical people “do that sort of thing”. It’s true, I am a bit of a geek but I’m also keen to impress on everyone the fact that my behaviour is not atypical. We all appreciate how busy the world has become. We are all always short of time, and it’s this pervasive urgency that is driving mobile computing development. Like email, which now includes us all regardless of our “geekiness”, it’s only a matter of time until the burgeoning wave of mobile behaviour begins to impact you both personally and professionally. With regards to we, we also have to accept that mobile computing is the way most of us will use the Internet most of the time in the very near future.

So, what’s my point?

The truth is I’m astounded by how few of our clients have a mobile publishing strategy. How could this be? I sure see enough iPhones on meeting tables everywhere I go.  My guess - most just don’t know where to start – and the remainder are struggling with understanding the demographics of a mobile user. Getting across what it means to design for a mobile’s browser can be challenging. Then, there’s the impact for current content authoring. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all a bit too hard. Well, it doesn’t have to be.

With MySource Matrix as your underlying content framework you already have the tools to set up a default context called Web and another context called Mobile where you show different content to mobile users.

In summary; the time for prevarication is long gone. As the number of mobile Internet users explode the need to be proactive in formulating your strategy has become urgent and if you haven’t been asked for you feedback on a mobile content publishing strategy yet, it’s only a matter of time. It’s time for everyone to get informed and a great place to start is by reading our new whitepaper on the Mobile Web.

John-Paul Syriatowicz