We know them as cell phones, other parts of the world refer to them as Mobile Phones – call them what you wish but one thing we all agree on – these Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives.
For this reason, mobile has become a unique marketing channel. More and more companies are realising that it is essential to develop a mobile communication strategy.

Unfortunately we have all experienced the strange SMS on our mobile phone at weird hours of the night offering us a “buy one get one free thingie in Blikkisfontein” deal on products and services we have no urge to purchase (not to mention that even if we wanted it, we don`t live in Blikkiesfontein anyway).
These unsolicited SMS`s have irritated customers to the point that the marketing campaigns have a negative effect – customers are leaving.
Learning from the mistakes of how advertising emails (SPAM) have plagued email inboxes around the world, it is imperative that mobile marketing doesn`t follow suit.
So here lies the dilemma – a mobile phone is a very personal device so how does a company wishing to make use of Mobile Marketing ensure they don`t upset their customers?

The Solution ….. .Mobi !

.Mobi sites are specifically designed websites that are optimised to work on mobile phones. The consumer simply enters the Mobi url into their phone and can then access the Mobi site. Mobi sites are not `regular` sites just made smaller, but the sites are custom-designed to serve a purpose for the mobile customer.

As there are so many different manufacturers of mobile phones and so many different phone browsers, the developers of the Mobi site need to be able to cater for all of these. Your regular website designer doesn`t have to take into consideration a screen that can be flipped sidewards however mobile phones have the ability to be viewed in landsape and portrait mode.

Therefore, a Mobi site will need to be developed by a Mobile development company with these specific skills. Saying this, Mobi sites are not necessarily a costly development. Mobi sites range in complexity from the very simple to the very integrated – it all depends on the company`s needs and being guided by a Mobile professional.

One can deliver a rich content experience, in full-colour, direct to consumers without invading their privacy. These campaigns range from promoting a single product or campaigns launching new services to one that reinforces the brand by way of a promotion.

"I believe that mobile Marketing is most effective when it is done in conjunction with the company`s marketing strategy. Mobile Marketing can be `once-off` in nature (example: promoting a specific event) or Mobile Marketing can also be `sustained presence` in nature where Mobi sites are permanent sites for the brand to reach their consumers.

.Mobi allows brands/companies to be where the consumers are – at their fingertip no matter where they are. Being available to your customer allows for instant-gratification to satisfy an urge which is converted into a sale.

To illustrate this point: our client, a well-known weight management company, has contacted us with a dilemma of how they can attract more members. After some consultation and research, we have discovered that most of us promise ourselves the same thing: “this year we will lose some weight and exercise more (and this year I mean it!)” Therefore, we have created a Mobi site for the company that instantly allows a new member to work out what their Goal Weight should be and if they are not at Goal Weight, the Mobi site informs them where their nearest Group meets. It also allows them to contact the Group Leader in order to make an appointment – all this happens within seconds, direct from their mobile phone.

Since the introduction of the Mobi site, membership has increased nationally. Both new and existing members use the Mobi site in order to keep in touch with the Weight Management company and follow-up research has shown that the brand is more on top of their minds now that they can access it from their phone.

If you believe in the power and value that the internet can bring to your business then try typing your web address into your mobile phone…..frustrating isn’t it?

The Web has revolutionized how we interact with and publish information, however surfing the internet using one’s mobile phone, whilst being quite convenient, can be a very frustrating and time-consuming exercise if trying to access a non-mobile compliant website. The result is often that people then prefer to wait until they are sitting at a PC than have to try to scroll down and across on their tiny cell phone screen. Added to this is the problem that the majority of South Africans do not have access to a PC yet they more than likely own a cell phone which is a much cheaper means of accessing the internet.

According to Liron Segev of Swift Telecoms, “The problem that exists is that websites have been created to work with powerful PC’s, with a 17” screen, a mouse and a keyboard which means that traditional websites do not function or display correctly on mobile phones. Hence the creation of .Mobi websites whereby a dedicated Mobi site is created to deliver your information to a mobile phone anytime, anywhere there is cell phone coverage, without the current frustrations of non-mobile compliant websites.”

The .Mobi phenomenon has already been widely accepted in the international arena however the need is only now being recognised for South African internet users with larger companies slowly starting to establish a mobile presence.

“Currently a third of the world’s population access the internet through a mobile device. By 2010, it is predicted that this figure will increase to half of the world’s population. This number is twice the size of internet-connected personal computers. Historically, technology has been slow in filtering down to South Africa however, with Mobile, we are leading the way. Corporates have embraced mobile technology such as SMS and now Mobi sites are the next revolution which is going to change the way we do business and how we live our lives.”

According to Segev, mobile development isn’t simply website development made smaller. “A different set of skills is required to take into consideration phone browsers as well as the different makes and models of mobile phones, making .Mobi sites a more involved programming process. Also, a company’s requirements need to be taken into consideration when developing a .Mobi site. We need to be smart when working with mobile applications so we tend to encourage corporates to only feature the necessary content, thereby preventing the user from having to sift through unnecessary information and creating a positive interaction with the site for the user, resulting in immediate gratification.”

For more information, visit www.swifttelecoms.co.za or www.swiftholdings.co.za

We have always heard that we need to install the latest firewalls, make sure our anti-virus is up to date, disable and uninstall all unnecessary software etc. etc – all this in order to protect our company’s sensitive data.

Remember the weakest link in the chain – your own employees…

we can attempt to stop all hacker attacks from external to the network, but there is not much that can stop an employee with the correct security access from making copies (be it soft or hard copies) of your data and walking off with it.

in this economic time, when companies are downsizing and cutting job, employees are unsure of their future. SOME are taking some steps to copy sensitive company data. This can be used to start a new job, start own company and in some cases – just for revenge !

“People are worried about their jobs and want to hedge their bets,” he said.

“Our study showed that 59% of people will say ‘I’m going to take something of value with me when I go’.” “

check out this new story by the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7902989.stm)

<Gulp!>

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I just read a great article about passwords – they analysed 28 000 passwords that were stolen from a US website and this is what they found :

“It found that 16 percent took a first name as a password, often their own or one of their children, according to the study published by Information Week.

Another 14 percent relied on the easiest keyboard combinations to remember such as "1234" or "12345678." For those using English keyboards, "QWERTY", was popular. Likewise, "AZERTY" scored with people with European keyboards.

Five percent of the stolen passwords were names of television shows or stars popular with young people like "hannah," inspired by singer Hannah Montana. "Pokemon," "Matrix," and "Ironman" were others.

The word "password," or easy to guess variations like "password1," accounted for four percent.

Three percent of the passwords expressed attitudes like "I don’t care," "Whatever," "Yes" or "No."

There were sentimental choices – "Iloveyou" – and their opposite -"Ihateyou."

 

My additional 5 cents on this – not only must you use a nice long password but also dont use the SAME password for each and every website that you visit.

Its amazing how many people use the same password again and again and again – all it takes is one slip up ….

So if you are reading this and you know that your password is on this above list – CHANGE IT !!!

there is a great book called the 4 Hour Work Week – this will change your life !

Amazon Linked

Get it , read it and implement it !

I read it 5 times and still refer back to it frequently…

So you think that life is hard ?

So this new Credit Crunch making things too tough ?

So you can’t make ends meet ?

So you think you had enough and can’t go on ?

….you have to watch this….

 

unless you have been in a cave somewhere (Osama ?), you will know that more and more people are using their mobile phones to browse the net.

However, since most websites are designed to work with desktop/laptop devices, they either simply do not work or don’t display correction on the mobile phones.

this means that 1.3 billion mobile users in the world can not view these websites.

this is where companies like Swift Telecoms (www.swifttelecoms.co.za) come in – they will evaluate your company’s mobile strategy and will design a Mobi site for you !

Make no mistake – more and more devices are able to browse the web. Even new digital cameras have the ability to upload images directly onto Flicker or You Tube.

the Mobile Internet revolution is starting – just make sure you are not left behind…

December is a tough month – there are lots of presents to buy, holidays to pay for, kids need more pocket money etc. etc. etc.

Coupled with the state of the world economy – its not an easy month financially.

Criminals know this – so they try to cash in.

Please please please – do not be tempted to click on any email that promises “Quick return on your investment” or “you have won the UK lottery” or “Mr wong as selected your email address to win a car”

These are all cons !

They will ask you initially for basic information and then will ask you for a “handling fee” or a “document fee” or “international processing fee” which you must send them so they can release the funds to you – needless to say you pay and then never hear from them again.

For tips on how to tell if an email is Legit or Fake, click here

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This is how to sink to a new low…

 

You have had the unfortunate luck to be in a car accident, before you know it (and before the authorities arrive) there are 3 or 4 tow trucks all around you each ready to tow you car for you.

You decide not to  but rather use your AA or your insurance recognised tow truck service– but your cell phone has no signal !

 

Strange ?

 

Not really – its ir rumoured that the Tow Truck drivers are using cell phone jammers to clock your cell phone from working ! This way, you are forced to use their “services”  and cant call anyone else.

 

This is ridiculous – what happens if there is a medical emergency and you need to call the ambulance ? or if this is hijacking and you need to call the police ? or you just want to call a loved one ?

 

So be aware – if this happens to you, all you need to do is move away from the tow trucks  (anything from 10 meters to 30 meters) and your phone will work again.

 

All I can do is shake my head and say “no comment”

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Hot off the press:

Sony is recalling 440 000 units world wide as they have discovered that there is a possibility of the laptops overheating and causing burns (and even catching on fire !). The problem has been traced to a wiring issue.

The company said the recall is for the following series:
VGN-TZ100
VGN-TZ200
VGN-TZ300
VGN-TZ2000

So if you have one these, please make sure you get them checked out !

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