David Harper’s Different Things

Mowser is Dead.
Russell Beattie who recently closed down his transcoding service Mowser posted in part, “I think anyone currently developing sites using XHTML-MP markup, no Javascript, geared towards cellular connections and two inch screens are simply wasting their time, and I’m tired of wasting my time,” he wrote. The presence of a separate “mobile Web,” he said, is “limited at best, and dying at worst.” He goes on to say, “Let me say that again clearly, the mobile traffic just isn’t there. It’s not there now, and it won’t be.”

The Mobile Web is Alive.
Not quite Russell. While Mowser may have failed it’s a stretch to imply the Mobile Web is failing as well. No one wants a lame, featureless, stripped down, even “bastardized” version of anything. That is true today, was true a year ago when Mowser launched, and true 8 years ago when “WAP” was first declared dead. Yes, for mobile enthusiasts transcoding service like Mowser can be handy at times but for the masses those “times” have never come and never will. Besides what you end up is not something a brand, business, or individual serious about mobile cares to have presented to their audience — if you are the audience — consume.

On the contrary mobile traffic is building worldwide month on month. This growth is being witnessed across a variety of services — ad networks, social search/discovery services, and emerging mobile analytic services.

Dennis of Wap Review has this to say about it, “The Future of the Web on Mobile Phones.” …and then there is Carlo Longino of Mob Happy with, “The Mobile Web Is Dead. Long Live The Mobile Web.” Then finally, Mike Rowehl (Mowser Co-founder) has his own take with, “What Happened to Independent Thought?“

…And Here Are the “Mobile Analytics” to Support It.
On April 28th in New York, I’ve organized a free MobileMonday NY event that includes panelists from several companies active in mobile analytics and social search - Amethon, Bango, Mobilytics, Resolution Media, Quattro, TigTag, and taptu.

In part, we’ll be discussing insights gained from watching the very real growth of the Mobile Web and what is being learned from the aggregated mobile data and social actions of people. The event is free — learn more and RSVP.

You’re all invited.

Cheers,
David Harper
Founder, Winksite
Co-founder, MobileMonday NY

MobileCamps bring together mobile enthusiasts, explorers and professionals to share the current state and their visions for the future direction of mobility. Nokia Nseries is sponsoring. I’ll be at all three so…

…if you would like to meet up this would be a great opportunity. Email me if you like.

Follow the links below for venue and RSVP information.

October 28th
MobileCampLA
(Free In-N-Out Burgers will be served for lunch from 11:30-1!)

November 3rd
MobileCampSF

November 10th
MobileCampNYC2

Cheers,
David Harper
Founder, Winksite

Re: AdSense for Mobile: Google has competition, I’m making bank with AdMob

Russell writes:
“Wow! A few days ago I noticed my earnings from Google’s mobile ads were starting to taper off around $30 a day, so I decided to flip the switch and start showing AdMob ads again so I could compare what the results would be like with my recently increased traffic. I literally changed one line of code, and everywhere where I had been previously showing Google AdSense, I began showing AdMob ads. POW! I more than doubled my income per day - not only is the eCPM higher in general, but the click through rate is 7%…, which is crazy high. I’m not sure what exactly the difference is - but obviously Mowser users like AdMob ads better - either what they’re advertising, the targeting, how they’re formatted or something.”

Winksite’s take…
We were testing ads from both networks using Winksite’s advertising preferences (publishers can switch between displaying Google & AdMob ads with one click.) After staring at a great number of these ads we observed the following:

Google AdSense Ads

• All text ads are separated from page content with horizontal lines before and after the ad.
• All text ads show a URL after the ad copy.
• All text ads display an “Ads by Google” tag.

AdMob Ads

• WML-based text ads show [AD] at the beginning of each ad.
• iPhone-based text ads shows “Ads by Admob”. Ad is placed within a box with curved corners.
• XHTML-based text ads ONLY display ad copy. No defining box or lines. No “Ads by Admob” tagline.

Now unless I misread AdMob’s recently released Mobile Metrics Report it appears a good number of AdMob’s impressions are served to phones that display the XHTML-based text ads (based on Admob’s worldwide and regional “Top Ten Handset Models” list.) As these ads can be misinterpreted as a link on the page (unlike the other flavor ads across Google and Admob) it’s likely that this could account for the performance Russell is referring to above. I don’t know if this is intentional by design or an oversight. I also don’t know enough to comment on the differences as to what each network is advertising or how effective their targeting is. What I do know is that AdMob provides publishers with granular approval of the ads to be displayed. Nice.

(Disclaimer: We’re big fans of publisher-focused services.)

– David Harper