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Gary Arlen & Robert Raciti on Crash Course with Limor Schafman at NAB 2009

by Limor Schafman   

NAB Show 2009 has been an exciting one with lots of talk about 3D and MobileDTV. Limor Schafman, show host of on Crash Course TVMainstream.com, discussed the latest tech and market trends with Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications and Robert Raciti of GE Capital.  Streamed live off the NAB Show floor and now archived and available for viewing, the show covers conference highlights and what they mean for broadcasters and media producers going forward. 

Check out the show and please write to me comments here, and/or to me personally at limor@tvworldwide.com.

Cheers - Limor

Twitter - Conferences - Culture: Not Everyone is a Total Tweeter

by Limor Schafman

I was just at two conferences in the past week that really showed different cultural takes on Twitter.  The first was the We Media Conference which took place in Miami.  Granted, the conference was by and for people in the media industry.  Laptops were on laps at all times and fingers were a flying.  Eyes were on the screens more than on the speakers. TweetDeck was the browser of choice from my over the shoulder observations, and We Media scored #1 and #2 on the days of the conference in the Twitter rankings.

Next I flew to Tel Aviv for the ISOC-IL (Internet Society of Israel) Conference.  Cloud computing, video games, virtual worlds, IPv6, mobile web where some of the topics covered.  Clearly a country and audience that is highly tech savvy.  But what did I see?  Several (but not everyone) with laptops, and I was one of the few twittering about the conference - habits are hard to break. What was everyone else doing?  Shockingly, they were fully focused on the speakers, listening avidly and actively participating with their presence and attention in the session.  I have to tell you, the "feeling" of the conference sessions was completely different.  They felt grounded and focused, rather than the "there but not fully there" feeling I often get and have myself at conferences and gathering b/c I am tweeting or checking email or texting or...  Speaking to the organizers, they had a tweet local and tried to get attendees to do it, but the attendees were not interested. 

I don't know why this cultural difference exists?  Israelis are as much on Twitter and Facebook and LinkedIn and MySpace as any Americans.  But the attention was different.

If you have clues as to why - would love to hear them.

Other notes on Twitter:  check out Julia Angwin's WSJ article on How to Twitter which is a good primer on using Twitter and loved the Jon Stewart Twitter Frenzy video.

IPv6 Forum Israel Asks: Are You Ready for 2010?

by Limor Schafman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - The IPv6 Forum Israel yesterday, on March 3rd, held a day long tutorial on the New Internet protocol at day two of the ISOC-IL (Internet Society of Israel) Annual Conference.  Speakers  joined from the IPv6 Forum, Google, Juniper, CISCO, Piano Networks, Bechtel, the IDF, ECI Telecom, PurePeak, and KeystoneTech Group.

In this third annual IPv6 Forum Israel participation in the ISOC-IL program, the Forum asked: “Are you ready for 2010?” The session focused on the key the drivers of IPv6 deployment – the significant depletion of the IPv4 addresses, and the opportunity of innovative v6 driven application development.  “We are moving to another level of interest and focus with regard to IPv6,” says Limor Schafman, outgoing President of the IPv6 Forum Israel.  The ISOC-IL conference focused yesterday on personalized ad serving, mobile web, video games and virtual worlds, and cloud computing.  Each of these assumes and demands ubiquitous, connected, on-demand content distribution systems which can only exist if IPv6 is adopted, deployed and activated through new applications.”

The conference emphasized new applications such as Piano Networks’ Vidder video distribution v6 over v4 browser based application, case studies by Bechtel, and in-depth presentations by the IPv6 Forum, Google, Juniper, CISCO, the IDF, ECI Telecom, PurePeak, KeystoneTech Group and STKI.

IPv6 deployment and development is of particular importance to Israel.  “Israel’s economy is largely based on its famous high-tech industries, which have been one of the main engines of its growth. Recently it seems that its technological superiority compared to the rest of the world is diminishing. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea who prioritize development of advanced high-tech industries, have all of them have implemented IPv6,” says Sharon Peleg, CEO of PurePeak and in-coming President of the IPv6 Forum Israel. “If we do not come to our senses and regain the famous Israeli technological advantage by actively adopting IPv6, we may find the Israeli high-tech market and Israeli economy in general, in a much degraded state.”

The IPv6 Forum Israel IPv6 Tutorial conference program can be found at www.isoc.org.il.  The full video of the conference will be available on the site in a few days.

Contact Info:

IPv6 Forum Israel:  The IPv6 Forum Israel (www.IPv6Forum-Israel.com) is the local chapter of the IPv6 Forum. It’s mission is to It provides information, education and resources to promote the deployment and development of networks, systems and applications utilizing IPv6.  IPv6ForumIsrael@yahoo.com.

 

Limor Schafman: Limor Schafman, outgoing president of the IPv6 Forum Israel, is honored to have worked with the co-founders of the chapter.  She is president of KeystoneTech Group (www.keystonetechgroup.com), a Washington DC based interactive marketing strategy and implementation company using mobile, social networks, video games, and virtual worlds.

 

Sharon Peleg: Mr. Peleg, incoming president of the IPv6 Forum has over 12 years of experience in entrepreneurship and in product and business development. He is the CEO of PurePeak (http://purepeak.com) – a highly technological, leading company that provides advanced solutions for IP networking requirements, establishments of large networks, ISPs and NGNs, and provides high-end colocation solutions in premium data-centers around the world.

CES 2009: IPv6 Mentioned in Keynote

by Limor Schafman, President of KeystoneTech Group and the IPv6 Forum Israel

I was delighted to hear Gary Shapiro, CEO and President of CEA mention IPv6 duirng his keynote as one of the new technologies that will be making a statement in 2009.  CEA has already shown its commitment to spreading the word and, we hope, usage of the protocol, in the editorial and article featured in Visionmagazine's September issue.

Now, those of us in the IPv6 world have known about IPv6 for over a decade, but the need for that protocol has not been articulated into an immediate need business case and so adoption has been at a snail's pace here in the United States.  Still, it is happening with infrastructure and operating systems in place.  Now we just need some creative applications to make it come alive. 

I was invited to bring IPv6 within the  CES fold last year for the first time after I spoke with Shapiro, explaining the direct impact IPv6 will have on CE.  This year we have a new session on Saturday, January 10th at 3:00pm in room LVCC, South Hall S104-105 focusing on actual existing applications taking advantage of IPv6 enablement features. 

Description:	In 2010, existing Internet space for IPv4 addresses will be tapped out. IPv6 will usher in a new level of always-on connectivity. This conference highlights how ubiquitous connectivity will be used, new applications, and what the next two years hold for device development and production.
Moderator:	Limor Schafman, President, IPv6 Forum-Israel and KeystoneTech Group, LLC
Panelist:	Cody Christman, Director of Product Engineering, NTT America
Panelist:	Junaid Islam, CTO, Piano Networks
Panelist:	Latif Ladid, President, IPv6 Forum
Panelist:	Sureswaran Ramadass, Director, Nav6 Center for Excellence, University Sains Malaysia

Also, I want to seed your mind:  CES and I have tried for the past two years to create an IPv6 Tech Zone.  But we need a larger group of companies using this protocol to come and showcase what they are doing.  If you are one of these, and you want to be part of an IPv6 Tech Zone next year, contact me at limor@keystonetechgroup.com and type IPv6 Tech Zone in the subject matter field.  I want to hear from you!

I look forward to seeing you all this Saturday at 3pm at our session!  And bring your questions.

Identity in 2009

from Limor Schafman, President of KeystoneTech Group

 

The New Year is a time of reflection and goal setting.  Now is the time that we set our personal and professional objectives for 2009.  As I remarked in our end of year December newsletter, we are in a time of change and challenge.  This brings opportunity.  As I determine what I want to accomplish in this coming year, I reflect on where I am now and what I have learned. I recognize  now one inevitable conclusion:  We must...Be Who We Are. Recognize it. Appreciate it. Be it. 

 

Now the question becomes, who are we - as individuals? As corporations? As executives living and defining the corporate body?  What is our Identity?  Does our internal identity match our external identity, and will it enable us to accomplish our bodacious goals of 2009? Or do we each need to step in to a bigger Identity? A more expansive and unhampered Me?
 
As individuals, we have lived long enough by now that we know, if we are honest with ourselves, what personally we love to do, and why we procrastinate.  Where our strengths lie, and our weaknesses.  What type of life we want to lead and what we want to make different.  
 
As corporate entities, we know what we can do as a team, what truly differentiates us and where we disappear in the market mix.  We know our values, and our value to our customers.  We know what is "true" about our marketing statements, and what is unimportant.  We know where our corporate mission hits the rubber on the performance road, and where it skids.
 
As executives in our businesses, we clearly see our individual roles in that team whole - what we do well and what we need to improve.  We know when our team works well together and when it does not.  If we allow ourselves, we will "see" if we have a unified corporate and team Identity, and how our personal identities play into that corporate unity.
 
For an of-the-moment example - imagine what it feels like for President Elect Obama to be kicking off his new life today in Washington DC.  How is he envisioning his presidency, and the goals he plans to achieve during the next four years (and perhaps eight)?  How is he picturing his role on the governmental, national and international stages?  What is his picture of Identity as a President of the United States?  What steps has he and is he taking to embody that new Identity fully and unassailably?  For he must do this to fulfill his persona l goals, and professional mission to the country.
 
I invite you to join me in starting the year with honest assessment and directed goal setting by answering some questions.  Reflect on each of these with regard to yourself, to your company and to the role you play within your company and community:
  1.  What Identity do I have now? 
  2.  What specific goals am I setting for 2009?
  3.  What Identity do I need to own in order to achieve those goals?
  4.  If that Identity is different, what do I need to let go of in order to attain it?
  5.  Am I ready to step into that new Identity?
  6.  When?
  7.  What is my first action as this new Identity?  What will I do now to establish and anchor it?
 
Since we at KeystoneTech Group work with companies to properly message and market their technologies and to make best use of interactive technologies to communicate their brand, I will add these questions:
  1.  Is your brand communications properly reflecting your corporate Identity?
  2.  What new media tools can you add to your marketing arsenal to define your Identity to your target customers?
  3.  Will you invite customers to interact with your brand?  What will maximize their experience of your corporate Identity?  What will lead them to answer your call to action?
 
Let us help you find the answers to these questions and step into those larger visions and objectives defined for this year.  We look forward to working with you in 2009.

6 Top Tips for Developing Mobile Applications

by Limor Schafman

This mobile Monday at the DigIn! Radio Show, we talked with Matt Perry, Founder and CEO of Mobients, and John Schmidt, CIO of the company, about key best practices for developing effective mobile applications.  Here are some of the top tips we covered:

1.  Mobile for a Reason.  There is a reason why you are choosing to develop information and content to be consumed on the mobile phone. Pay attention to what is unique about a mobile phone and take advantage of it: mobile, immediate, personal, goes with the consumer everywhere, reflects the consumers identity, has small screen real estate, is for short for consumption in most cases.  Build your applications to meet needs of consumers when they are engaging with their mobile phone.  When branding or advertising, remember that you have a small screen, 140 characters, limited patience of the consumer.  Give them what they want as quickly and succinctly as possible. 

2.  Utility is more important than functionality.  Make sure what you are creating meets a need, or is very cool, but there needs to be something compelling about it.  Think about when your consumer will be using the application, under what circumstances, what they really want and what will be convenient for them.  John gave a great example of a recent road trip in which he used his car GPS, computer Google Maps, and iPhone.  The GPS navigation system interface was obscure and difficult to accomplish what he needed; the computer was too cumbersome; and he needed to wait until the iPhone actually had a high speed connection since he was in the hills.  Ultimately the iPhone proved to be the most easily manageable and navigable interface, but even that had issues.

3.  Know what you are designing for and stay focused on that through the process.   It is easy to become distracted with additional features, and other "bright shiny objects" of performance.  Stick to the core of what you are creating, and make sure that works first.  You can always build from there.

4.  Really know your consumer.  Take the time to profile your consumers and place yourself in their shoes.  Who are they? What are their characteristics? What do they wear? What do they drive? Where do they drive? What do they do during the day? How do they shop?  Ask yourself a series of questions like this and profile 4-5 different characters/archetypes. Storyboard the characters. New ideas and new features that you had not originally thought of, will come to mind.  There are so many different types of applications that can be developed.  For example, a parent driving their kids' carpool may need to know of sudden weather reports and school closings, changes in sports practice, traffic alerts, have time to catch a quick update on stock feeds and news flashes, or want to completely escape for a moment in a flashblog novelette or mobile game.

5.  Choose the right mobile medium for your target market.  The mobile marketplace is still extremely fragmented.  There are over 100 devices with different form factors, different operating systems, 40+ different WAP browsers, touch screen v. roller ball v. scroll, different carriers, etc.  Each one of these has impact on shaping the target market which will eventually have access to your application.  There are approximately 15M iPhone sold in the US thus far. The iPhone has a dynamic interface which makes it fun to interact with and fun to design for.  There are 232M mobile phones in the US.  Is the iPhone going to tap the demographic you want?  Is it the coveted marketing "coolness" factor that you need?  Is it going to give you the ROI you expect and want from the application? The mobile platform forces brands to ask hard questions of themselves and their true mobile objectives.  There is much to be gained by going into mobile.  Just target your first steps and grow from there.

6.  Don't let your power users make your design decisions.  More likely than not you have a team of iPhone owning mobile gurus who eat, breath and live mobile.  That is great for knowledge and creativity, but they may not be your typical target user.  Be cautious that they don't make the final user experience decisions.  They may not be making the correct assumptions. 

To hear Matt and John from Mobients give their advice first hand, visit the DigIn! Radio Show site.

Yes You Can!...Find a Job in A Down Economy

by Limor Schafman

Or start your own business.  That's what we learned from our conversation this week on the DigIn! Radio Show with Lorne Epstein,  HR expert and author of You're Hired! Interview Skills to Get You Hired.

Economic downturns are the time for innovation and entrepreneurship.  History has shown that it is particularly in difficult times, when people are pushed to be resourceful, that they step up to the plate and deliver innovative solutions that make money.  So if you have just been let go, take a moment to meditate and think on what you would really like to do, where market opportunity can be found with new needs created by this marketplace, and how you can address those needs. 

Whether you are looking for a team to help start your new business or are looking for your next job, use your network.  Friends, family, colleagues and absolute strangers you may be linked to on social networks will help you.  All you have to do is ask.  You'll be surprised.  Make the most of LinkedIn.  Join Groups of interest - they are always posting jobs.  Target companies and see who works there.  You may know someone who knows someone, and use it to make a direct call to a person listed at the company.  People are pretty responsive when you tell them you found them on LinkedIn and want to talk with them.  Network out there in the real world too.  Craig's List, Meetup.com, any many other listings localized to where you live or where you want to work have extensive lists of daily networking events.  Get out there and go!

Meanwhile get your resume updated.  Make it clean and easy to read, have good empirical and numerical stats on there if possible. Review it for grammar and spelling, and use the terms of art of the industry you are targeting.  Remember that it is 30 seconds to review whether you get a second look.  And then you may get the interview.

In the interview, be direct, honest and prepared.  Anticipate and practice the questions they will ask, and have 5-6 ready yourself.  They want to know that you can speak and think.  Dress for the part - one level above what they usually wear in that office.  And walk in there with the knowledge that they in fact do want to hire you.  They can't wait to stop interviewing so give them every reason to say "Yes!" to you.

To hear Lorne in his own words, visit the DigIn! Radio Show, find us on iTunes under Limor Schafman and DigIn!

Business Opportunities in 2009: A Conversation with George Kliavkoff of NBC Universal

by Limor Schafman

 

I had the privilege this week to interview George Kliavkoff, outgoing Chief Digital Officer for NBC Universal, at the NY:MIEG (New York Media Information Exchange Group) [http://www.sobelmedia.com/2008/07/29/2396/]  Breakfast held at the Samsung Experience in the Time Warner Building.

 

With a focus on gift wrapping 2008 and casting forward to opportunities in 2009, we covered a number of different topics.  The full interview is available on TV Mainstream.  Here are some highlights:

 

Olympic Online Consumption

Customers want to consume media wherever they are and they are proving this with viewing behavior.  The Olympics stats are impressive:  2200 hours of live programming, 52M unique on line viewers, 1.4B page views, and 10M hours of streaming media over the 16 day period of the Olympics.  Note however, that 90-95% of Olympic coverage consumption was on the TV, with the remainder on the Internet and a very small amount on mobile.  The numbers show what a success the Olympic Games were for NBC Universal, and proves the adage that customer experience needs to be a driver of product and services development.  If it is, advertising, investment, and other revenue streams will follow. 

 

 

Smart Co-opetition Partnerships Can Build Success

Consumers want ease of use, convenience and a great customer experience.  If you build it and there is value, consumers will come.  Seeing the hunger for digital media and knowing quantity and quality of content were needed to draw consumers in, NBC sought out partners, and formed a joint venture with News Corporation to distribute premium content online with an advertising revenue model.  Hulu was born and today reaches 98% of the US marketplace with its multiple and varied distribution partnerships.  MSN, Yahoo! MySpace, AOL, Comcast, TV.com all stream Hulu video, with the video player skinned with that particular brand’s logo. CBS and ABC/Disney are the only two companies not working with Hulu, though their content can still be searched found and linked to through that site.  The centralized aggregation and distribution of premium content gives Hulu the scale and means to be successful.  

 

Advertising

Kliavkoff believes monetizing content with advertising will not be as difficult as people think.  Companies will be more concerned with the use of their dollars, so there will be a “flight to quality.” Though reduced in quantity, the money will be there. 

 

One interesting nugget of learning from tests on Hulu is that while consumers don’t like to view advertising, they will view it for value received.  And when given a choice between seeing a long movie trailer up front or a series of shorter advertisements over the course of a video steam, the surprising research results are that people are divided 50-50 as to preference.

 

Opportunities for Development Investment in 2009

Innovation is a key driver of revenue, and now is the time to invest in new technologies and new business models.  NBC/U and GE Commercial Finance created the Peacock Equity fund to make Series B investments in technologies that are tangential yet related to NBC/U’s core business. Capitalized with $250M, the fund has invested $100M thus far in 11 companies.  One company has successfully exited – Adify was acquired by Cox Enterprises for $300M within 6 months. Other investments include those in ad networks, mobile, and video games advertising companies.  These give a sense of how NBC/U is perceiving its business going forward, what it considers “tangential,” and where the opportunities lie for companies starting to build technology now.

  

George believes that the future lies with digital platforms replacing traditional distribution and advertising mediums. Distribution of content across all platforms – traditional, internet, mobile and onward is the plan of the future. Companies wanting to place bets will find advertising dollars seeking out digital means to deliver their messages when they return to the market place. Local distribution and advertising will become personal.  Advertising delivery systems that can target consumers with their specific needs (to buy an automobile) with advertising and information for as long as they need that content (once the car is bought, ads shift to nearby locations for road-trips or oil change discounts), will be of interest to consumers and investors.

 

Mobile has undergone an opening of the doors of possibility with the introduction of the iPhone, the Android OS and the G phone. George anticipates a marketplace for premium applications and a wave of new mobile development and associated business models. Of particular interest to him are companies focused on personal productivity and services.  This is an underserved and compelling market sector.

 

As a final wrap, George named 2008 the year of “Great Achievements,” and sets the bar for 2009 with the tag, “Recession Accelerates Shift to Digital.”

 

You heard it here first and to listen to the full interview in George’s own words, go to NY:MIEG’s online TV Channel. 

 

Virtual Worlds, MMOGs, Video Games & The Law: Tips on How to Avoid a Real World Lawsuit

by Limor Schafman

You may think, upon reading this title, “What on earth does the law have to do with virtual worlds, MMOGs and video games?”  The answer will astonish you.  I am not even referring to Intellectual Property law, contracts, software licenses or the like.  I am talking about how Federal regulators, like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Commerce, and Congress reach in to virtual worlds and have direct impact on the design, play, interactivity, and relationship with the consumer.

This past week, I asked James Dunstan, Partner of Garvey Schubert and Barer to come on my DigIn! Radio show to discuss what game designers, developers and publishers need to watch out for and how to prepare to meet Federal requirements.  Jim spoke at our Games Gateway serious games meetup  in DC two weeks ago and I knew this knowledge needed to be shared with a broader audience.  (I will use the term “virtual worlds” in this post as a short hand for the different categories of online game play we are discussing here.)

The first thing to know about virtual worlds is that, in fact, they are worlds unto themselves.  Some visitors/consumers/gamers think that they can do whatever they want in this alternative universe.  That no laws apply to them.  However, just as one enters a private real alternative world like Disneyland, there are rules that govern that space.  And the rules are developed by the owners of that virtual world, the game developers and publishers.  In virtual worlds, End User License Agreements, (EULAs), Terms of Service and Codes of Conduct are the constitution and laws by which players/consumers need to abide.

This means that these laws have to be clear, thorough, and read by the players.  This ensures that players know what they can and cannot do, and the companies involved in the game development (including third party developers and technology contributors) and publication are protected.

Let’s take a look at a few of these documents.

End User License Agreements are those annoying multipage scrolls of text that stand between the player and the game play and which, as a result, players usually do not bother to read, quickly check the “Read and Agreed” box and move on to entering that world.  These agreements are key documents that define the world and protect the creators of it.  Their main objective is to limit vendor liability and push behavioral obligations to the players.  They include the “Thou Shall Not Unless You Want to be Excised from This World” lists.  For example, Gold Farming, the collection of in-game valuables or building up of avatar characters for RMTs (real money transactions) is not permitted in some worlds.  (Note: Some worlds do permit this.  This is up to you, the game designer.)   If a player does this contrary to the EULA, the player’s account can be closed, all value and characters lost, and etc.

EULAs need to be internally consistent.  There can be no arbitrariness in their construction or in their enforcement.  As a game designer, you do not want to paste together a number of paragraphs you have grabbed from different sites.  There needs to be real meaning behind what you are writing and relevance to the world you are creating.  Also, enforcement must be consistent or this can be used against you in court.

Terms of Service Agreements inform players of what they can expect from their experience and what you will do to protect them.  Again, these agreements are meant protect both parties – the developers and the players - in this world.

EULA’s, Terms of Service and Codes of Conduct agreements are the internal rules of expectations, behavior and conduct as defined by the game developer and publisher.  Now we turn to some examples of how external Federal regulators impact games.

Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 1998 and handed implementation and enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission.  COPPA prevents the collection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from children under the age of 13 without prior consent of a parent or legal guardian. What this means changes over time, so developers always have to stay apprised of the latest interpretations that will affect their user interface and back end design.  Age verification is up to the good faith judgment of the designer, but you can’t adopt practices that encourage children under 13 to lie about their age.  For example, just having a check box saying that a person is not 13 or younger is insufficient.  The FTC also considers it a violation of COPPA to allow a subscriber to use the “back” button to change their age when it becomes apparent that having admitted to being under 13 now restricts access to all or part of a website or virtual world.  The FTC is serious about enforcing COPPA, and just this week Sony Music was sued this week for failing to get parental consent on hundreds of its websites before acquiring PII from the children.  As a result Sony will pay a $1M fine (or $33 per registered user).  An expensive oversight.

What could have been done to avoid this cost?  There are several organizations like the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) that will review a website to certify that it is COPPA Compliant.  The service costs $20,000 on average.  A hell of a lot cheaper than a cool million.

CALEA, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, passed in 1994 and enforced by the FCC, avails wiretapping privileges of telecommunications carriers to Federal law enforcement agencies.  It applies to online game play that uses live chat, or in any way uses a system,third party or developed specifically for the game, which interconnects with a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).  This means that if the telecommunications system deployed behind the scenes in a game in any way can be used for other than computer to computer Internet connectivity, whether for that game or because the provider offers that service in general (i.e., VOIP and cell calls), then the game is subject to CALEA and developers must plan accordingly.

Though this has never been called to bear as far as we know, as a developer and publisher you need to make sure your hardware is CALEA compliant (most of today’s routers are) and your software doesn’t impede wiretaps; designate a 24/7 contact person in your company to interface with law enforcement agencies; file a continually updated System Security Integrity Plan (SSIP) with the FCC and Department of Homeland Security; and read carefully your agreement with the VOIP provider to pass on as many obligations and related costs (like the compliance and 24/7 contact person) to them.  One point Jim stressed is to be sure that you don’t become a VOIP service provided.  One virtual world he was working with wanted to enable calls to be made from that world to friends over a landline.  This immediately subjects a company to further Federal requirements like E911 and costs such as the Universal Service Fund which demands ~10% of gross revenues as payment to the government.  A steep price to pay for “cool” interactivity.

How much does all this preparation for working within Federal regulations cost?  Approximately $100,000 or 5% of the game development budget.  This includes the legal work, filings, training of security IT staff, and related customer service.  It may seem like a lot, but compared to some of the numbers discussed above, it sounds reasonable.

We didn’t even touch on European Union regulations, encryption, or privacy related requirements, so I know we will be having Jim back.  

To hear Jim in his own words, please visit the show site for streams and downloads at DigIn! Radio or download the show off iTunes. And you can find him at Garvey Schubert Barer.

 

 

 

Maximizing the Mobile Footprint for Content & Ad Delivery: the Idle Screen

by Limor Schafman

As some of you know, I began an online radio show, DigIn! Radio, in which I interview people in the mobile/wireless space on Mondays; all other types of tech on Thursdays; and on some Fridays, we have shows on the business of running a business.  The shows can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/Limor Schafman, where you can always listen to the live 4pm EST stream and ask questions right there, or you can also find the archives there, on iTunes and on other podcast directories.  You can always check out the show's site for upcoming segments and if you link to me on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, I can keep you apprised of upcoming shows.

I love conducting these interviews, and the information we discuss is usually pretty interesting.  Since the show has moved from experimental stage to established, I decided it was about time I started sharing it also on the DigIn! blog.  So here is our latest show...

Monday's Mobile Show with Mobile Posse
I recently conducted a mobile marketing/mobile advertising research project with a longtime cohort and colleague, Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications ( more on this later). One of the aspects of mobile marketing I find most fascinating is how creative some technology companies are in understanding mobile and dissecting every component of it to come up with innovative ways to connect the consumer to content and advertising.  The idle screen is one of those ways.

I met Jon Jackson, Founder and CEO of Mobile Posse two years ago at CTIA IT & Entertainment. Since then, I have been watching that company with interest as it slowly but surely builds its platform and its client base.  Today, Anurag Mehta, VP of Marketing & Business Development, shared with us that the company publicly has announced it is working with 3 carrier clients, and the platform is in the hands of active users.

The way Mobile Posse works is that it takes the idle screen - that screen that shows up on your phone when it is not being used, and it pushes content that you have opted in to receive, straight to you in banner format.  The content can be weather reports, stock prices, sports scores, horoscopes - those types of snack data.  Advertising pays for the data, so you don't have to ("This stock update brought to you by...") . 

One of the elements that Anurag emphasized is that consumer's don't need a smart phone to use the Mobile Posse platform.  Programmed in Brew, Java and for RIM, it can work on any feature phone using those OSs. This broadens the market reach for the platform (Mobile Posse seeks to capture 80% of the feature phone marketplace) .   But - Mobile Posse's platform is a down loadable application.  This limits market adoption and distribution.  The company is working with three carriers currently:  Alltel - 14M subscribers. The product is called Alltel Perks.  You can see on the site which of 22 handsets are supported.  Cricket Communications with its 3.5M subscribers offers the Mobile Posse white labeled service as Cricket Perks.  And Revol Wireless (unpublished subscriber base) as Revol Perks.  While Mobile Posse would not share the number of users from these services on the show, Anurag did say that there is a high level of customer satisfaction with 70-80% recommending the service to friends and family.  Note the strong perceived consumer value- viral WOM aspect here.

Advertising is the revenue source for this service.  Mobile Posse is taking on with its own sales people the selling of advertising inventory.  Advertisers gain from the service with a 15-20% idle screen banner click through rate on Mobile Poss.  This compares to the current 1%-5% mobile click-through rates and .5% Internet click-through rate.  What Mobile Posse find particularly interesting is that its users return to the content after they have received it, since the application stores it on the phone for a period of time.  The re-engagement rate is 30-40% of total unique click-throughs.  A mobile designer note then is that apparently a good portion of "perk" users like a digestive glance at the content when it arrives and the ability to review and interact at a time of their own choosing. 

There are a lot of moving parts for this company, but Jon, Anurag and the rest of the team seem very focused and capable so I'm keeping an interested an eye on them.  And I look forward to testing their system out on my own phone soon.  

To hear Anurag's full interview in his own words, please visit the DigIn! Radio show. 

And join us today, Thursday Decenber 11th at 4pm for our show on Video Games, Virtual Worlds & The Law, with telecom and gaming attorney James Dunstan of Garvey Schubert Barer.  And next Monday we will have Matthew Perry and John Schmidt of  Mobients talk to us about how to design and develop compelling mobile applications.