South African mobile media and marketing specialist, Thumbtribe, has created a directory of top local mobile sites called ‘Best of the Mobile Web,’ which helps people find the best solutions on their mobile phone for things they want to do and look for

With mobile search services and mobile SEO best practice still evolving and focussing on high-end smart phones, the directory helps fill a gap for the African non-smartphone device market and streamlines discovery of quality Web content, optimised specifically for mobile phones.

The directory can be found on http://www.Thumbtribe.mobi, via other leading mobile channels such as Samsung mobile, Nokia.mobi, Opera Mini and through links from all sites housed within the directory.

Mobile phone for calling usage far outstrips PC usage in Africa. The mobile web is not yet at its full potential. For Graeme Haley, co-founder of Thumbtribe, this is because there is still not enough understanding of how to design sites for the mobile web, and how to attract mobile users.

“The mobile web is fundamentally different from the standard World Wide Web – it is not suitable for scratching around and just stumbling on something. Many mobile websites are not yet optimised for search engines and the majority of mobile Web browsers are using devices with limited capabilities making browsing traditional ‘desktop’ Web content difficult.

“Desktop web users can browse. Mobile web users must hunt. Right now, if you want to find cool or useful .mobi sites relevant to Southern Africa, Best of the Mobile Web is the place to start”.

Thumbtribe is expanding the directory to incorporate mobile sites in the rest of Africa.

“We are currently cementing partnerships in Nigeria and Kenya,” says Haley. “Mobile is a powerful technology for Africa. My team and I firmly believe that the digital divide can be crossed using mobile and by increasing the possibility for Africans to connect and create communities of interest, we will be advancing the growth and adoption of the mobile web on our continent.”

“Too many companies just take their website and make it smaller for mobile users and think their work is done. A true .mobi site is more than a mini-website: it must accommodate browsers limited by varying hardware, screen sizes and processing power, and also the different way users engage with the mobile web. Right now it’s often difficult to browse the mobile web and find what you want, which is something we’re looking to address” says Haley.

Sites are currently categorized and overseen by an editorial team – not an automated algorithm – to ensure relevance and quality. It is divided into 17 categories, including topics such as news, celebs and travel.

It is free to list and any site is welcome to submit to the directory, although the Thumbtribe Best of the Web listings team has a vetting process to ensure that the directory is mobile and family-friendly.

All partner sites are required to carry links back to the directory to drive traffic within the network with well over two million unique users per month on Thumbtribe.mobi and its network of partner sites, any site that is included in the directory will experience an upsurge of traffic.

“Most importantly, the traffic is totally relevant. Users have found your site because they are interested in what you have to offer,” says Haley.

“With unofficial stats ranging from six million to 10 million mobile web users in South Africa alone, we are confident that this directory will help people find what they are looking for quickly and simply. This can only help the adoption and growth of the mobile web, making life convenient for some, and providing an invaluable bridge over the digital divide for others,” concludes Haley.

To find out more about participating in the directory email media@thumbtribe.co.za, or test drive the directory from your mobile’s browser at thumbtribe.mobi CONTACT: Tyrone Van Heerden, Sentient Communications Tel: +27 (0)21 422 4275 e-mail: tyrone@sentientcommunications.co.za Graeme Haley, MD, Thumbtribe Mobile Solutions Tel: +27 083 678 8386 e-mail: graeme.haley@thumbtribe.co.za ((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

By Ashkan Karbasfrooshan , Monday, June 14, 2010
 
The past five years saw a wave of investment in all types of video companies.Now expect to see a lot of consolidation in the months and year to come. 
Video companies tend to fall in the following buckets:
1. Editing Software and Compression Tools: Adobe, Apple, Avid, JumpCut, Sorensen, On2
2. Content Producers: DECA, DBG, Eqal, Fora.tv, For Your Imagination, Funny or Die, Generate, Howcast, Katalyst Media, Machinima, Mania TV, Next New Networks, ON Networks, Revision3, VideoJug, and WatchMojo.
3. Content Management System (CMS): blip.tv, Brightcove, Feedroom, Justin.tv, KIT Digital, Livestream, Ooyala, Maven, Mogulus, Permission TV, Qik, uStream, VMIX.
4. Content Aggregation, File Hosting, Sharing and Distribution: 5Min, Break, DailyMotion, Hulu, Kaltura, Metacafe, Nabbr, Revver, Vimeo, YouTube.
5. Advertising Creation, Management and Networks: Adap.tv, Auditude, Brightroll, Broadband Enterprises, Freewheel, Overlay.tv, Panache, Scanscout, Tidal TV, Tremor Media, Video Egg, Yume.
6. Content Delivery Networks (CDN): Akamai, BitGravity, Edgecast, Grid Networks, Limelight Networks, Panther Express.
7. Search, Discovery and Recovery: Blinkx, Cast TV, Clipblast, Dabble, Everyzing, Google, Mefeedia, Pixsy, Truveo.
This being MediaPost, we will focus on what consolidation will look like among:
a)     Content Producers
b)     Advertising Creation, Management and Networks
c)     Content Aggregation, File Hosting, Sharing and Distribution
The deal-making has already begun:
-        Yahoo just bought Associated Content and might buy the Huffington Post;
-        AOL bought Studio Now
This is happening for a few reasons, mainly because VCs made out best before the 2008 econopocalypse, when the valuations were all out of whack with reality.  For VCs to keep investing in these portfolio companies, they need to do “down rounds,” which affect morale and hurt retention.  Conversely, VCs themselves are operating on a shorter leash, so they will prefer to double down on the potential winners.  As a result, a lot of companies will be offered the option to merge with an industry competitor or sell.  However, with big media companies still trying to determine what to do with online video, often a merger is more likely than an acquisition.
So let’s see the main trend affecting each of the three sectors:
a)     Content Producers. We  have already seen a wave of producers shut down or shift strategies and emphasize aggregation, curation or representation.  Those who stay in the race will look to consolidate because the effective CPM that many producers get will remain low. 
In theory, niche producers should command premium ad rates, but in reality, the ad rates many get are anemic.  Those who have premium content and sales forces will be able to command higher ad rates in a relative sense, but even in those instances it is not certain that ad dollars will be large enough in an absolute context.
b)     Advertising Creation, Management and Networks. If we splinter this group into the ad networks and the technology vendors, we can look back at the evolution and consolidation of display advertising players to project what might happen in the future.
Right now, ad networks are competing with one another for market share and ad dollars, which means the margins will dwindle over time as infighting for ad inventory and publisher accounts rise.  Meanwhile, as marketers begin to spend increasingly large amounts on video, they will negotiate harder than ever, further applying pressure to ad networks, who essentially will be played off against one another. 
Technology vendors might have an edge, but over time any edge one has will be lost as competitors and copycats catch up to the market.  However, the real catalyst will be the reality that no technology is worth much if YouTube (and to a lesser extent, Hulu) don’t open up their sites.  We have already seen a large number of bleeding-edge, early-adopter technology solutions fall by the wayside due to a lack of adoption and traction.
c)     Content Aggregation, File Hosting, Sharing and Distribution. YouTube continues to “own” this space, increasingly moving away from the UGC and prosumer segments to expand premium and super-premium space.  The VEVO partnership shows just how important YouTube has become as a platform.  With the inevitable outcome being a natural monopoly, expect a few of the laggards to hook up to save on R&D and bandwidth and to offer advertisers and content owners more scale.

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan is CEO of WatchMojo.com, a producer of premium video content. Contact him here.