Mobile solutions provider Thumbtribe has created a directory of top local mobile sites called 'Best of the mobile Web'.
According to the company, the directory focuses on the top South African mobi-sites where users can find content divided into 17 categories, including news, sport, celebrities, brands, and downloads.
Sites include well-known media brands like MNet, TimesLive, Junkmail, Private Property, Car, Getaway, Soccer Laduma, You magazine, Shape and Sports Illustrated, among others.
Thumbtribe CEO Graeme Haley says the motivation for the mobi-directory came from the fact that search engine results are mostly Web-based. “So if you're looking for something on your mobile, like Car magazine, for example, then you get the Internet-based site, which at 1.5MB costs about R2.40 to download, versus a 16kb mobi-site which costs 3c.
“Because there was no conformity in how to find different mobi-sites, it made sense to create a directory where everything is easily available under one roof,” he adds.
According to Haley, the mobile site has a dedicated editorial team to ensure relevance and quality and to keep the directory family friendly. “We consider whether it's newsworthy, relevant to the different categories, and not of an adult nature.” He says the company plans to add further categories, such as banking services. “We want it to be a one-stop-shop for local mobi-sites.”
He says it's also about finding the right content for the audience, and adapting Web-based content feeds. “Many companies just take their Web site, make it smaller for mobile users, and think their work is done.”
However, Haley says a true mobi-site is more than just a mini Web site, as it must accommodate browsers limited by varying hardware, screen sizes and processing power, as well as the different ways users engage with the mobile Web.
“We truly believe that's where mobile content should be. People don't want to read pages and pages of content on a phone; it's about getting what you need on the fly.”
Haley says Thumbtribe.mobi gets well over two million unique users per month, and with unofficial stats putting the number of mobile Web users in SA at six million to 10 million, expects this will only increase.
He notes that while a lot of users visit mobile sites for wallpapers, games, and music, increasingly people are using it to get content like news headlines and sports updates. “People are also incredibly interactive. The amount of feedback we get daily through comments and ratings is amazing.
“This is what we envision as the perfect mobile scenario; snacks, comments, and ratings with an African focus, not taking a European-based style and expecting that experience to work here.”
The directory can be found on Thumbtribe.mobi, and via other mobile channels such as Samsung mobile, Nokia.mobi, Opera Mini and through links from all sites housed within the directory.
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