According to a survey on The Future of the Internet III by Pew Research, the following were predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020:

- The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020.


- The transparency of people and organizations will increase, but that will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance, or forgiveness.


- Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the internet will be more prevalent and accepted by 2020.


- Those working to enforce intellectual property law and copyright protection will remain in a continuing arms race, with the crackers who will find ways to copy and share content without payment.


- The divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will be further erased for everyone who is connected, and the results will be mixed in their impact on basic social relations.


- Next-generation engineering of the network to improve the current internet architecture is more likely than an effort to rebuild the architecture from scratch.

Today, we see a lot discussion around topics such as mobile marketing, mobile advertising, mobile search, SMS services, barcode technology, mobile video, augmented reality, touch screen technology, location based services (LBS), and the list goes on. However, I believe we are still only scratching the surface of what mobile has to offer. Who knows what the next 10+ years of mobile innovation will bring us. I am not sure about you but I’m certainly excited.

Isn’t it time to rethink our perspective on mobile? What do you think?

Is so, would you please do me a favor and follow the three instructions below?

1. First, go ahead, snap a photo of the “Heroes” image above.
2. Next, using your web-enabled mobile device, email that same photo to fun@snaptell.com
3. Finally, check your email for a follow up note from SnapTell and preview the link provided.

So what was the purpose of capturing a photo and emailing it to SnapTell?

Well, SnapTell has developed sophisticated image recognition technology that is absolutely amazing. Using any mobile device, simply snap a picture of the cover of any DVD, CD, Book or Video game, then send it directly to SnapTell as demonstrated above. Within seconds, SnapTell delivers additional information on the image you just emailed. Their image matching database includes millions of cover pictures and the accuracy is spot on. You can view their demo here, or even take it for a spin if you prefer the real-time experience.

According to SnapTell’s site, here are the major features of their “Snap.Send.Get” solution:

1. End-to-end mobile marketing solution
2. 100% opt-in mobile marketing
3. Works with all phones
4. Works with existing marketing collateral (Special bar-codes not required)
5. Fun to use by consumers
6. Real-time personalized, interactive communications
7. Easy to implement and deploy mobile marketing campaigns (Drag-and-drop GUI Campaign Manager)
8. Actionable metrics (Intuitive dashboard for easy navigation and tracking)

SnapTell as a Mobile Recruiting strategy?

Scenario #1:

Let’s assume for a moment that you represent a company that is contemplating a mobile recruiting campaign. Your goal is to attract (and hire) the “best and brightest” so you need a forward-thinking solution that will set your company above the competition. A company like SnapTell makes it super easy to develop a truly amazing mobile campaign. How? Well, with their “Snap.Send.Get” solution a hiring team is able to easily “drag and drop” specific images into the SnapTell image database to match with corresponding content (e.g., career site, job postings, open-house info, videos downloads, links, etc.) that can all be pushed to candidate’s mobile phone.

Now imagine attending a major campus recruiting event, professional career fair, or technology conference and your booth is equipped with SnapTell-ready images provided by your company. With some prompting by your print ads (or recruiting representatives), potential prospects could walk up to your booth, snap a photo, email it, and instantly receive a link that drives them to your mobile-enabled site (along with key information about careers, company details, where to apply, etc).

Scenario #2:

Imagine that “Rock-star” consultant, manager, or senior executive who is traveling through an airport. They notice a compelling ad that encourages them to snap a photo of an image, which then automatically redirects to your mobile-careers site, specific job listing, etc. Now, instead of wondering (hoping) whether someone noticed that expensive airport, billboard, or print ad, you now have the ability to accurately measure what ads are working vs. which are not. How’s that for metrics?

What’s the final take-away?

For the candidates:
SnapTell is fast and simple. No more ‘pecking’ at small characters or numbers into a tiny keypad. Get the information needed and walk away with a “wow, that company gets-it” impression.

For the employers:
SnapTell helps engage the consumer/prospective candidates by simplifying the mobile web experience. A key advantage of SnapTell’s solution is that hiring teams can easily access “real-time” stats on the effectiveness of a mobile campaign before ever leaving a campus recruiting event, career fair, conference, or any other scenario.

Does the idea of image recognition in recruiting sound too far-fetched? Maybe so; however, as mobile growth continues its domination in the world mass media, integrating a creative mobile recruitment campaign may make all the difference between hiring that next “Rock-star” or losing out to your competition. Ready or not, SnapTell is making a huge impact in the consumer space. Check out their impressive list of mobile campaigns here.

* For more details, I would highly recommend taking a closer look at SnapTell’s site. Oh, and if you are an iPhone user, you can download SnapTell’s free mobile app from the iTunes store. It rocks!

Why do I make this claim?  Consider this, there now 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions on the planet, with an estimated 6 billion subscribers expected by 2013.  According to Tomi Ahonen, six-time bestselling author and consultant on digital convergence and mobile telecoms, the future of mobile is strong and vibrant.  Not convinced?

Here are the latest stats on mobile usage:

• 4 billion worldwide mobile subscribers (vs. 1 billion PC’s).
• 3.4 billion actual mobile phones are in use and connected (vs. 1.2 billion fixed landlines).
• 3 billion users of SMS text messaging (vs. 1.3 billion eMail users, and 600 million IM users).
• 1.9 billion cameraphones in use.
• 1.7 billion consumers of various premium data services on mobile.
• 1.35 billion users of MMS 1.05 active users of browsing (“mobile internet”) on the phones.
• The total content industry on mobile is worth 71 billion dollars.
• Messaging on mobile worth 130 billion.
• Total data on phones worth 200 billion.
• Total mobile services, voice and data, worth 800 billion and the total annual revenues of the mobile industry including handset and network equipment sales, worth one Trillion dollars.
• Selling 1.18 billion new phones and adding 650 million new subscrptions last year, when the rest of the economy is in a downward spiral, mobile telecoms is a strong vibrant and healthy industry.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The U.S. Mobile landscape…

As we can see above, mobile continues to dominate across the global landscape. It remains the most widely adopted of all the other mass media channels (e.g., print, recording, cinema, radio, tv, internet).  While the U.S. continues to lag behind Asia and Europe in mobile usage, we are finally seeing an increase in overall mobile adoption throughout North America. In fact, the U.S. currently has over 262 million mobile subscribers, contributing to 75 billion text messages per month. However, as ubiquitous and well entrenched as mobile has become in the U.S., some uses still have yet to catch on.  Such is the case with mobile recruiting through SMS.

Think SMS and Mobile Recruiting…

Online sourcing has become increasingly mobile, so has the need to use more targeted means of connecting and attracting qualified candidates.  There are clear advantages to leveraging mobile in recruiting. One of the most effective ways to quickly connect with a target audience is through Short Message Service (SMS), also known as Text-Messaging.  SMS (text messaging) is by far the most widely used data application on the planet.  For those who do not have the budget to invest in mobile marketing through Short Codes, there are many web-based SMS/texting applications on the market today.  A few of the more popular apps include Joopz, 3Jam, networkText, Tatango, and Trumpia, all do a good job of delivering group SMS messages either free, or, for a small fee. For Outlook 2007 users, there’s even SMSOfficer which allows users to send SMS messages directly from their Outlook inbox.  See video on How to use Outlook to send text messages.

That said, these are all basic examples and it’s important to remember that using SMS alone is not the answer.  An integrated approach that includes email, online ads, phone, SMS, etc., can help to maximize your recruitment campaign. Think of SMS as not a replacement for the email or phone (voice) but as an additional tool within a recruiter’s toolbox.  Recruiters, more than ever, are often connecting with professionals who are unable to answer their phones, huddled in team meetings, commuting, at the airport, away from their PC’s or laptops, etc. Using coordinated SMS updates, recruiters are able to seamlessly and non-intrusively manage multiple candidates through the recruitment process. Bottom-line, SMS is an effective tool for connecting with candidates anytime, anywhere, when email and voice are not convenient.

Mobile is our second shadow.

Morgan Stanley reported that now 91% of the planet keep the mobile phone within arm’s reach 24/7. Literally we take it to the bathroom with us and we literally sleep with the phone. As its our alarm clock, it is literally the last thing we look at before we go to sleep and again the first thing we see when we wake up.

Source: Tomi Ahonen, 7thMassMedia.com

The mobile phone is no longer just a phone; it’s our lifeline to the world.  Rarely does it leave our side, and rarely is it shared – even with our spouse.  Mobile is our second shadow, always ready to provide 24×7 access on demand, and it’s here to stay.  While I am not convinced mobile will reach a tipping point in 2009, I do believe mobile recruitment strategies will have a greater role in the way recruiters connect with new talent. Given the advantages and ubiquitous nature of mobile, doesn’t it make sense to consider mobile recruitment options?  For those in the talent acquisition business, does your company currently engage in mobile recruiting?  If so, I would love to hear about the creative ways in which mobile is being used as part of your recruitment strategy.

We often talk creative ways in which we can leverage mobile marketing in the recruitment process.  More Mobile Relations utilized an integrated solution that included print, ad, SMS, MMS, and email to recruit qualified candidates.  Here’s a case of a company truly “walking-the-talk” with great success.

This from More Mobile Relations:

The challenge

Attracting the best employees is a challenge in the best of times. A new generation of job seekers is more inclined to focus on value-based issues rather than a fancy title or fat paycheck. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), company values, environmental policies and so on are increasingly important factors in attracting employees. For these job seekers, company information and the way the company expresses its brand can be deciding factors.

More Mobile Relations Norway was hiring new employees in cooperation with Orion Search International AS. The first job recruitment ad (Dagens Næringsliv, on July 4, 2008) was very traditional in approach and had very low response, resulting in no qualified applications.

You can read the solution here: You’re hired! Cross-media job search nets qualified applications | More Mobile Relations.

Voice-To-Text

In the past, I often relied heavily on memory, or, a scribbled note on a napkin. Today, I use Jott’s voice-to-text service which allows me dictate a memo to my mobile device. Within a couple of minutes, my memo is transcribed and sent to me via text message (or email if I prefer).

What is JOTT?

“Jott makes sure you stay on top of everything. With a simple phone call to 866-JOTT-123, you can capture notes, set reminders and calendar appointments, stay in touch with friends and family, and interact with your favorite web sites and services…all with your voice!” -Jott.com

As with most SaaS on the web, Jott offers both free and premium service.  Paid services offers much more functionality such as the ability to install, and use Jott for Outlook. It’s a nifty Outlook add-on which allows you to easily create e-mail messages, calendar items, and tasks by dictating them to Jott on an as needed basis.

Here’s a short video on Jott:

Jott is a must-have app for the mobile professional. If you are on-the-go and in need of a great way to transcribe your daily acition-items, I would recommend testing Jott’s (free) service. If you decide that Jott’s free offering is too basic, then there’s always the option to upgrade.

Remember, get comfortable now because the future is mobile…

Consider this scenario…

It’s been a tough day. You are running late for your first lunch meeting with that new (key) client. Earlier, you were careful to write down the address and directions. The problem? You left the notes of your meeting location on your office desk, you’re now running behind because of traffic, and you do not have GPS.

I guess now is a good time to panic? Well, rather than dialing 411, you could try free voice-driven search services offered by either Tellme, or Google’s Mobile App.

Tellme.com

“Tellme’s vision is, ‘Say what you want and get it, on any device.” From ‘vision’ to reality, Tellme has already delivered over 2 billion voice searches results for millions of mobile subscribers. See the following video made courtesy of Pocketnowvideo:

Google Mobile App

“Faster search results with fewer keystrokes.” The video below provides an overview of the new Google Mobile App for the iPhone. The App allows mobile users to speak versus typing their search queries.

As a Recruiter, how can voice-driven search help you?

Let’s assume you are out of the office, waiting on an appointment and have a little time to spare. You are sourcing for potential prospects with .NET architecture and SharePoint experience who live in the New York region.

» Step 1: Grab your mobile device and get started. Using either the Tellme or Google’s Mobile App, try speaking your search query as follows: “Resumes, NET Architects, SharePoint, New York.”

» Step 2: Filter the “noise.” Your search results will vary and likely not be exactly what you were seeking the first time you try it. The results may even contain job posts or other unwanted noise. You may need to retry your search query using additional keywords to narrow down what you are seeking. Be specific as possible with your voice-search. Also, speaking clearly, and in some cases – speaking slowly, is often important to ensure the mobile app has successfully captured your exact search query.

Remember, voice-driven search is pretty “hip” technology but it’s still far from perfect. As with all new technology, it will take time for it to evolve and get better. So get comfortable now and think of the possibilities. Mobile is the future…

Mobile Messaging Reaches Record-Breaking Numbers – ReadWriteWeb.

For those of you who know me well, it will not come as any surprise when I tell you that I’m a huge Mobile 2.0 fan. There’s a lot to be said about mobile communications and technology.

Mobile marketing and the use of SMS as a form of communication has become increasingly popular in North America. According to a report published by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), U.S. mobile subscribers are contributing to 75 billion text messages per month. With the increase of mobile adoption and usage within the U.S., it makes sense for us to rethink our mobile recruitment strategies. As Recruiters, looking to explore innovative channels for connecting with new talent, there are tremendous advantages to leveraging mobile marketing.

Here are “10 Reasons Why Mobile Marketing Matters”:

1. Personal: Next to the wallet or purse, can you think of any other item that a prospective candidate may carry with them at all times?

2. Intimate: Mobile offers employers the ability to promote a new opportunity by broadcasting this to a targeted audience with the power of personal touch.

3. Confirmed Identity: Mobile takes the guess work out of knowing who we are contacting.

4. Convenient: Candidates can easily read SMS messages, even during the busiest times of the day. This is especially helpful when you’re trying to reach people who are not in the office, at their computers checking email, in a conference meeting with their project team, or traveling… you get the point.

5. Actionable: As recruiters, we want our target candidates calling back – right?  Well, if your “call to action” message is compelling enough, your target audience will call respond.

6. Persistent & Viral: Unlike traditional mass media or job-board marketing, the consumer carries the targeted message away with them on their device. If the message is interesting enough, it’s highly likely the recipient will forward to friend (or multiple friends).

7. Opt-in: What is great about Mobile marketing is that you build a permission based pool of talent; candidates can decide the level of interactions with your company. They also have the ability to easily opt-out of your marketing campaigns.

8. Builds Relationships: Mobile offers the ability to be creative in how we reach our audience while enabling us to maintain that “personal touch” in how we keep them informed of new opportunities.

9. Cutting Edge: Are you really trying to attract the best and brightest?  Let’s face it, candidates are often on-the-go, traveling, in meetings, and not necessarily sitting around watching your TV promo or online job advertisement.  Mobile campaigns are the best way to demonstrate that your company “gets-it” and is innovative.

10. Ubiquitous Access: We shouldn’t assume our candidate will be checking email messages or available to take calls when you need them.  Mobile strategies offer pin-point-accuracy in targeting your audience where they are at any point in time vs. where you think they are. Today, working professionals are tethered to their mobile device; the device is always “on” and always within reach.  The era of 24 x7 is here. Why not leverage this advantage?

Mobile marketing can offer many great advantages if leveraged properly. Is your company currently leveraging a mobile marketing campaign as part of your recruitment strategy?  If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic.

We’ve entered the world of “cloud recruiting and job searching,” according to Michael Marlatt, recruiting consultant with Search Wizards at Microsoft.

It’s a techno-savvy world where recruiters search for candidates and job seekers find positions virtually, or in the “clouds.” It’s a world where people speak in terms of Web 2.0 (the trends toward an increasingly interactive Web) and Mobile 2.0, which is “the convergence of mobile services and Web services,” that allows people access to sending and receiving information anywhere, anytime.