There is a term that is beginning to emerge for the Internet which we are starting to regularly access through our mobile phones: the Middle Web. This phrase serves to describe the way that major websites are creating mobile-friendly versions of the Internet so that people accessing their sites through cell phones can do so quicker and more efficiently. The mobile sites are similar to, but not as intensive, as the PC versions of the same webites. As mobile web technology develops, there is some question as to whether the middle web is going to get bigger or to eventually fade away. In the meantime, questions are focused on how the development of the middle web is changing mobile phone use and the marketing we see happening there.
The Mobile Web is Spreading
Mobile phones entering the market today are increasingly designed to allow users to have full access to the Internet. The iPhone has been a leader in showing the world that it is possible to access the full web from a mobile phone. Developments in the area of the Google Android platform and changes taking place with smartphones all seem to point to the fact that we’re going to increasingly see people using their mobile phones to access the same websites that they regularly access on their PCs.
The Creation of the Middle Web
Despite the proliferation of the mobile web, most phones still remain incapable of strong support for the full web. Even those phones (such as the iPhone) which do allow for full web capabilities are considered to be much friendlier to use when accessing mobile-specific websites. As a result, a large percentage of major websites have created new versions of their sites that are specifically designed for the mobile phone. This is what is being called The Middle Web.
The Middle Web is a type of mobile Internet that lies somewhere in between the old (highly-limited) version of accessing the Internet on your phone and the ability of phones to access the full Internet. It is a virtual space on which mobile phone users can access all of their favorite sites, including many of their favorite features of those sites. However, the sites aren’t so heavily laden with information and bandwidth-hogging images so they are much easier to quickly use on a mobile phone.
Major Sites Contributing to the Middle Web
There are several large sites that are contributing to the development of the Middle Web as a direct result of their creation of mobile-friendly versions of their websites. Some of the most popular of these sites include:
• Google. It’s of little surprise that Google is a major player in the Middle Web considering the toehold this company has on the developing wireless world.
• Facebook. People who want to stay in touch with their Facebook friends while on-the-go but who don’t want to have to wait for the whole slow page to load can use the mobile version of Facebook when on their phones.
• Digg. Anyone who uses this social bookmarking site for work or personal reasons knows that it can be a really slow site. The version of Digg that was designed for the mobile web is one which is much faster and easy-to-use.
• Weather.com. People definitely want to access weather information from their mobile phones in order to see what to expect in the areas where they are traveling. The version of the site designed for the Middle Web is specifically geared towards providing that on-the-go information in an easy-to-read format.
• Food Network. This is an example of one of the large websites that doesn’t “need” a mobile version of their site (who really needs to access Food Network from their phones) but which realizes that this is an area of emerging importance to any business with an online presence. They have a stripped down version of the site for the mobile web, something that we’re increasingly seeing across the industry.
Limitations of the Mobile Web
Being accessible on mobile phones is increasingly important to all websites. Sites want to be where their readers are at and that place is increasingly on the cell phone. However, there are limitations in developing the mobile web. Websites are currently finding it difficult to adjust their sites to provide the requisite information to their readers without overloading the web. This sometimes results in awkward displays of sites on mobile phones which tend to upset their regular users (as was the case with the version of MySpace released for the iPhone).
Additionally, it is necessary to overcome the problem that there are so many diverse types of handsets out there and that each currently has different quirks that impact the mobile websites. A site may appear fine on the iPhone but not translate well to the new phones that are coming out to compete with the iPhone. These hardware limitations have been driving the industry to find another solution.
The Future of the Middle Web
Some believe that the solution is to create this Middle Web. The idea is that a standard could be created for these mobile websites which would make it easier to realize them on a variety of different handsets around the world. It has been suggested that there could be a .mobi or m.site.com format for websites that would become the standard for any site’s mobile version. It is believed that this Middle Web has the potential to expand and be enhanced as technology improves in order to create a mobile web that offers the experience of the PC despite the small screen size of the mobile phone platform.
The Middle Web and Mobile Advertising
One area that has the potential for serious development in this Middle Web is the area of mobile phone advertising. This is one of the largest areas of interest to marketers today and people want to harness the power of targeting the mobile consumer as much as is possible. Because of the differences in the way that people interact on a mobile phone in comparison with their PC, it is believed that there would be a lot of room for specialized advertising on the mobile version of websites.
This difference comes from the fact that interaction on the mobile phone differs from the computer even though the mobile web can be made to be similar to the PC experience. It’s just the nature of the medium that causes this to happen. For example, let’s look at the click-to-call widget. People who are browsing a website on their PC may see the click-to-call widget and take no interest in it. Someone who is already using the phone to explore the web may figure that this is the easiest step to take to get more information about a product or service. The mobile version of a website would then be more likely to make use of the click-to-call widget whereas the PC version of the site could take it or leave it. The goal for marketers will be to find innovative ways to appeal specifically to a mobile audience.
The Likelihood of Middle Web Growth
It is impossible to say for sure that the Middle Web is the way that Internet on mobile phones is going to play out. It is possible that changes in handset technology will one day make the mobile phone an ideal platform for accessing the full Internet and that the middle web version of sites is going to eventually become obsolete. However, people working online today can’t bank on that possibility; instead, they are increasingly considering the option of creating a mobile version of their websites so as not to get left in the dust. This suggests that the Middle Web is likely to continue to swell with growth for the near future.
