Developing Countries being held back by prescriptive technology strategies

Currently, I am preparing a number of submissions to various prominent mobile associations regarding the use of mobile technologies/applications for developing countries. It seems everyone is now considering the value of using mobile in providing the social and economic services desperately needed in these communities. All of the above are viable, important and necessary reasons for consideration, but there are numerous 'white' papers prepared to contextualise and guide submissions that are written in a way that almost prevents success of many of these programmes. Mostly because of what seems to be the need to replicate first world technologies aesthetically and functionally, lest the developing world claim a way of doing mobile technology on its own terms and as it happens - successfully!

Long has philosophical discourse surrounded the propensity of Westerners to dictate to developing countries and certainly Africa on how to think and pursue the successes layed out for them by their much more advanced and economically empowered counterparts. Yet I believe that Africa is and most certainly has defined many a product or methodology that has not only worked for them, but given the rest of the world something to think about. Now this blog is not about justifying Africa (or any other developing country's ability) but it is to point out that despite many attempts to re-educate the west about its approach, I am still reading documentation that is prescriptive rather than embracing of evidence clearly visible to everyone in those countries.

How does this all relate to my topic? Well for one there are proponents that are promoting the desire to use mobile technology to supply services that will uplift communities, while at the same time trying to find answers to supplying the Internet to these communities via a specified forms such as html. There are question surrounding how will they encourage the uptake and penetrate larger communities way down the economic ladder with the appropriate handsets? The problems stated are bizarre to me. The obsession with getting developing countries to consume the internet in the same way as on a PC and how to give them access to multi-media video and other rich media seem profoundly misguided.

Here it is....the answers are just very simple, which is why WAP based portals are reaching such high numbers in these countries. Nothing can produce a revolution like communication (which is a catalyst for change and development) and should be regarded as the first and most important step to engaging real development in these communities. These people are not looking for entertainment, they are looking for tools to improve their daily lives, they are looking for commonality and support and information and access, no matter how condensed. They want to express their individuality and be heard!

I have no reason to support WAP technology over any other, except for its ubiquitous nature in terms of accessibility, affordability and sustainability for developing countries to gain what they so desperately want and need. So come on the rest of the world, give us what we need and not what you want us to need.

INTUITION - THE NEW SCIENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

As you may be aware, I conceptualized and created a South African WAP-based mobile social network, which showed significant success in its first 6 months of existence. Needless to say there were many cries for formalized metrics and analysis to show how the network was building and what the ‘profile’ of the collective was? Although reporting was easy enough, analysing how or why or what can be ‘proved’ mathematically was very challenging, in fact to me I honestly believe that results of trying to ‘prove’ any single theory of why and how this collective was operating is could only be erroneous at best.
Just recently I have been studying the science of networks, epidemics and predictive behaviour of collective groups (mob theory), I found support for my conviction that intuitive predictions as opposed to scientific ones are in fact more realistic. It might explain how all the successful social networks e.g. facebook and MXIT are often surprised to see the level of success that they do!
“While knowing the rules that govern the behaviour of individuals do not necessarily help us to predict the behaviour of the mob, we may be able to predict the very same mob behaviour without knowing very much at all about the unique personalities and characteristics of the individuals that make it up.” Duncan J Watts (Six Degrees: the Science of a connected Age)
I could be quite detailed about how I went about implementing and deciding which marketing/features/direction to take with my project, but the bottom line was that no matter what other stakeholders believed (all of which were never hands on in the project), I responded directly to what users were expressing and used what I ‘felt’ about this collective group to lend creativity and intuition to my decisions. Happily I can claim to have had great success although sometimes to my own expense: my boss’s lack of approval of my somewhat unconstructed approach to the metrics.

Investigation into the topic shows that whatever we can come to know about the network structure or social structure both of which tells us about individuals and their connectivity or membership to groups of common interests, it is in fact the dynamics between these individuals and the resulting interaction which can give us insight or some understanding to successful networks. How does one measure this?! Not with graphs or empirical information but rather with a more ethereal ‘science’ like emotional intelligence or intuition. We are required to apply the gut feel rather than some measured science that in any case is a representation of a time and space long passed (at least in digital time).
The moving target that is a network supported by technologies accelerating the efforts of communication and sharing are without a doubt the most formidable we’ve ever seen. Technologically based networks, like epidemics and fads, can evolve from little interaction and seemingly stagnant spaces into monsters in a short space of time. They can of course reverse that trend just as quickly and this is the challenge for social networks trying to link business success to them.
The complexity and varying dynamics of the individual member’s interrelationships is the chasm of knowledge and science where answers to managing networks might lie. One such sociologist, Mark Granovetter introduced a concept called ‘weak tie’, which showed how some of the most significant interactions in a network did not come from dense groups of strong ties, but rather from individuals who did not know each other, but had much in common. “He called this effect ‘the strength of weak ties’ a beautiful and elegant phrase that has since entered the lexicon of sociology” Duncan J Watts.
Our innate ‘knowledge’ of things sociologically and psychologically related are what I believe give any shareholder of a social network the edge on developing a good social network, if we believe that such a management element exists.
Reading Duncan J Watts’ book “Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age has added to my understanding of the challenges that face stakeholders of networks. The sheer scale of variables and unpredictability of kinds of interaction between individuals in the collective is mind-blowing. The true possibility lies in being able to move, evolve with your social network, living as a member of the collective. To direct this phenomenon centrally and from above is seen in social networks originating in large corporate as opposed to start-up network. Marketers and development teams should be able to fluidly progress through the mire of options and apply what they ‘feel’ will add value, rather than what they think they ‘know for sure’.

Wireless Technology: Advocacy for use in Human Resources

An interesting challenge has come across my desk and with it a fair amount of research into any mobile programmes being used as solutions for Human Resource issues.

Of course actual documented case studies are seldom shared, however, it is obvious that academics discuss the use of mobile technology as a communication tool in Human Resources when used as an immediate and cost effective channel for interaction with employees in varied areas pertinent to employee well being and corporate communication. One example that i did come across was "MD on Tap" which i thought was a brilliant marketing initiative to give employees the feeling that they had direct access to a senior person to whom they could voice any problems and stresses they felt.

The challenges I will addressing are associated with an already existing wellness programme where the client is wanting to engage more men into the programme as well as offer solutions for stress management. These areas are clearly associated with personal development and incentive based solutions. I believe no other technology is better poised in our market than mobile. In a country where a cellphone is the first and only communication devise for many and penetrates down into poorer households, an enormous opportunity to engage these people exists.

Here are some of the deliverables for mobile in Human Resources:

• Information about job openings
• Programme information and updates
• Managing health issues on a personalised basis – e.g. If a person is on a TB course of meds. an SMS reminder to get their medication refilled or health tips including nutrition
• Responsible Sex programmes
• Relevant mapping and information locator services e.g. Hospitals, doctors, ATM’s
• User reporting system: SMS a keyword this matches up to a database and relevant response is initiated e.g. Work or community emergency
• Social service grants
• News services: community news, sports results, lotto draw etc

The Key components of a project like this are:

• A cause or purpose / clear objective
• Content: Information
• Engaging mechanism: voting, polling, Q&A etc
• Incentives which can be content based to stimulate loyalty e.g. 2010 football, Elections services, weather updates and airtime.
• Interface to collect incoming information and data: project status, emergencies, requests

I believe that mobile can be super effective and efficient, not to mention cost effective. interactive communication is becoming expected and mobile can deliver solutions that are personalised and targeted.

All of these reasons convincingly advocate mobile as an intervention tool for Human Resource's departments to communicate, motivate and bridge closer ties with their employees.

Women in Telecommunications - Powerful

Here's a topic i have longed to write about and recently i saw a wonderful piece on Women in Silicon valley in the fortune magazine. It was really inspirational and once again opened my mind to thoughts about women in business and how they work around power and gender issues. Having recently gone through a struggle against these matters, I know that i am not the only women who is forced to confront power and leadership aptitude in the workplace. What really startles me though is how women don't help each other in these situations (although i had a silent guardian angel during this recent experience). Without going into a long song and dance about why this happens, what amazed me about the Fortune article was how these high-powered women from Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Accel, created a network and are supporting each other, whether it is sharing how to manage situations, sharing strategy and work advise, but also communicating their personal challenges, all are married with small children and this is as important in their lives. Once could say they have it all, but we all know balance is the key to enjoying everything you have.

What did I get from this example of women pooling together for their own good and the good of other women in business? Well I have decided that replicating this idea of a social network, both online (with women in other geographies) and social gatherings has to be something worthwhile. So I am inviting women from the mobile, IT and Internet industries to join the club.

I am calling the group PowerWomen Technology! I am planning on building us an assemblage of women who are interested in investing in themselves and each other, that understand good work ethics and developing will and strength to face all obstacles. In addition we could create a directory of women in our industry. Lets see how PowerWomen in Technology can do it!

Find POWERWOMEN TECHNOLOGY ON FACEBOOK.COM

Advertising Agencies are missing out on measurable marketing

One thing I know about mobile marketing in South Africa is that advertising agencies are missing out on the most measurable marketing and customer research tool ever! Having visited and spoken with many major agencies around the country, I am aghast at how completely unknowledgeable and in some cases, deeply in denial advertising agencies are about the magnitude of their disregard. Despite evidence and success stories that some brands and businesses have shown in the past year, advertising agencies are still not integrating mobile marketing, advertising, social networking and promotional tools into their strategies.

Knowledge, or a lack of it is to blame as far as i'm concerned and maybe there is not enough dialog and resources available to all levels within agencies. I for one have seen only a few conferences offered and always attended by other mobile industry people, which kind of defeats the object.

I would love to know what the case is within agencies and the dynamics at work that make mobile marketing with its unlimited options in the social networking space undesireable to agencies.