Repurpose Or Die

For a long time we’ve talked about how digital frameworks will change the nature of how we get and consume media.  Mobile has the potential to distribute content to many new, more personal frameworks.   Mobile Platforms such as the eReader are deemed ‘single purpose’.  As they redefine what constitutes a “book”, anyone producing content should take note of the potential  that various mobile devices deliver  for readers .  If you produce content, it is time to experiment and repurpose your publication for the many formats of mobile to come. Mobile web readers will expect it!

Zagat’s Got It

In 1979 Tim and Nina Zagat had a great idea – why should people looking for restaurant reviews be limited to get only the opinions of a very few paid, and frankly, unreliable restaurant reviewers that were available through limited newspaper sources.   Instead let 100’s of amateur critics tell the world their opinions about restaurants – publish and distribute this information far and wide.  The ratings were more reliable and the information was easier to access.  Today Zagat publishes in over 100 countries.  

At the core of their success is their relentless pursuit to repurpose their content for many new devices.   Zagat To Go is one of the top downloaded iPhone apps in the world today.   You can also expect them to be at the head of the line when the Apple iPad launches early in April.   Repurposing for the eReader is also a key part of Zagat’smobile strategy.  In January, Amazon announced a software development platform, a mobile web tool for their popular Kindle eReader.   Zagat is one of the first to sign up for this program to produce “active content” for the Kindle reader. 

eReaders and other mobile devices are changing the way publishers think about content and certainly the way readers think about interacting with books. Zagat gets it – Be out there in these new mobile frontiers, experiment with your content,  engage customers, gather results- tweak and evolve. 

What It Means To Be A Book

Books have been about ink on paper.   Today many of us have experienced text and images on an eReader platform. One person I know read a book using both her eReader and her IPhone in combination.  The mobile phone website of the book presented her with options to complete her book, anytime.  In April the iPad will become available and define even a newer generation of what we will one day consider ‘book’.  Mobile web readers will come in many forms, it will be important to develop sites for mobile devices. 

Recently Wired Magazine revealed their new eReader – which will be available on the iPad.  The experience is reported to be fundamentally “next generation publishing” in both the look and feel of the digital magazine  as well as the level of interactive and dynamic content including video and 3D visuals.

Reality Check For Today

Today there are 6,000,000 eReaders sold worldwide and the prediction is that there will be 10 million units sold by end of 2010.  Amazon Kindle own about 60% share of this market today.   This post is prior to the launch of the iPad, but remember - the hype may not match the numbers.  Most important - be aware of the growth of the mobile web and all of the options you have to delight your customers with your content - anywhere, anytime and anyplace.  Today you must have a mobile web site that is optimized for the 4.2 billion handsets out there.  MoFuse can help you get this done today!