http://www.happykatie.com

Are you a Crackberry addict or an iPhone junkie?  Or are you just plain confused watching people walk around with headset in ear and cell phone in hand 24/7?  Perhaps I can help

I am speaking on Mobile Web for PR pros at PRSA Houston's PR Day tomorrow (my first PR Day speaking gig ever!!) and will be leading 2 30-minute table talks about the basics of Mobile Web.

So what the heck does that mean?  Basically, it means that soooo many people on a global level have access to cell phones than computers (over 2.7 Billion cell phones out there vs. under 1 Billion personal computers) that savvy PR gurus have to change with the times and communicate with their Web visitors where they actually are.

The Mobile Web = Mobile people (not the hottest new handheld or the latest iPhone).  People are on the go – whether they are customers, friends or family – and have easier access to the Internet through their cell phones than ever.

I have included my general 'what to know about Mobile Web' outline after the jump — or you can open up this PDF as well for easier printing.  If you're attending tomorrow, you'll also get to hear Ed Schipul speak in the first breakout session on Strategic PR with Social Media!  DOUBLE WHAMMY!! 

Pssssst….  Looking for the Wii Giveaway post?  Click here!

Image thanks to Flickr user IamSam!

Here's my outline for tomorrow's Mobile Web roundtable at the Houston PRSA's PR Day (Download Mobile Web Basics for PR Pros outline):

In the
Palm of Your Hand: 
How
PR Pros Can Make a Splash with the Mobile Web
Katie Laird of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company

What is Mobile Web?
Mobile = Mobile people connecting to your Web site NOT
Mobile phones

Why do you care about
the Mobile Web?

·        
Over 2.7 Billion Mobile phones in the world (vs.
1.5B televisions and under 1B computers)

·        
30% Internet use access the Web ONLY through
their Mobile (over 850 million)

·        
92,000 text messages sent every single second

·        
35% of Mobile Internet Users are in the 35-54
year demographic

Content vs. Context –
Where are my site visitors at this exact moment?
Where you are dictates what you want to see.  Make it easy to find essentials for folks on
the go:

·        
Your business hours

·        
Address and map info – link out to Google Maps
as well

·        
Parking or traffic information – be nice and
keep updating for big events!

·        
Phone number

·        
Specials or coupons

How to give your
visitors a Mobile experience

1.       Do
nothing and just wait it out – the iPhone is awesome (except for Flash)

a.       Tweak
your content so pertinent info shows on your homepage top

2.       Simplify,
simplify, simplify – reduce your site images and styling

a.       See
Tumblr sites (www.tumblr.com) as an extreme
example

3.       Use
handheld stylesheets

a.       Your
Web site can tell when a Mobile device vs. computer is visiting and adjust

4.       Create
a separate Mobile Web site

a.       See
the difference between www.kayak.com and www.kayak.com/moby

Mobile tools for Mobile Communicators

·        
Opera Mini (www.operamini.com)
– make your phone view sites like an iPhone

·        
Google Mobile products (http://m.google.com) – Google stuff for your
phone

·        
Flickr Mobile photo sharing (http://m.flickr.com) – Upload pics and videos

·        
Facebook Mobile (http://m.facebook.com)
– Update status, check message, post pics

·        
CNN Mobile (www.cnn.com/mobile)
– Check your news on the road