Mobile Blogging

While I cannot claim to be an expert on mobile blogging, I do feel that now that I have made my first post from the mobile I have some insights, if only as a user...

The trigger that made me post from my mobile was that after I took a picture with my K800i, one of the menu items alongside "delete" and "take new picture" was "Blog this" that took me to Google's Blogger web-site (which happens to be the service I am using to write this blog). This is a result of some integration work between SonyEricsson and Google and I guess it is not the only cooperation we will see.

Anyway, while the picture I took didn't come through at the end, I started typing some words. I have to say that on first thought mobile blogging seems to be the most natural thing: Blogging is all about self expression and telling everyone about your experiences , and what's more natural than writing about your experiences right after they actually happen (in contrast to waiting until you are at home in front of your computer etc.)

And it seems like the mobile phone could be our saviour here: It is always with you, it has an internet connection and it even has a camera through which you can (theoretically...) capture the moment.

But as soon as I started typing my post, I understood that there's a HUGE barrier here: The keypad... At this point I have to mention that I consider myself to be quite a good SMS-er... maybe I cannot compare with today's kids that grew with mobile phones, but I am quite good... But still after a few sentences I was completely "exhausted" (if that's the right term to use in this case..).

Everyone knows that typing with standard phone keypads is quite annoying, and even with the new T9 dictionaries that don't require you to strike each key a few times (if it is a known word) it is still no match for the computer's keyboard that actually lets you use both your hands and not only one finger. When you type on your mobile phone, most of you fingers are "busy" holding the mobile phone and you have only your thumb to type with. You can also try to type with your other thumb (or the other fingers of your other hand) but this may prove to be uncomfortable usually, due to collisions between the two fingers on their way to the next letter...

Anyway, one of the requirements for a good blogging expereince is being able to express yourself freely - when you are limited in such a way that your thoughts precede everything you type by far, you get quite frustrated at the end.

You may say that with advanced devices like Blackberry and Nokia's E61 things are different since it is much easier to type, but it is still no match for the keyboard and these are not mainstream devices - and never will be. Not because of their price (Which can be quite low in some packages) but because of their form factor. If it doesn't fit in your pocket without competing for space with your private parts - it is not a mainstream device... (And forgive me for being so colorful...)

So, to conclude, I haven't become a fan of mobile blogging, but I do think that if we acknowledge these limitations we can create an experience which is more adapted to mobile devices. For example mobile photo blogging can work -you can post a picture with some short descriptive text (no longer than a common SMS) - and there you have it: People can see what you did, where you have been - and that's mobile blogging for you.