Visiting Japan and seeing the potential of mobile social networks

Apologies for the lack of posts recently as I am currently on vacation in Japan. I want to drop a quick note here to say that mobile social netwroks will indeed become bigger than online social networks. This was already reflected in a slide presentation (see slide 19) by vinod khosla a couple of years back. However, seeing how the Japanese used it for their everyday communication purposes makes you believe that this will indeed be true.

















What I see promising is to take the generic social networks concept and apply it around social objects that are suited to the mobile. This is make it easier to come up with mobile viral apps. For example, one big thing I notice in Japan is girls buying all sorts of accessories and makeup. It make sense to have a mobile network that focuses on this target group. We can then design viral apps that are relevant for the group. For example, one that enable friends to share their new accessories, nail polish, make up et al via images that they can capture on their phone.

I will share more about mobile social networks on I get home to do more research. If you have any feedback or comments, do free feel to drop me a note.