eComm2008Have You Got Something to Say? Providing Online Social Networks With a

Voice.

Silent, Social Networks?!

• Why?• Humans are social animals• People need to talk• Spoken communication is

most natural

• Online verbal communication inevitable

Lessons Learnt

1. Fit the Environment

• Piggyback on existing brands

• Use APIs to add service

• Seamlessly integrated

• Fit snugly – with existing behavior– with current expectation

• Clear user proposition

Example: MySpace

• group conversations

Example: LinkedIn

• peer-to-peerdiscussion

2. Call Triggers

• Calling no longer an isolated event• Call triggers increasingly on screen

– social network– email– calendar alert

• Calls and online activity intrinsically linked

3. Reduce the Impact

• Making calls can be disruptive– move away from the on screen context– find a phone, a number and dial

• Receiving calls can be disruptive– interrupt current activity– distraction from on screen context

• Can the impact of a call equate to a ‘Poke’?

4. Motivators

• Average audio page residency 150secs• People will pay for the service

– bespoke integration– advertising revenue– membership and subscription revenue– competitive differentiation

Beyond the Computer

• Context based calls move to other platforms– Android 1.4– iPhone 2

Cozy Conversations

• Calls move from isolated wilderness

• Calls snuggle with context

Questions?

Tim Panton

Tim@PhoneFromHere.com

An eComm 2008 presentation –

http://eCommMedia.com for more