Q&A on the Mobile Resource Site

Bryan Rieger of Yiibu asked a number of awesome questions to my update on the mobile resource site. I responded to him and shared some of my thinking on the need for this resource.

Bryan,

Thanks for bringing up your concerns. I’m sure a lot of folks probably are thinking similarly. So I’ll respond to each of your points below… (apologies in advance for my “morning manifesto”)

I applaud the initiative and the effort, although I had hoped this process might have been a little more inclusive – especially during the initial planning stages.

Sorry about that. Two things on this point, I started working on the mobile resource site for over two years now, so I already had a lot worked out. I invited a bunch of people (albeit different people) at that time, waited and nothing happened.

From talking to a few people that have attempted similar efforts in both web and mobile, it seems like during the early stages of a big effort like this building consensus can kill the idea pretty quickly. I wanted to get this out fast in order to curtail some of the mobile misinformation that is going on.

That all being said, it isn’t live yet. For those that are really interested, I would love the help shaping what this site will be.

Playing devil’s advocate for a second, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply work with existing sites that already have extensive audiences (Smashing Magazine, A List Apart, etc) to help curate (and provide) relevant articles and commentary? Building a site AND developing an audience AND working towards a ‘Mobile Standards Project’ advocacy group seems extremely ambitious at this stage. Personally, I’m with Jason in that the ‘mobile standard project’ was indeed the most compelling aspect you presented.

Yes, it is a lot to try and muster. And if it makes sense to focus on existing publications/standards bodies, I’m all for it. However from my experience it can be a challenge, especially at early stages.

Of my former business partners one was the publisher of Digital Web, one wrote worked for the W3C and participated in WaSP and one was associate editor for LifeHacker. During that time I learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t in both online publishing as well as advocacy groups.

When it comes to publishing the issue is time and money. No one has the time to write and no one has the money to help propel it along. As far as existing publications go, there is nothing to say that content published in one place can’t be published in another and vice versa (however they typically want original content). It takes months to get an article published through the bigger publications. I prefer the Wikipedia model, publish quickly and have the community vet and refine over time.

When it comes to standard bodies I think we only need to look as far as the W3C Mobile Web Initiative discussion lists for an answer on the usefulness of existing standards bodies. There tends to be a lot of politics and edge cases that stall thinking and progress.

As far as more tactical advocacy groups, I know a lot of people that were originally in WaSP. Back then their goal was simple, advocate W3C web standards. It was simple to understand, well documented, it only required a modification of techniques.

The problem we have with mobile today is that it isn’t that simple. If we had a mobile advocacy body tomorrow (the W3C already has a lot of awesome people doing this), what would we say? Look at the W3C MW-BP or MWA-BP? Not to mention that the W3C takes a vastly different stance on the future of mobile from where the market is actually headed.

I believe that a independent group of practitioners is needed. Not just to advocate “mobile standards” but to help define and document what they standards are in the real world. I believe that our role as advocates, for at least right now, is to help people solve problems with the mobile medium, to help them see how they can benefit fellow mankind using this technology, as well as to make money doing so. It is totally possible, but people need help connecting the dots with rationale impartial information.

I have to admit that I pretty much have zero interest in talking platforms, etc. Mobile apps can also apply to mobile web apps (as you mentioned), but I’m again concerned that this could be a distraction that diverts limited resources away from more pressing concerns.

I disagree. Very few frank comparisons of platforms is currently published. Therefore people understand native apps, the industry has been shaped around it for a decade and that is all people hear. The way you have to introduce mobile web as a viable technology is to through describing the pros and cons of each platform, including mobile web.

We can easily show people that the mobile web is the only ubiquitous application platform for mobile. But the only way we can honestly say its superior is if we also explain the other platforms and expose some of their weaknesses that are not typically discussed.

In many cases native apps still make the best sense, but that is a failure of the industry, the browser and the device, not of the underlying principles of the technology. But we should call it out. Challenge everyone to do better.

Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I’m getting the impression this may be a business venture for you?

No, not at all. My business is designing and building apps, not being a publisher. Over the last few years I’ve seen some very scary transitions in the market. Just a few are…

• businesses have no strategy beyond building an app
• the state of enterprise data is atrocious (and a bit scary)
• I haven’t worked with a single company is prepared for the next age of the Internet
• the financial value of expertise is on the decline, especially in mobile
• the web community is dominating the discussions around mobile, often with incorrect information
• anyone making silly claims such as the Web is dead, the future is apps, etc.
• just bad reporting on or about mobile
• falsehoods or inflating device market share
• people are focusing on solutions for mobile and not discuss the problems
• the mobile development market has become flooded with bad developers
• mobile budgets are vastly under what they should be
• the standards bodies are reacting to Apple and Google, instead of leading
• no one is doing more for mobile than Apple, and that isn’t necessary a good thing
• no one is focused on the real problems that are holding mobile web back as a viable platform
• not to mention the business reality that can build a far better native experience than I can mobile web experience and for less money. In my mind this is a massive failure of the advocacy and innovation efforts toward the mobile web to date.

My list of grievances are just getting longer with each passing day. I believe it is time to do something about it.

However, this will take a lot of time and effort to do. Therefore I am willing to inject my personal money in this to help get it started. Also the people that work for me also share this passion and belief and are willing to invest their time as well. However I do not intend for any of this efforts to appear as a promotional piece for me or my company. I believe that if we are successful at solving a few of the problems above, then everyone on this list will financially benefit.

However my personal goal with this effort is far more straightforward than that: I believe mobile can make the world a better place. I believe it to be the manifestation of all the founding principles of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Unfortunately I also feel that it has lost its way and needs some help.

Lastly, I think the points PPK brought up about WaSP (and WAC, JIL, etc) are really important - at least in my mind. Working with WaSP (if they’re interested) would likely make a lot of sense.

Like I said I’m all for exploring it and I think it would do a lot of good in the long run. I’m just concerned from past experience that it may make the process even more onerous and time consuming than just starting a fellowship of mobile peers with our own charter. But possibly Derek or others from WaSP can assure us that is no longer the case.

Please don’t take this email as being a negative reaction to what you’ve proposed. I’m just trying to get my head around it and see where (and if) I can fit in.

Not at all. You brought up very valid points and I’m happy to write up another manifesto explaining my rationale and goals for this ;) I’d be happy to do a conference call, Campfire or IRC chat next week with those that have similar concerns, or just to continue the conversation.

-Brian