1. Mobile:The Kingof Communication?
I workfor a mediacompany,actuallyIworkfor a TV stationbut it’snota TV stationanymore. We offer
e-mail marketing,targetingandre-targetingads,Mobile geo-fencingand73 otherdigital productsto
our customers. Andbythe time I hitwhat everyone thinksof retirementage,Idon’t believeTV stations
will be calledTV stations.Theywill be calledsomethingalongthe linesof aMediaSolutionCompany, or
somethingelsewhichwould more appropriatelydescribe whattheydo.Forme,thattime frame is
exactly10 yearsfrom now. Andso muchcan change in just a decade.Lookhow much change occurred
duringthe 60’s and70’s inthe UnitedStates.
Accordingto the PewResearchInternetProjectof March2014, 68% of U.S. adultsconnectto the
internetusingamobile device.HowlongdoyouthinkNBC,ABC,CBS,FOX, CW,My TV,Me TV, Get TV
and the restof the companiesinthe broadcastinggenre,are goingtorelyon a local TV stationaffiliate
to put theircontentoutto consumers?
More importantly,if Mobile isgoingtobe the “Kingof Communication”,will the bigscreengoaway?
Notin my lifetime orinyours.Consumerswill still wanttosee entertainmentina format thatis larger
than life,becausepeople needtoescape from “technologyoverload”.“Technologyoverload”ismyterm
for the negative impacttechnologyhasplacedintoourlives inthe last10-15 years.
In myopinion,“technologyoverload”hasa negative healthimpactonourlives: the stressduringthe
normal workweekfromphone calls,e-mails,textmessages, voice mails,social marketingmessagesis
real. We are askedto do twice the workinhalf the time. Andso bythe time Fridayrollsaroundforthe
normal office worker,theycan’twaittogo home and restup forthe weekend.Butsince we are sobusy
duringthe week,personal tasksrule the dayonSaturdayand manytimesthose choresbleedoverinto
Sunday.
So whatdoesthishave to do withMobile?Ourmobile phonesare the one true commondenominatorin
our lives.We will be onourmorningcommute tothe office inthe morning,if we forgetourwalletorour
purse,we maynot turn aroundand drive backhome. But if we forgetour phone,we turnaroundand go
back. Ourcars almostautomaticallymake the U-Turnforus anddrive back to our residence. We simply
cannot functionwithoutthesedevisesbyoursides.
I oftenwonderwhatthe PayPhone industrythoughtaboutthe firstMobile Phone. Backinthose days,
the firstphoneswere bagphones, brickphonesormobile devicesinstalledinourcars. “We needtocut
a hole inyour transmissionhumpinside yourcarto install your new phone,sir”.“Sure”we wouldsay
withoutreservation,“goahead,cuta hole inany part of mycar, justgive me a phone touse while I’m
drivingmycar and by the way,please over-charge me 25cents a minute”.
Mobile phoneskilledthe payphone business,try andfinda payphone today.I dare you, I double dog
dare you.
Look at the I Phone 6 Plus:it isbigger,smarterandcloserto beinga laptop computerthana cell phone.
But if youare the Kingof anything,doesn’tthatmeanyouare far fromimperfect?

2. Andso the great mobile phone,the “Kingof Communication”is anasset?Or isit a liability?
Abouta year ago,a businessassociateof mine,whotravelsall acrossthe country,toldme hisphone had
beenhacked. He was usingpublicWi-Fi:itwaseasy forsomeone tosteal all of his personal contactshe
had storedonhisphone.
So please followthesesimple tipswhenitcomestousingyourcell phone:
*Be cautiousaboutplacingpersonal informationonsocial mediawebsites.
*Take advantage of privacysettingsonyourcell phone.
*Onlyshopon secure websiteswithURL’sprecededby“https.”, asopposedto“http”.
*Nevershare personal orfinancial informationwhileusingpublicWi-Fi.
*Disable automaticconnectionsonyourSmartphone.
*Treat e-mailsandsocial mediainvitesfromstrangerssuspiciously.
*Use goodpasswordsforall of your on-line accountsandsocial mediasites.
To summarize,be cautiouswhileusingyourcell phone.Whensomeone asksyouforyourphone number
whenyou’re ina store shopping,doyougive itoutverbally?Whynottry writingitdownso not
everyone inthe store withinearshothearsyournumber?
Make sure youpasswordprotectyour cell phone.Anddonotlenditfor use to someone youdon’treally
know.
The “King of Communication”, yourcell phone, isyourbestfriend?Yesandno,justmake sure your best
frienddoesn’tturnoutto be a neighboryouwishyouwouldneverhave met.