BCA

By John Riley

 Does Spinternet mean anything to you? It didn’t to me until I visited the Forrester Research website recently and found a reference to it. Now I know and so should you.

 With all the excitement surrounding the introduction of Kindles, Androids, iPhones, tablets and FiOS TV’s,  you may be surprised to learn your site may not work right on these devices. You will notice the change when you try to use flash or mouse-based navigation. The Internet was created in a compatible format so that any computer, connection or browser would interface with it. That is no longer true.

 In the past, everything on the Internet was standard and connected. Today, much of the really valuable information and data is login and password protected. If you are a frequent user of the very popular Facebook, its applications won’t work anywhere else. Most importantly Google can’t access much of it. Furthermore, apps that function on the iPhone can’t work on the Android. Widgets designed for FiOS TV won’t work anywhere else.

 Google requires a standard format to operate as does search engine optimization, click-throughs, ad networks and analytics.

 Because these new devices will splinter the web as a standardized system, Forrester Research, following a study of this phenomenon, coined the term Splinternet to describe it. All of the new devices have their own format, ad networks and technology. As new social sites come online, they will have their own login and much of its content will be concealed from search engines.

 Since there will be no turning back, the study authors recommend the following:

1)     Choose your devices carefully as investments in one cannot be transferred easily to others if you make a mistake.

2)     Rethink analytics, links and measurement because they are just coming available in the new environments.

3)     Promote new channels since SEO won’t help you much here. Platforms like iPhone apps and Facebook are some of the most  exciting new channels out there.

4)     Just realize you are leaving the comfy environment of the Web behind… along with all the tools you’ve grown dependent on…as you embrace the new platforms.

 For marketers, its not too soon to start revising market plans. The rest of us will need to start doing our homework on the new devices.