The purpose of my research
was to explore and implement techniques to expand my literary pursuits through
mobile media technology. I have find the
accelerated rate of public acceptance to mobile devices intriguing, and sought
to discover whether there still exists a market for web based literature.
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| egamicreative.com |
I have often wondered, what is the fascination with
mobile devices? Why is a digital presence so important, and is it safe? As a prudent
writer and author of a published novel, it is imperative that my efforts and
ideas remain fresh upon the minds of readers. These desires seem increasingly
less promising within the stagnancy of conventional book stores and web-based
sites.
My research seems to support that, regardless to the wane
of conventional book promotions; a comprehensive development of a mobile web
app is not only advisable but also essential for the effective exposure of
today’s writers. As Andy Hunter stated, “Almost everyone in publishing is aware
that change is inevitable.”
Today’s technology and pace of living have tremendously
altered the ways in which we access the simplest aspects of our daily routines.
Half of all Americans now receive their daily information through the internet,
with the average American spending 162 minutes a day on their mobile device;
86% of that time using apps. “The mobile phone now has the capacity to
facilitate widespread and dynamic collaboration, coordination, and
participation.”(Mihailidis)
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| thepunch.com |
Usage
of once innovative communications like land based devices and print have
drastically diminished over the last few decades. (Rowles) The United
States Census Bureau reports that global population is well over 7 billion
people and nearly 7,000 million of those are concurrently engaged in mobile activities.
Those kinds of statistics make it easy to get lost in the numbers. So why have
a web-based author’s site at all?
The rapid escalation of social media has brought into
question whether a website can still serve as a viable foundation. Certainly
the younger generations are flocking to the ever engaging channels of mobile
brevity. In respects, mobile users spend about 40% less time on a site than
that of web-based users. (Levey) But
the fact remains that they are still reading and seeking to be engaged. According
to Zickuhr, “The rising popularity of both e-books and mobile devices is
transforming Americans’ reading habits.” Three times as many users read e-books
over print. Beyond childhood, most prefer the ability to travel while reading.
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| pbworks.com |
With this in mind, the concept of an author’s website
should be intriguing to literary agents or publishers. Yet they generally do
not find such sites advantageous because of the time and effort needed to
establish and promote them. Additionally, agents and publishers have little to
no knowledge of or control over such sites. Their concern is, in a market
submerged with dot coms, how will effectively move readers to the site.
There are other mobile sources to solicit an author’s
work, and many publishers would rather have you take the route of social media.
After all, there are immense publicity potentials within posting through
Facebook and Twitter. But as Jane Friedman, co-founder of Scratch Magazine asserts,
there are obvious flaws to that concept. There is certainly a lack of control
over the direction of influence. Moreover, it is not an “effective way to
deliver information to your audience.” Overt and succinct statements are conducive
to social media writing. Ideally, an author should have a comprehensive web-based
site with a high accessibility for mobile users. So I began with that premise.
All artistic things must begin with simple building
blocks that derive from a solid foundation. The first effort was the creation
of a desktop based website. Research and professional advice lead me to purchasing
a domain name for my site from domain.com. I utilized my author’s
name as that of the domain name to convey professionalism.
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| iconarchive.com |
I then constructed the overall theme and layout of the
site through WordPress, installing
the headers, topics and images. Using the website creation tool, I was able to
upload a diversity of my writings to subsidize the context of the site. The incorporation
of links to social sites enables and inspires visitors to explore my talents
further. My novels remained the primary focus of the site. However, I did
include a spectrum of my many blogs.
Admittedly, blogging has declined sharply in young adults.
However, waning has been offset by an equivalent increase in blogging among
older adults. Studies show that this may be due to the augmented interest in
micro-blogging. (Lenhart) But as
blogs advance far beyond simple forms of opinionated dairies, there remains a
considerable mature audience seeking personalize professional information.
The more I researched the subject, the more I wanted to
completely revise my author’s website. The dominate factor is an ever-changing
and expanding world of capabilities. And much like writing itself, application
compounds creativity to craft better. Nonetheless, with a web domain
established and WordPress and HTML coding in place, the next step would be to
employ an app as a passage to a mobile version.
According to Danyl Bosomworth, co-founder of Smart
Insights, research shows that mobile devices are now being used more for
internet browsing than traditional desktop computers. This indicator is quite
believable as we look around today. Furthermore, on average, an app is being
utilized 80% of the time to surf the web; far more than conventional mobile
browsers. I saw the creation of a key app as crucial.
Being beyond my technical capabilities to develop a
mobile app from the ground up, I instead chose to utilize a ready-made app
platform that allows the client to cater the app to their specific needs. Utilizing the platform development of Appy Pie, I was able to combine media
elements (e.g. podcast, book video) with the features of my website. Ranking
prominently in the top five app building software, Appy Pie “is the world's
fastest cloud based DIY app builder software” available. (Mashable) Its designers have accounted for every aspect of today’s
mobile operating systems. It’s been designed to flawlessly adjust the same app
to diverse platforms with little alteration to the initial plan.
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| thenanobyte.com |
The Appy Pie
app also allows for the merger of additional features such as Podcasting. Studies
show that pod-casting is an operative and viable learning tool. (Santhanam) In today’s advancements of
social media communication, pod-casting is being employed in both educational
and entertainment means. A mind tends to have more clarity and a sequentially
deeper comprehension of the subject matter when experienced through audio. The
influence of pod-casting encourages the listener to think creatively.
Though pod-casting doesn't have a tremendous annual
growth of users when compared to other forms of multimedia communications, it
still retains substantial numbers. As reported by The State of the Media,
“one-third of all Americans (34%), or 89 million people” state they listen to
streaming of AM/FM stations or Internet-only services each month. By integrating
elements of podcasts and videos, I am engaging more of the visitor’s senses.
Book publishing of today is far more interactive than
simply a few years ago. Publishers and authors are adapting to remain relative
with every changing media formats. As
comic artist Stephan Pastis stated, “There’s a generation of people that are
coming up that just don’t know you’re alive.”
The way to reach that generation is to address them where they are and
through their interests.
To create the book trailer for Our First War required me to utilize various stock photos and a
public video file from the early 1900’s.
Through a mobile Magisto
editing app, I edited the components and set it to music. I then uploaded the
video to my YouTube account for public viewing. Since my account is also linked
to my app, the book trailer can now easily be accessed and viewed.
I
have brought the elements of my projects together to form the Roaming Soldier
app. This
particular app’s targeted markets include Appy Pie Market Place, iTunes for
iPhones and Google Play for Android; and will be supported by android, windows,
and IPhone platforms. At a fee of $12 per month, I deem the cost acceptable with
even moderate success. I am still waiting for the app’s approval at this point,
but am very hopeful. If effective, I plan to redesign the initial website,
which would duly convert any mobile access through the app. Additionally, I
should be able to incorporate any supplementary aspects.
Limits to this particular inquiry include previous
knowledge of app development. I am aware that technical familiarity with
platforms and coding would have help to advance my efforts further. Also, this
research focuses extensively on literary pursuits as opposed to business or
profit endeavors. However, this study could markedly benefit the interests of
any aspiring writer. It establishes
that there still exists a decisive market for literature, though that market is
predominantly beneficial through means of mobile media. *************************************************************
Bosomworth, Danyl. ” Mobile
Marketing Statistics 2014.” Smart Insights. Marketing Intelligence LTD. 10 June
2013. http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing. 12 Feb. 2014
Castledine, Earle, et
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Ltd, 2011. Print.
Friedman, Jane.
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Horn, Laura Peowski.
“Online Marketing Strategies for Reaching Today’s Teens.” Adolescence and
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Hunter, Andy.
“Literature, Plugged In.” Publishers Weekly 25. Oct 2010, Vol. 257 Issue 42, p21-25.
5p. Academic. EBSCO. Empire State College Library. Rochester, NY. 6 Feb 2014.
<http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/>.
Lenhart, A., K.
Purcell, A. Smith, and K. Zickuhr. “Social Media & Mobile Internet Use
Among Teens and Young Adults”. Web. 6 Feb 2014.
<http://web.pewinternet.org/>.
Levey, Jonathon. “Mobile
vs. Desktop Browsing: Is Time Spent On Site a Useful Metric?” Fathom Blog. 18
May 2012. Web. 27 April 2014. http://www.fathomdelivers.com/
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Mihailidis, Paul. “A
tethered generation: Exploring the role of mobile phones in the daily life of young
people.” Mobile and Media Communications. Sage Journals. Jan 2014. Vol. 2 No. 1
pg. 58-72. 7 April 2014.
Rowles, Daniel. Mobile
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Mitchell, A., Rosenstiel, T. “Audio: By the Numbers.” Web. 20 Feb 2014.
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U.S. and World
Population Clock. United States Census Bureau, 2014. Web. 12 April 2014.
Wei, Ran. “Mobile
media: Coming of age with a big splash.” Mobile and Media Communications. Sage
Journals. Jan 2013. Vol. 1 No. 1 pg. 50-56. 7 April 2014.
Zichuhr, Kathryn. “Reading,
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