The mobile web is not dead
And if you disagree you’re wrong 
Russ over at Mowser is skint, pissed off and throwing in the towel crying ‘anyone currently developing sites using XHTML-MP markup, no Javascript, geared towards cellular connections and two inch screens are simply wasting their time‘. Russ, sorry to hear times are hard but you’re talking crap.
The small screen and the limited connection are why IT IS WORTHWILE DEVELOPING FOR MOBILE.
The mobile web, small screens, poor connections and the iPhone are not the problem, the Mowser business model is the problem.
The hurdles and barriers of mobile are not hurdles and barriers if you’re open and flexible enough to manage them as opportunities. This is actually something Mowser does amazingly well, it just sucks at making money and I feel that’s because it’s not taking full advantage of commercialising it’s traffic.
Take full advantage of the traffic.
Throw ads at the top and tail of every page transcoded by Mowser, take the ad revenue and tell anyone who doesn’t like it to either upgrade ($$) or ‘sod off and build your own transcoder‘. If they don’t like it they don’t have to use it. Throw sponsored links on every page, hell I’ll pay you for converting UK and US traffic.
If you can’t afford a proper meal you can’t afford to not serve ads at every opportunity. Mowser are providing a service of value to web publishers and as a publisher I have no problem with them taking ad revenue in return for doing so. I’m sure many other publishers wouldn’t mind and be honest, how many would even notice if you did? How many web sites do you transcode where the site owner wouldn’t even know what transcoding is? Are they gonna have a problem with you getting clicks on ads they neither know about or understand? No, course not. Show the ads and take the money.
Given the choice of running an ad-free servce at a loss and not being able to feed myself properly or throwing ads on there, pissing a few publishers off but making enough to cover personal and business costs I know what I’d decide….
There’s loads of ways to get extra revenue from Mowser, if you can’t make dollar from the mobile web you’re not just getting something wrong, you’re really, really fucking it up. The 80% of traffic from adult sites that Mowser handles is just begging to be monetised! Remember:masturbation = money…..
Don’t tell me the mobile web is dead when I could sit at home, get stoned and crack ‘em off at The Hun all day long if I wished and still turn a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year.
The mobile web is not dead. It’s very, very much alive and kicking but if Mowser is dead, long live Mowser.
To throw the towel in so soon after the formation of the company is shocking. I was keen to and would have been happy to invest $$$$ (profit from mobile web) into Mowser but ‘thanks’ (as it seems now) to US non-domiclie investment complications didn’t.
I genuinely hope things get better for Russ, he’s a brilliant brain in mobile and it’s sad to see him losing heart and giving in.
King Robert the Bruce of Scotland: “If at first you don’t succeed, try try and try again”
Don’t give up, I’m sure a few system changes geared towards money rather than users will reap great rewards.
Like Mike, I’m going to continue growing the ecosystem.
More on TechCrunch where Mowser is now sadly in the deadpool.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Mowser was a case of good technology, poor positioning and monetisation. Andy - it would be great to see some numbers behind your success on mobile web - page views, £££. I think part of the problem is that a lot of the guys that are doing well (e.g. surfwap.com) are keeping quiet!
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I’m keeping my mouth shut on the specific numbers but a decent month will see about 4 million ad impressions through AdMob and Nokia Ad Service combined.
We’re talking ££££ and not £££ per month with the aim of the game being add more zeros to the figures…..
I know there are folks getting cheques from AdMob in the $30,000 USD a month region as Omar mentioned online somewhere it in an interview some time back. My payments from them are small in comparison, still very welcome though!
Full credit to Russ, Mowser is a great tool, I offered to buy it but it’s aready sold so I’ve been informed but the whois record still shows him as the owner. It should have my name listed there……
It’ll be interesting to see who takes it over and what they do to it.
I’d write something along the lines of how to monetise a mowser but I’m keeping quiet unless of course anyone wants to hire me in a consulting capacity.
Are you spilling any beans on your successes James?
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Thanks Andy - $30k admob cheque has got to be surfwap or peperonity - wouldnt be surprised if they were getting more. No successes from us to report yet but watch this space!