User-generated content and online communities typically conjure images of teens huddled over their computers creating profiles, sharing video clips and flirting. But David Bankston’s view of Internet communities includes such unlikely suspects as the U.S. Department of Defense, CH2M Hill, ABC News and the State of Florida.
Those are a just a handful of customers of Neighborhood America, a Florida-based developer that helps businesses, government agencies and media outlets create online participatory communities. While the company may not be a household name, it has gained traction with technology that creates forums where users and customers can share information with each other as well as interact with corporations and public organizations.
The 65-employee firm expanded into wireless last week with the acquisition of Movo Mobile, a fellow Floridian that provides mobile marketing technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bankston, who cofounded Neighborhood America in 1999 and is the company’s chief technology officer, said the rise of popular sites such as MySpace, Digg and YouTube haven’t just capitalized on people’s desire to connect with each other, they’ve spurred demand for community features—and not just among college-age Web surfers.
“Companies are concerned about (community), they know they need to be in that space,” Bankston said. “They’re watching the Diggs of the world; they’re watching the Facebooks. They know people have an expectation of being able to participate.”
That participation can take many forms, of course. The National Park Service is using Neighborhood America’s technology to allow the public to weigh in on the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, Pa. The Weather Channel offers users the chance to become “citizen journalists,” breaking weather-related stories from their computers. And the State of Florida solicits input from residents regarding sustainable growth plans.
Such efforts allow organizations to foster discussions that can build relationships both with and between users. Perhaps as importantly, they also create the opportunity for advertising revenues, offering a place for targeted marketing messages on potentially high-traffic Internet sites.
“Part of the reason these communities are really taking off is that it’s driving eyeballs (to Web sites) again,” Bankston said. “Our system is designed to tie into online ad services. As a business model for the end users, for our customers, that is how we’re really selling it.”
Movo was founded in July 2005 and claims fewer than 10 full-time employees, making it a fairly small player, even in these early days of mobile marketing. The company was backed by Startup Florida, an early-stage investment fund for high-tech companies, and its clients consist largely of fellow Florida companies.
Immediacy
Neighborhood America hopes the acquisition of Movo allows it to offer more immediate solutions to both organizations and consumers. ABC News fans can send video clips and file on-the-scene reports from their phones, for instance, while companies could reach their users with mobile alerts about breaking news, product recalls or other urgent messages.
The wireless component is likely to play a large role in Neighborhood America’s efforts to help government agencies cope with natural disasters and other catastrophes. The company worked with Florida to solicit public feedback in the wake of last year’s hurricanes, and will look to mobile phones to facilitate discussions between government agencies and employees in the field.
“In my opinion, the real value of the mobile platform is that it ties the physical world to the interactive world,” said Dan Miller, Movo’s chief executive officer, who will head the company’s mobile efforts. “Obviously, our ability to do that (quickly and efficiently) will evolve as the networks evolve.”
Cross-platform campaigns
Social networking features are nothing new to businesses, of course. Amazon, Netflix and a host of others have gained ground by allowing users to recommend offerings and offer comments to others.
Meanwhile, entertainment-focused companies like Mercora (which allows users to create online “radio broadcasts” of their favorite music) and YouTube are working aggressively to bring their online services to wireless users. Mobile gamers are embracing such features, also, as forums such as Sprint Nextel Corp.’s Game Lobby continue to attract new users.
It remains unclear what kind of content and social-networking offerings will gain a foothold in the mobile world, however. While music and video seem to be finding an audience with wireless users, Neighborhood America’s staple of discussion forums may struggle on mobile phones, where cumbersome keypads and small screens will hinder users’ willingness to type posts and view message boards.
The company said its technology will automatically customize content based on device type, though, and the wide variety of social-networking applications will allow organizations to deploy cross-platform campaigns that leverage the specific advantages of different devices. While users may not be willing to browse through a litany of messages or post essays on their phones, they have already shown interest in accessing content and participating in interactive marketing campaigns.
“Broadcasts, surveys, contests—all of that is now within the bailiwick of social networking and now can be delivered wirelessly,” Bankston said. “Basically, all I have to do is save a file and I can send an MMS or e-mail with an attachment to ABC News, then it can be consumed and get on air in a matter of minutes. That is the immediacy we have with mobile phones.” RCR
