Putting the new rules to work

So you’re on Facebook, Twitter and the Web. Congratulations. But what about the consumer’s phone?

That’s where a growing number of consumers are getting their news and other critical information. And the numbers are reaching a point that communications professionals can no longer overlook. A recent major study by the Pew Center for Excellence in Journalism found that:

• One-third of all cell phones users use their phones/handsets for getting news.
• 18% use some type application for news content.
• 11% get news via email or text.

Still not convinced? Here are a few other “straws in the wind”:

• Google exec John Herlihy says most of Google’s online sales now target handsets, saying that “in three years time, desktops will be irrelevant.”
• Comscore reports that access to mobile Facebook access jumped 112 percent in the past year, and mobile Twitter access soared 347 percent.
• As of 2Q 2008, monthly texts outnumbered cell calls by 357 to 204 — per person.