Wattpad, which specialises in ad-supported mobile services, has announced the official launch of FeedM8 (Feed-Mate) after a successful beta trial. FeedM8 enables mobile users to access content from feed-enabled websites, such as blogs, news, sports and weather information, while providing opportunity for content publishers to monetize their content.
In order to work with mobile devices, websites need to be selective of the information on each page and display them using various mobile standards, Wattpad notes. Additionally, the content needs to be tested on hundreds of phone models to ensure compatibility. For content publishers, this is time-consuming, error-prone and expensive. As a result, only large companies can invest in doing this. The web, for the most part, is inaccessible from mobile devices, the company concludes.
FeedM8 claims to solve the problem using a new, patent-pending technology. Mobile users can now go to fdm8.com on their mobile phone and visit their favourite website, even if it is not mobile-friendly. Registration is not needed, and no download or installation is required. The user simply chooses from top picks under the CHK IT OUT tab, or types what he or she is looking for under WRU L%KN 4?. FeedM8 will automatically create a phone model-specific version of the selected site for display. The transformation takes into account handset-specific capabilities and dramatically reduces mobile network bandwidth required to support rich Internet traffic. This delivers optimal speed, presentation, usability and content quality across mass-market handsets and high-tier handsets with full HTML browsers, the company says.
Anyone who has tried mobile browsing will tell you that most websites are not mobile friendly or do not have mobile-specific versions says Wattpad Co-founder Ivan Yuen. FeedM8 is a simple service that completely eliminates the need of mobile specific websites.With FeedM8, mobile users can browse the websites they want, while publishers add a new source of revenue.”
For content publishers, such as bloggers, FeedM8 Publisher Network is a free program designed to extend their reach and add a new source of revenue. The one-step sign up process takes just a few seconds. After signing up, content publishers can further customise the look and feel of their mobile site. FeedM8 also includes mobile-appropriate ads, delivering 60% of the ad revenue to the content publishers. Finally, content publishers can earn even more by becoming an affiliate and earn up to 60% of the referrals advertising revenue. Theres more information here.