When considering the development of websites, another aspect to think about is use on a mobile platform. As the number of individuals using cell phones increases, many are opting for add-ons to their packages that include mobile internet use. Viewing webpages on a cell phone vs. a computer can be very different and some pages were not developed to be mobile-friendly. Some pages, like Facebook, have their own separate sites for use on a mobile.

dotMobi is a joint venture company that was developed to provide a standardized process for companies, organizations, etc to have the ability to develop a website to ensure use on a mobile device. Web addresses end in .mobi, which is a signal to the public that the specific site will work on the go. I think it’s a great way to try and standardize the process for websites “going mobile.” I actually hadn’t heard of the .mobi domain until I came across the article - and I had never really given much thought to the need to develop websites tailored to mobile use.

DotMobi launches database for mobile-Web developers

Christie 2/17

.mobi is supported by major computer/internet companies (such as Microsoft and Google), cellphone makers (such as Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson), and mobile network provider (such as Vodaphone and T-mobile). This seems a guarantee of success; however, there are also some problems.

As mentioned in the article above, .mobi cannot have two-letter domain names. But the biggest problem of managing .mobi for webmasters is that they have to always create their webpages twice, one for PC-based WWW and the other for mobile-based WWW. This increases a lot of redundant content and finally increases the cost of managing Websites.

Additionally, the remarkable improvement of cellphones may deprive .mobi of its ground because people can access to PC-based WWW without any difficulties with the improvements such as bigger screen and faster access to the Internet.

Woong Jo Chang (2/18/2008)

I found this Wiki created by medical librarians in Canada designed after Wikipedia.  It specifically includes articles related to Web 2.0 and medicine.  The link below describes how the iphone might work in a healthcare setting and what its limitations are (limited proprietary software capabilities).

http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca/index.php?title=Apple%27s_new_iPhone_-_Applications_in_medicine

Sarah (2/19)