Week Without a Browser write-up on the Karsh blog

On Karsh\Hagan Connect, I write about my week without a browser:

Blame it on the Karsh\Hagan creative brief. It continually reminds me that people today lack patience. When they want information, entertainment and products, they want them now.

In 2009, half of all new connections to the internet will come from a phone. Karsh\Hagan has launched mobile podcasting for one client. And a mobile advertising campaign for another. But to fully understand the possibilities and pitfalls of the location-based, hip-pocket media of the future, I wanted to immerse myself in it. So I deleted my browsers and pledged that for at least a week, I’d access the web entirely through my email application, RSS reader, and mobile device.

Read it all here. There are guest appearances by Kenneth Branagh and the Karsh\Hagan accounting department.

My week without a browser that became three weeks without a browser finally yields an insight

My ongoing experiment finally turned up a useful observation. My goal was to use only my Blackberry, email app, and RSS reader to access online content. I assumed the experience would teach me something about mobile marketing. But while I did feel an increased a connection to brands that offered mobile sites, like Google and 9NEWS, the most interesting change was the way I managed my life. My desktop email and calendar applications became meaningless when I could manage those functions in real time from my mobile device. So by purposefully eliminating Firefox, I accidentally eliminated Entourage. I'm not sure if it's fair to extrapolate my experience to the general population, but think about this: If more people start using their mobile device as their primary means of retrieving email, email marketing that contains lots of links, offers and products will become pretty annoying. Short emails with a simple coupon for one targeted offer would be a whole lot better.

Week without a browser extended due to id10t error

When I decided to try to live for a week without a desktop browser, I expected a learning curve. What sites could I access with my mobile device? What blogs could I follow through my RSS reader? But I didn't anticipate the learning curve that came with the device itself. It took me a couple days to realize my secondhand Blackberry didn't come with a media card. And they don't make it easy for Mac users to update their system software. So I am extending the experience for another week. Maybe by next Friday I'll have something interesting to say about the mobile web. Or not.

Me without a browser

It's too easy to say that mobile is the future of digital. It's harder to live it yourself. But immersion is the best way to learn anything. I have a hand me down Blackberry, with Twitterberry and GPS. And I'm going to use it for the next five days for everything I would usually use a browser for. Including typing this post. Web 2.0, meet what's next.