For the many thousands who received cameraphones at Christmas, the following days were no doubt spent bombarding friends with photos of half-eaten turkeys and dozing relatives. But when the initial fun wears off, there is a more interesting avenue available for enthusiastic mobile phone photographers.
Moblogging - the practice of submitting text messages and images directly to online diaries - has been around for more than a year, but was once the preserve of super geeks with the latest Japanese technology. Now, however, cheap handsets such as the Sharp GX20 and Nokia 7250i, together with a more organised online infrastructure, are bringing moblogging to the masses. If you were left behind by text blogging (or couldn't be bothered to write that much), now is your chance to ride the second wave.
The first step is to open a free user account with a moblogging host site. Text America, Buzznet, Fotopages and Fotolog are all popular choices, although each offers a slightly different package (in-depth search facilities, photo captions, forums, etc), so shopping around is advisable. All hosts provide new users with an email address to which images can be submitted. From here, it is a case of taking a snap, enclosing it in a picture message or email and sending it on (ensure you have your GPRS service activated with your service provider). Fifteen minutes later, it is online.
There are generally two types of moblogs: public and private. Anyone can send images to the former, while the latter - like standard text blogs - can be viewed by everyone, but only updated by the person who set it up. Public blogs vary enormously in content and ambition. There are places to send totally random images: www.phonebin.com is a simple dump site for quick-fire exhibitionists, hence the predominance of soft porn. There are also plenty of daft themed blogs. Dog lovers, for example, can post photos of their pooches to http://dogblog.textamerica.com, while proud homeowners may display their interiors at http://dwell.buzznet.com. If your interests aren't catered for, setting up a themed public blog can be as simple as giving out the password to your account so that anyone can post on it. Again, each host has different procedures.
If you have a more serious point to make, a public moblog could be invaluable. Last June, the anti-G8 site Project Hive allowed protestors to post images of demonstrations. Text America houses moblogs organised by Peta and Caspian (consumers against supermarket privacy invasion and numbering).
Chris Hoar, the site's co-founder, is sure moblogs will play a role in politics. "We have seen that take hold in the US. Supporters of San Francisco's mayoral Green Party candidate, Matt Gonzalez, used a moblog to promote their cause. And more recently, supporters of US Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean have started a moblog to follow their candidate."
For most, however, moblogging is an autobiographical undertaking. When newcomers sign up with a host, they automatically get their own private blog, and whenever a photo is submitted, it is tagged with a date and time, building an accurate visual diary. The hard part is attracting visitors. With major hosts boasting more than 10,000 accounts each, new users need to work to earn traffic.
Marketing is essential: include a link to your moblog in your email sig file and submit the address to blogging search engines such as www.feedster.com and www.photoblogs.org. Elan Dekal, co-founder of Fotopages, suggests becoming an active member of the moblogging community. "Leave interesting comments on other peoples' photo pages, together with the URL of your own. The owner and viewers of the page may well follow the link. Also, add your favourite moblogs to your links section, and then let the owners know you've done it. They might be flattered enough to add your page to their favourites."
Once people have started showing up, the best way to keep them coming back is to post interesting shots, as regularly as possible. Some users stick with specific themes, a pregnancy perhaps, others restrict themselves to humorous images (funny foreign signs seem to be a popular motif).
If your host site allows you to supply captions, do it: they provide context and personality. Photographic quality is important, too. As most camera phones lack flashes (unless you're lucky enough to own a new Samsung X600), photos taken in shady pubs won't work. Get as close as possible to the subject and ensure they are stationary. The major hosts list the most popular moblogs on their opening pages - some even pick out a favourite shot of the week - the holy grail of dedicated mobloggers.
Beyond mere exhibitionism, an important socio-political role is developing for cameraphone diarists. While Salam Pax provided an unforgettably intimate commentary on the Iraq war with his text blog from Baghdad, the impact would surely have been enhanced by the inclusion of images, uploaded within seconds of the latest allied onslaught. Tellingly, Pax now has a moblog. Others have begun to maintain provocative photo diaries in such hotspots as the West Bank and Iran - devastating images of the Bam earthquake reached Fotolog.net within hours. Camera phone owners are the photo-journalists, the paparazzi, of the future.
In Portland, Oregon, a police car outside a hip hop club predominantly used by black revellers was photographed displaying a soft toy monkey tied to its bumper bar. Great controversy ensued, and there will be many more important incidences.
Keep your phone with you, and get some practice. Today, half-eaten turkeys, tomorrow, the world.
The best of moblogging and host sites
Groundbreaking Korean news site
www.Ohmynews.com
Images of daily life in Iraq from the Guardian columnist
salampax.fotopages.com
Moblog from the West Bank
palblog.fotopages.com
Moblogs created by blogging pioneers
www.textually.org/picturephoning
www.moblogging.org
Links to key moblogging articles
www.textually.org/picturephoning
Host sites
www.textamerica.com
www.fotopages.com
www.buzznet.com
www.phonebin.com
fotoleg.net
www.20six.co.uk
