As the new Director of Mobile at PrestoSports, I have a bold vision for 2012. Greg Blake will taking over my previous position as Director of Site Development, and my new focus is on taking our mobile platform to unseen heights.

In the coming years, fans will be following their teams on their phones and tablets just as much as they do on their laptop. Our goal is to be the leaders in how sports fans are using mobile devices. 

Last year, we debuted MobileNow as a next generation HTML5 mobile site that gave your fans access to all of your website content on any iPhone and Android.  While this was less than 5% of your fan traffic, it represented the biggest growth for your fan base. We also kept MobileClassic for Blackberries and the billion other old phones out there, providing real-time score updates.

While we will continue our efforts in making sure your fans can get to all of your website content, we recognize that a fan on a mobile device is fundamentally looking for different information than a fan on a laptop.

On top of this, we will be building an iPhone and Android app for rabid fans.  Every team will always need an HTML5 mobile site for their casual fan base, whether it's that alumnus who is on campus for the first time in a decade or a fan of an opponent who made the trip to your arena.  But for those fans who want to know about every game you play, a mobile app is a great way to drive that engagement.

In addition to your fans being mobile, SIDs are more on the move. We already have a mobile admin feature with the ability to update the Network with in-progress scores, and going forward, we'll look at ways to make your job easier by allowing you to update more of your content on the go.

Mobile presents an opportunity for your institution to engage your fans wherever they are, and I am excited about the plans we have to help you deliver the information they crave.

Got suggestions or ideas? Email me at robb@prestosports.com.