Sites are currently categorized and overseen by an editorial team - not an automated algorithm, to ensure relevance and quality. It is divided into 17 categories, including topics such as news, celebs and travel.
It is free to list and any site is welcome to submit to the directory, although the listings team has a vetting process to ensure that the directory is mobile and family-friendly. All partner sites are required to carry links back to the directory to drive traffic within the network.
Mobile usage in South Africa outstrips PC usage but founder Graeme Haley believes it is not near its full potential for two reasons. One is because people don't understand how to design mobi-sites (it's not about taking your existing website and shrinking it into a smaller version; and two, South Africans don't know how to attract mobile users to the web, with mobi- marketing still being very new to the market.
"Navigation of the mobile web resembles the early days of the Internet where directories dominated and guided users on their journey. Services like these play an important role in acclimatising users to mobile sites. These touch points are as significant for publishers to be involved in as traditional mediums,” says Elan Lohmann, general manager at Avusa Media LIVE.
With well over two million unique users per month on Thumbtribe.mobi and its network of partner sites, any site that is included in the directory will experience an upsurge of traffic. “Most importantly, the traffic is totally relevant. Users have found your site because they are interested in what you have to offer,” adds Haley.
“With unofficial stats ranging from six million to 10 million mobile web users in South Africa alone, we are confident that this directory will help people find what they are looking for quickly and simply. This can only help the adoption and growth of the mobile web, making life convenient for some, and providing an invaluable bridge over the digital divide for others,” he concludes.
M-Net, TimesLive, Junkmail, Private Property, Car, Getaway, Soccer Laduma, PlanetRugby, You, Cosmopolitan, heat, Men's Health, Shape, FHM and Sports Illustrated are just some of the mobile sites listed in the directory. It can be found on Thumbtribe.mobi, via other leading mobile channels such as Samsung mobile, Nokia.mobi, Opera Mini and through links from all sites housed within the directory.
