Following on from my post about the “Mobile Search ” presentations at Mobile Monday, I thought it was worth putting my thoughts together to clarify why I believe the Web will be accessible on the move, anytime anywhere in the near future.

The W3C recently published the last working draft of the Trustmark specification called mobileOK for the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) Best Practices. This provides us with a fantastic opportunity to ensure that the future of content on the Web means it will work across multiple platforms including mobile devices such as PDAs and Web enabled mobile phones.

The MWI is a clear invitation to agencies, consultancies and designers to join together and make the concept of “one Web” a reality. However, the mobile industry needs to be careful that it does start referring to this as the mobile internet or WAP, as these are not the same thing. The latter refers to premium content that has been developed specifically for mobile phones, which doesn’t work on other device types, such as desktop computers. That quite clearly is the issue the W3C is trying to resolve with this initiative.

In an ideal world Web designers and developers should be able to “measure twice, cut once and render everywhere”. They should be able to design a site without restrictions or the distraction of costs of building two different Web sites for difference device types. Web sites can now be built with intelligence to recognise the device type and browser being used by a visitor and then render the content according to the technical capabilities of that device.

For some it might be initially obvious to just produce a mobile version (WAP) and think that this is enough to satisfy mobile users. But in many instances these users are now at the cutting edge of device and content consumerism and they are sufficiently demanding to want their Web experience delivered in all its’ glory. After all, it doesn’t matter what techno-whiz piece of gadgetry they might be using, it is real content that drives user adoption and mass-market acceptance. That is, of course, once the Operators make ‘mobile surfing’ affordable by offering attractive tariffs

My feeling is that content providers should try and avoid the assumption that they know what users want and instead, plan to provide as much as possible for mobile users in the same way that they do for PCs chained to a home or workplace desk. There appears to be a wide-spread belief within the industry that the only things mobile users want to do is obtain travel and weather information as they squeeze on and off their rush-hour trains. This may well have a constraining effect on the full development potential of the mobile Web before it even takes off. There is a compelling argument for quick, desirable and easily accessible information on the go. But not at the expense of providing a true Web experience also.

There is also a very strong case to be made for providing a full Web experience wherever possible . Or at the very least provide users with a choice where it’s appropriate. There are certain parts of the global community, such as the sub-continent and South America for example, where it’s cheaper and more practical to roll out a mobile network instead of fixed-line infrastructure.

In this instance, mobile devices are more likely to provide the primary Web access point and users will want to know more than just what time their train is running and whether the temperature is going to be 35 degrees or 37 degrees. Yes there has to be a choice. But that choice needs to be for the mutual benefit of the user and the provider. Otherwise, neither stand a chance.

The W3C’s Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) that published the MWBP 1.0 recommendations will help the industry move forward. When it comes to creating content that can be delivered in a coordinated manner simultaneously across multiple channels these recommendations are at the very least a platform from which the industry can propel itself forward.

They may not be quite the Web nirvana some were looking for and others may question the commercial realism of implementing the recommendations. Nor is anybody suggesting that it’s going to be easy to build mobile Web sites right from the start. But as consumer technologies and development techniques evolve and improve, the industry will ultimately be compelled to provide an experience that users demand, irrespective of where they are having the experience.

This is where I believe the recommendations provide a valuable first step. By providing a framework that brings together the industry in an initiative aimed at producing viable results. They are a set of user friendly guidelines created to help developers and marketers better understand how to design and build Web content that really works on both small screens and big screens. For many of us the mobile Web _IS_ the next wave of the Web. I’m just not sure right now whether it should surf the Web2.0 “topic du jour” wave, or if it ultimately deserves its own parking space.