Frank Barth-Nilsen from NRK trains mojos, changing the way story telling is done & Reuters Mobile Journalism considers the mojo as a future form of journalism. Hate to tell them, it’s already here! Their toolkit is below:

Being a mojo has its advantages – you can run away faster from bodyguards & there is no heavy camera equipment to slow you down.

“It’s just a phone man!”

Sometimes you can even beat the ‘big guns’ to the punch, like Steve Garfield :

Stories are on the web quicker than you can SMS with live streaming from a mobile using Qik.

In Europe FromDistance is creating waves, specialising in mobile journalism products and services.

In Australia, mojo’s are now being trained up. We are a bit limited, as the availability of unlimited data packages is way too expensive or non-existent with mobile carriers.

I have an X-series Nokia N95 and am with ‘3′, with 200MB a month allowance for $8 on top of my plan. I’m using it more each day; only the other day in the supermarket I did a search on food additives. Call me paranoid.

Smartphones are the most popular for the internet, especially the iPhone. It only has 2% of the smartphone market, yet it is starting to outperform Nokia for internet usage.

Facebook is now on mobile internet. Yes, I have been guilty of checking it, in the dark with the phone on silent (the clicking echoes in the dark), commenting and feeling like a snoop.

Which reminds me … I wonder if I have any comments on this?

STOMP, the User Generated Content (USG) news website, has a main focus – its readers, who are also its contributors. In its first six months of launching, STOMP attracted nearly 7% of Singapore’s total population as visitors. Often contributor’s stories make front page of The Strait Times and are spread through the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) group.

Readers become a part of the process by sending in stories to  a dedicated mobile number or by email, so no waiting in a phone queue.

Producers edit & rewrite but also check with the contributor, always to their complete satisfaction.

STOMP is about connections. Connecting with their readers through forums, technology & building social networks.

It is so completely about service and something that Western publishing groups should take note of.

Nothing in Australia comes close in content, application, social inclusion or use of technology, especially the mobile phone. With an IFRA award to STOMP, you would think some Aussie media concern would be doing something similar.

STOMP is full of youthful exuberance and incorporates the latest technology, from the use of mobile technology in a singing competition to vlogs & blogs.

There are even classes to educate their contributors in technology applications.

Convergence has been completely incorporated into the site. It creates communities and connects its members. In fact I doubt that there is anything that they have not included as a topic!

Although it is obviously aimed at the youth market, STOMP have found that middle-aged members are on the increase, especially in the citizen journalism section and forum. There is a good mix of youth and experience.

And that gives me some hope for my job prospects …