Happy New Year and welcome to 2010: the year marketers have predicted will be HUGE for mobile. Throughout 2009 we saw major leaps forward in the mobile marketing space, including Apple’s 50,000 iPhone apps milestone, innovations in augmented reality, and Google’s acquisition of AdMob, one of the world’s largest mobile advertising platforms.

Consider this: over the past three years, smartphone ownership among Americans has increased by over 30%. According to Millenial Media, the U.S. mobile Web will reach over 100 million unique users per month this year.

To cater to these on-the-go users, popular Web-based social networks like Facebook and MySpace have developed mobile versions of their sites; simpler, scaled-down platforms designed to load quickly on mobile devices and put commonly-used features at users’ fingertips. But the trend toward developing “mobile versions” of already-existing sites seems to be giving way to a new breed of players in the mobile space: the mobile social network.

What is a mobile social network?

The rapid growth of the mobile Web has led to the rise of new social networking sites and applications developed exclusively for mobile users. Taking full advantage of your phone’s 3G, GPS, and camera capabilities, mobile social networks are designed specifically with mobile users in mind. For example, apps that help people find and meet up with friends who might be in the same area, or apps that automatically pull the latest reviews of the trendy new restaurant you happen to be walking past. So far, the possibilities in mobile seem limitless.

Here’s a look at some of the hottest mobile social networking apps today, and how they’re making our mobile experience more exciting:

Foursquare

Foursquare is geo-social networking app that helps you and your friends explore your surroundings. Positioned as a game of sorts, users are encouraged to “check in” at new locations and earn points for the places they frequent. When users check in, Foursquare tells them which of their Facebook and Twitter friends are nearby, and where the action is. Check-ins earn users points, badges, even special titles like “Mayor” for the places they visit the most. The Foursquare platform offers exciting possibilities for advertisers. The company has been busy cutting deals with local businesses to offer incentives to mobile customers-for example, discounts and coupons to the places you visit often. Yesterday it was even announced that a branded version of Foursquare will be developed for Harvard, to help freshmen get acquainted with the campus, and encourage students to become more engaged in campus life.

Gowalla

The premise: “Share your experiences and discover new places. Everywhere you go.” Like Foursquare, Gowalla is a geo-social app that encourages users to go places and do things, earning rewards for their travels. However, this iPhone-only app tends to explore locations more off the beaten path, as users can create their own locations and the app is not limited to participating cities (although it should be noted that Foursquare has plans to change that soon). The concept of “geo-social” networking is one we expect to hear much more about in 2010, as services like Foursquare and Gowalla pave the way for other location-based mobile social networks. It will be interesting to see who comes out ahead.

Google Goggles

Utilizing your phone’s camera, Google Goggles lets you “use pictures to search the Web.” Users can snap photos of things like artwork, logos, and business cards, and Google Goggles will attempt to recognize the image and return relevant search results. For example, submitting a photo of a famous landmark could return Google results that tell you about its history. Another very practical use: pointing your phone at a store and finding out what businesses are nearby. Currently, Google Goggles is only available for Android mobile devices. The service is still in its infancy (currently still in Google Labs), and as such, it’s results are not always accurate. But it’s still an extremely innovative means of unlocking the potential of your mobile device, and we’re excited about the possibilities improved “visual search” could bring in the future.

Also check out The Rise of Mobile Social Networks - Part 2!