instant messaging mobile Archives

A bit of a break from my normal musings on community marketing, digital publishing and journalism, but this idea has been in my head for a while, and I’d welcome other opinions and thoughts…

The idea?

Is there any reason why communities can’t be empowered by a micro-level of self-government, using digital technology?

Or, to put it another way, is there any reason all the people in my street can’t vote on what day the rubbish is collected, for example? Using internet/mobile voting, it could mean that we tailor the services provided by the council to our actual needs, and remove any unnecessary spending. For instance, do we actually all fill our recycling bin, or green waste bin, as often as the ‘normal’ waste bin? Or would we be better served by a collection service for glass?

There would have to be geographic/resource limitations, as I realise at street level, you couldn’t have everyone requesting their rubbish goes at exactly the same time…or everyone choosing a different time and forcing refuse collectors to work 24/7.

But considering the interest when No 10 unveiled its e-petition site, the penetration of internet/mobile connections, and the fact I can invest in everything from shares to bands, sort my banking, pay my bills etc, surely it’s time to update democracy?

NB: The following post assumes that you don’t mind anyone with a web browser being able to track your every move…

Now that social networking has reached everyone, there are plenty of people banking on the next way to improve on online networks

And it seems the next step is to further integrate your online persona with your real-life location. It’s fine hooking up with a new friend on the other side of the planet due to your shared love of Japanese animation or vintage cars, but it’s also handy to find someone with the same interest that lives in the next street and comes round for an evening of DVD watching, or can help you change your rear axle.

There’s a whole range of location services springing up. But some have better value than others.

For instance, I’ve been playing with radiusIM today. It’s a social Instant Messaging service, which combines an MSN Messenger like function (And interacts with AOL, MSN, Yahoo and GTalk messaging), with a map displaying the whereabouts of your friends, and the nearest people to you on the service.

The problem with radiusIM is that is doesn’t really have a clear function. There’s not enough detail to initiate flirting with strangers of the opposite sex, there’s no way to build groups around a local area, and the one other function, the ability to track where your friends are currently located, falls down due to the fact the locations have to be defined manually by a user. So for my friends to spot me walking to the pub, I’ve got to log in and move my location every few minutes…

A fat better idea is the mobile application Oops I’m Late! I’ve yet to test it thoroughly, but it’s got a winning idea. Set an appointment in your mobile calendar, and if you’re running late, it automatically notifies the contacts you’ve selected, and gives an estimated time of arrival etc… So you can let your colleagues know to delay their meeting, and save your family from wondering if you’ve forgotten the shopping etc, without having to remember to text every single one of them. Perfect for people who travel a lot and can’t use a mobile while they drive or ride their motorcycle…Or to put it another way “Revolutionary, disruptive technology that is designed to keep your common courtesy quota up”

As with anything it’s those ideas which can be explained in a single sentence which work. And with location tracking, it’s those services which don’t involve manual input, and can utilise mobile phones which will show the great benefits.