Wiffiti spreads

[cos]

Here's one of those "What I've been up to" posts that are so rare on my LJ :)

Since January I've been working part time for a company in Davis Square called LocaModa, helping them develop, roll out, and promote an experiment of theirs called Wiffiti. A Wiffiti screen is a flatscreen bulletin board. To post messages to it, rather than tacking on pieces of paper, you text to it from a cell phone. The screen just sits there displaying the texts people have posted to it - as new ones come in, older ones progressively fade away. Here's what the Wiffiti screen at Someday Cafe in Davis Square looks like right now:

(that's a live link, updated every few minutes to show what's on Someday's screen - click for full size)

LocaModa is a startup, exploring concepts they call "the web outside" - basically, ways to bring networked/online culture to physical places, rather than just people sitting at computers. They've got another product, StreetSurfer, that they actually make money from, so they're experimenting with Wiffiti to see what people will do with it.

I joined them not only because I thought the concept was a lot of fun, but because I like the way they think about it. They don't want to prescribe ahead of time what it's for, they want to put it out there and watch, and let the applications evolve. They're open-minded about the possibilities - flirting, social networking, political organizing, community information, roommate ads, etc. - as well as the certainty that they haven't thought of everything. The people built the initial Internet thought it was mainly for remote computer user, and didn't think of email. The people who started the web didn't include graphics, and the first browser was text-only. Their inventions succeeded because they built open, flexible structures, and made them available, and welcomed new kinds of use.

I just ran across a cute blog post about Wiffiti, titled What's next: Bluetooth brain implants?

[... ] not only does it represent the next step in blogging &emdash; although the cell-to-screen systems are localized, they're connected to the web, where viewers can see what's happening on all of the local installations &emdash; but a further decentralization of communications authority as well; s a safe bet that some people and groups really will use the technology for social causes and organizational purposes.

Actually, the cell-to-screen systems are not localized: Once you've been to a venue and know a screen's code, you can send a message to it from anywhere you have cell service. Or, you could just look at the screen shot on the web site, see the code there, and learn how to text to any screen. Most messages on each screen come from people at the venue, but we do get some from elsewhere - usually people familiar with the venue, who have been there before. That, plus the fact that anyone on the Internet can see images of all the screens, is part of what I think makes it so cool, and have untapped potential. And I have experimented with using it for social/community purposes and political organizing.

Here are some saved screen shots, and I've been saving links to articles and blog posts about Wiffiti at http://del.icio.us/coslinks/wiffiti

The biggest obstacle to interesting things I think of trying with Wiffiti, is that there aren't screens in enough places yet. It's really nice to be able to text to Davis or to Central, and it's fun to text to Good Time when the 48 Hour Film Project has showings there, but most of the time when I'd like to text something location-specific, there isn't a screen at that location.

... and that's part of my job: find places that want Wiffiti screens. I got our first three away-from-Boston locations, though one of those fell through. The other two are up: Filter, a cafe in Wicker Park, Chicago; and Hurricane Cafe, a 24 hour diner in Seattle. This week, two more went live, at Half Fast Subs in Boulder CO, and Tommy Nevin's Pub in Evanston IL (Chicago metro).

Another part is getting people to know these screens are there and start using them, so that we can see what they think of and do with them. Already we've been surprised by marriage proposals and people using Wiffiti to tell people they're running late; we've enjoyed the flirting, the surrealism at Someday, the wordplay everywhere. There' even been some lively meta-debates on occasion.

Help me out? If you live here in Camberville, or in Seattle, Chicago, or Boulder, visit these places with a friend and try out the screens. Tell other people in your city about them. Let me know what you see, be it amusing, boring, surprising, interesting, or bothersome. When dahling, ambrosiaoferis and I stopped by Toscanini's a few months ago and starting posting messages, a couple of other tables of people we didn't know got in on the act and hilarity ensued.

Do you know a place that might be interested in trying this out? Somewhere lots of people go in and through for much of the day, that draws a young crowd comfortable with text messaging? An independent business that doesn't have a lot of multilevel bureacracy, or a public or civic venue that you're involved with and could help get through the bureaucracy? If they get a sponsored screen (see those screenshots with the "ntwrk truth" logo and URL in the corner - those are sponsored) then it's entirely free. Or if they already have a flatscreen display that wants a better use :)

Comments

[carik.livejournal.com]

Cool idea, but it once again leaves me with a question: Who on earth comes up with the names for these things?

[cos]

Since I happen to have just come into the office for a meeting, I asked :)
Stephen Randall, CEO of LocaModa, takes responsibility for coming up with the name :)

[madcaptenor.livejournal.com]

The Green Line Cafe in Philadelphia (not far from me) comes to mind.

Green Line Cafe

[cos]

Thanks! I shall try them. I notice they have two locations, which one are you thinking of?

What sort of crowd do they tend to draw?

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

You just need to get *$ to buy into them and you would be set they'd require a screen at every franchise!

[mangosteen]

That would decrease turnover, as people congregate there to look at a screen. *$ has never been about congregation.

[mosephine.livejournal.com]

i noticed the screen in Someday Cafe when last i was there... this seems like such a great idea :)

[cos]

Did you try using it?

Remember anything fun you saw?

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's really interesting.

Epic Systems in Verona, WI is the sort of workplace that might want one for their employees, and might be willing to spend the capital to get one.

*I* would be amused to see one at Memorial Union on campus, but I don't know if our university would go for that. It's not the modern kind of student union with news tickers and big TVs everywhere. But I'd try other big state schools, like Penn State and UMD-College Park.

Madison has a lot of small cafes, more of which are into wireless technology than when you were here last, I believe ;). I don't know for sure whether any of them would be into it; we don't have quite the techie culture here that you do in Boston. But it might be worth a shot. I'll post a link to this and see if any of my friends have ideas for which specific coffee houses you could try.

[lightcastle.livejournal.com]

Memorial Union? You can't meen IU Bloomington, can you? (come to think of it, it would probably catch on big there.)

I can think of a few cafes in Montreal that might go for it. Cine Express leaps to mind, for instance.

[kirin]

At first I read the name as "Wiifiti" and was thinking it must be a new demo app from Nintendo.

Also, this goes to show that I know nothing about text messaging, because 5 digits strikes me as awfully short for a universal address.

SMS short code

[cos]

It's part of the SMS text messaging standard. You can send a text message to any actual phone number, or to a 5-digit "short code" that service providers can register for. You're probably right that when short codes really catch on, like domain names, suddenly every company will want one and 5 digits won't be enough. I don't know how many years that'll be... maybe by then we'll have some other technology that has replaced SMS.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

I only have one question: Why is there no screen in San Fransisco? Bad enough we don't have teleportation between Boston and SF, the least we can do is have text-messaging screens between the cities ;P.

I'm not sure where to suggest putting one, however. Oh, wait, I know: Brainwash

San Francisco

[cos]

We really want a screen in SF! That's one of the things I'm starting to look for.

[haddmatter.livejournal.com]

hmm, maybe in the student center of a college campus...

colleges

[cos]

We've talked about college student centers, because they're an obvious sort of place where this would catch on. The hitch is bureaucracy, which colleges tend to have way out of proportion to their size. I think the trick would be if a student group wanted one, and we convinced some administrator(s) that it was worth trying, the student group could shepherd it through.

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

It just occured to me that I'd love to have one in the back of Diesel ("Hi everybody! I can't make it out this week! Rowan"). Or maybe one in the front *and* one in the back ("Daniel, while you're up, get me a lemonade, please? Rowan").

Diesel

[cos]

Oh yeah, I've wished for one at Diesel often!
... but I hadn't thought of the front-to-back aspect of it :)

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

I saw the one in Tosci's and didn't play with it because I was torn between "cool toy!" and "why should I trust these people not to sell my phone number to SMS spammers or something, paranoid that I am?"

If the screen had a way to convince me it was trustworthy, I would have played with it.

privacy policy

[cos]

That's a fascinating point. Phone numbers are so buried in the depths of the system that we never see them, so it didn't occur to me that someone texting the screen might worry about that - now that you point it out, it's an obvious worry that I might've had myself if I hadn't seen it from this side first.

I asked around, and 1) we will not sell numbers or give them away or use them for any purpose other than debugging and related things, and 2) thanks to your comment, we'll work something into the screens that indicates that, or links to a privacy policy, when we next update the displays.

[zanna-voodoo.livejournal.com]

I have all kinds of technical questions. Is there geek stuff about this?

London could use these :)

London

[cos]

Is there geek stuff about this?

Most of the geeks behind it are in the same room I'm in right now - what're your questions? :) There isn't really any public geek stuff that I know of.

London could use these :)

Where? Any specific suggestions? (We don't have an SMS shortcode in the UK yet - 87884 is in the US only)

[ommango.livejournal.com]

I am having a conversation via IM about whether we should be at war with an army friend now, and I wish I had your powers of political oratory at hand. Just saying. Yes, I know this has nothing to do with Wiffiti.

Smooch

[sykotropic.livejournal.com]

http://smoochcafe.com/

A very cool, but not uber williamsburg hip spot in Brooklyn. Small, cozy, excellent organic coffee and wine, free wifi, gluten and vegan snacks.

Re: Smooch

[cos]

Huh, sounds like a good one to try. Thanks!

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of what Hunter S. Thompson saw when he looked out of his hotel room in Las Vegas, and the horrible implications that occurred to him. This is probably why he killed himself.

[struct.livejournal.com]

So I'm strolling through the heart of Texas State U. the other day when I happened across one of those flyer kiosks that seem to be ubiquitous on college campuses (campi?). "Wow, that's a 20th century relic," I sez to myself, as I tend to do whenever I see anything that's still paper-based in this day and age. "I wonder why that hasn't been replaced with something digital?" I wonder if Wiffiti would be that upgrade? It's a shame there's not all that many universities in the Boston area, though. ;)

[cos]

Yeah, Universities would be great, if it weren't for all that bureaucracy. I commented about this in response to that suggestion from a couple of other people, above. The basic summary is: Any student groups or university administrators out there who want Wiffiti? Contact me! :) ('cause they might be able to work through the bureaucracy in under a year)

[amare.livejournal.com]

huh, I didn't know there was one at the Hurricane. But then, I haven't been there in a while.

[bakerj213.livejournal.com]

I thought of playing with it but there was an issue of confidentiality for me.

Baker
http://www.mytoppayday.info

[cos]

Can you elaborate on that? I can guess at what you might mean, but I can come up with several different guesses so that doesn't help me.

[banningy217.livejournal.com]

Great and interesting gadget. I haven’t seen one of these yet, but definitely, Wiffiti will be very popular since you can also use it for “social/community purposes and political organizing.” The fact that people are into text messaging right now, Wiffiti will be a fun way for people to communicate. This will alsoan effective tool for advertising products, small business and making announcements to the public.

Banning Yao
http://www.officialfastcashadvances.info