We’re on the Verge of Something Big
I recently wrote an article on Brightkite, a location-based social networking service, for StartupSD. You should read it; I interviewed Martin May about his recently released private beta website and got the scoop about GPS support, iPhone app creation, and API release info. All good stuff. For the quick and dirty on Brightkite read the excerpts below.
As a member of Brightkite, I can accomplish three specific tasks associated with my locations. I can “check-in” by sending Brightkite my location via SMS to the shortcode 80289, or I can enter my location directly on the website. I can add a message, called a “post,” and add photos as well. All of my submissions can be through SMS, email, or via the web interface. The abbreviated list of commands (similar to Twitter commands) can be seen here. All of the information I’m submitting to Brightkite is then made available to the public, to my friends, and to my trusted friends, with the message filtered based on the privacy settings that I have established. The beauty is in the privacy settings. Brightkite pretty much lets me remain as anonymous as I’d like to be. So if I only want my trusted friends to know my exact location, then I can choose to show my friends and the public limited information about my location, ie. just city/state.
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and…
With Brightkite the power of information and connection is limitless. I lied earlier — the real beauty is in using the service to get updates via SMS or email about the whereabouts of friends or strangers in my area. I see this serving a very critical need for us, San Diegans, who are still very fragmented. We could potentially be in the same coffee house downtown at the exact same time and never know it. If we’re both using Brightkite, however, and you update your location, I’ll receive a text message letting me know that you’re in my area (or at the same location). I can also view the history of all check-ins at a particular location, including photos and posts about that place.
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The Experiment
Brightkite has the potential to be a hugely invaluable resource, especially when you’re attending an event or conference like the Web 2.0 Expo. So here’s the deal. I’ve got 100 invites courtesy of Martin May, Co-Founder of Brightkite, and I’d like to give them out to everyone and anyone who’s attending the Web 2.0 Expo. We’ve already got a pretty great crew of San Diego people excited and actively using Brightkite (I know where you guys are right now btw), so I’ll be able to find them, the best sessions, and the great parties if they check-in while they’re in San Francisco.
I’d really love to get some of the Social Media Elite (think Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, Jeremiah Owyang) using Brightkite as well, because the more people using Brightkite at the event, the more we’ll all be able to actually connect (and stalk each other). Plus, think of it this way. I’ve got 100 invites. If each of the 100 people then uses the 5 invites they get when they sign-up, then there’s already 500 people using Brightkite at Web 2.0, but of course it doesn’t stop there because each of those new members gets 5 additional invites. Seriously this could be huge…think about it in terms of Twitter at SXSW in 2007, except add in the fact that all check-ins, photos, and posts will be captured on the Brightkite site, creating a mini electronic scrapbook of the event, filtered by location. UPDATE – Brightkite created a public placemark so anyone can check-in using @web20expo via SMS or the web (instead of using the Moscone Center or bothering with the address).
If you want an invite, send an email to jvangrove [at] gmail [dot] com and give me a little info about yourself to include whether or not you’re going to be at the Web 2.0 Expo.
Oh and if you want to use Brightkite without signing up, you can use Brightkite entirely through SMS, without ever having to register.
Commands You Need to Know
Don’t forget about the SMS commands (text to 80289), until the API is released and we can all go nuts building applications off of Brightkite, the commands are going to keep us connected when we’re disconnected. Here are a few to get you started [italics indicate that some text is required here].
COMMANDS – have the SMS commands sent to your phone as a reference
? business name – get a list of all locations (with addresses) near your last check-in. You can then use the results to check-in.
@ address [address, city, zip, or placemark] – check-in quickly from your phone.
WHO – get a list of other people who have checked-in at your last check-in point.
! message – post a note/message to your last check-in point.
Example of Moscone Center Placestream
Note: I am in no way affiliated with Brightkite, nor are they (or anyone else) paying me to do any of this – I’m just infatuated by the idea and the potential, seriously.
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http://www.jennifervangrove.com/2008/10/18/curiousity-killed-the-cat-and-your-twitter-followers/ Jennifer Van Grove, Social Media Strategist and San Diego Blogger » Curiousity Killed the Cat and Your Twitter Followers
