Next2.us provides place-based, topic-driven social network by SMS in the United States and Kenya. The solution allows users to connect together around place and common topics of interests. Text messages are automatically exchanged based on user's location, overlay of sharing circle between users and message keywords. Please see SMS Instructions Page (above) to register your mobile phone and start your Next2.us account.
If you have already registered your mobile phone you can use Next2.us mobile version to send text messages, change your settings or post content to your account http://m.next2.us
This tweet reflects exactly what we hope to accomplish with Hungry Garden's new SMS service in Africa. We have developed a geosocial network that will allow small farmers to connect to each other and to their suppliers and buyers via simple text messaging. Farmers may register for the service mark their location on a map and set a privacy radius around their location within which their content is shared with other registered users. By sending a text that starts with want, have or discuss and a topic word of phrase, the service exchanges text messages based on the use of keywords. Once connected individuals may use the service to exchange text messages without revealing their mobile phone number.
We hope to roll-out the service within the next four to six weeks under a pilot program in East Africa.
If you are located in the United States please help us test the service by following the instructions at Next2.Us SMS The page contains information about the SMS service and instructions on how to use the service.
We could really help testing this new geosocial network via SMS to make sure it works properly prior to our roll-out in Africa.
Privacy raises its ugly head and stomps progress once again. I was just reminded that when you walk near someone that is listening to the radio you can ACTUALLY HEAR WHAT THEY ARE LISTENING TOO! Can you believe the amazing infringement of personal space that someone might be able to actually hear what you are hearing, at the same time, you are hearing it.
Wow, what if you actually both like what you are listening to and break into DANCE!
I know its far fetched but imagine the concerns when radio and radio waves where first invented.
Today, we still worry about privacy. And, it makes a HUGE DIRECT impact on our productivity and the types of productivity tools we will use tomorrow. If you think about it a minute; the juxtaposition of Location and Privacy, are as crucial and germaine to human engineering as silicone and circuitry.
That is a powerful statement that I believe is true. Over the weeks and months to come I am going to be exploring the issue of Privacy as it relates to advanced telecommunication services.
I hope you'll join me and participate in this discussion with ideas, thoughts for discussion, examples of companies doing privacy right and wrong. Until we figure out privacy and specifically people's impression of privacy, how it works and how it impacts their behaviour, acceptance and use of geolocation features in social media software.
Check out Hungry Garden's listing on Onefortyfor Twitter apps. The listing has some great screen shots of the Hungry Garden software for your to review. We would appreciate it if you would use the url http://14t.me/1Lr0Kg to share a link to Hungry Garden with family or friends by Twitter or Facebook.
Hungry Garden lets you automatically exchange messages and discover new followers and neighbors based on location and privacy radius each user sets and controls using the Hungry Garden software. With Hungry Garden software YOU control your location on a Google Map; YOU control the distance in miles that Hungry Garden will share your content (from 1/4 mile to 3000 miles) with other users. If you want to discover new followers that are close to you, or only interact with your neighbors, set a small radius. Hungry Garden restricts your content to only users that have set their location within your privacy radius. Or if you want to discover more followers select a wider radius around your location to share your content. This way more users will be able to find you by your interests.
With Hungry Garden you can also hide, your location, street address or email address or all three. You have complete control over you privacy.
create account name with immediate access to all software features
Set you location on Google Map
Set you privacy/radius (to share content in circle around location)
Sign-in to your Twitter Account using the Twitter Tab Menu in Hungry Garden.
You're all set. Now return to Twitter.com or your favorite Twitter application and start your Tweets with #want, #have or #discuss AND you favorite #hashtag.
Hungry Garden will check your Twitter account once a day, and;
Read and SAVE tweets that start with #have, #want or #discuss to your Hungry Garden Map.
Match tweets with other users based on keyword, location and privacy/radius.
Exchange tweets automatically with other users that match your message. Messages are sent to your @twitterID.
Hungry Garden hashtags #want(a), #have(b) and discuss(c) work with each other AND any other hashtag. The matching logic is as follows
a = b (#want matches with #have)
b = a (#have matches with #want)
c = c (#discuss matches with #discuss)
Remember Hungry Garden #hashtags #want, #have and #discuss WORK WITH ANY OTHER HASHTAG. To match the first and second hashtag have to match (per above). For example #want #bike matches with #have #bike and #discuss #tennis matches with #discuss #tennis. You can include descriptive text after the hashtags. The full message with be exchanged between users when match is made.
I've provided screen shots of the major steps to set-up your account and send your first auto-tweet. This is a good reference to scan different Hungry Garden interface features to obtain understanding about how the software sends and receives tweets for you. After you are sure you followed the proper steps if you think you had a problem or you want to provide a comment or suggestions about the software share via the FEEDBACK link on the home page.
Once you have signed up for Hungry Garden you can return to twitter to send auto-tweets and save your tweets to your Hungry Garden map page. And, you can drag the Add Blog form to your browser bar to use Hungry Garden twitter client to post tweets to Hungry Garden and Twitter.
Before you begin think of a Hungry Garden account name that you want to use. The name works as your Hungry Garden profile and can be shared and searched by others.
When you are ready to start.
Click on Signup link at upper right of the Hungry Garden home page.
Enter a user name and an email address. You will have immediate access to all features.
(User name and password are not case-sensitve.)
After clicking on Create my account you are ready to save your location to a Google Map. You can change your location at anytime by right clicking on map icon and selecting Save Location or by selecting Blog tab menu.
Hungry Garden will attempt to complete the Location Form for you. Update the form and when you are ready choose Save Record to complete your account.
So far so good. Feel free to complete other information like Status Update.
Now you need to set your PRIVACY settings. For testing purposes please check both FRIENDS and SHARE COMMUNITY at 3,000 miles. This will allow better chance to match test auto-tweets.
You are almost done. But, if you want to send auto-tweets you need to login to Twitter and stay logged in under the Twitter tab menu. This way HG knows to check your Twitter outgoing feed for tweets that start with #have #want or #discuss and any #hashtag.
Once you have signed into your Twitter Account you are done. You are now ready to send tweets at twitter.com
You can also use Hungry Garden to reply to incoming messages using the Reply button of the ADD Blog link at the top of your Twitter feed.
The reply form
Automatically writes the @user in the form
Allows you to include auto-tweet hashtags
Automatically creates a bitly. url to the post
Allows for long post of up to 2,000 characters.
No more limiting yourself to 140 characters
The selection list at the top of the form will create your auto-tweet categories automatically for you. If you do not want to use the categories just erase them from the form. You can enter text in the form. The form allows for more then 140 characters and automatically creates a bit.ly url that links from the tweet to the full text of the message.
When SAVED is selected the tweet is sent to twitter. You'll be able to see it in the Twitter tab menu.
Also all your followers will receive the tweet as part of your outgoing twitter feed
When someone clicks on the bit.ly url they can read the full text of your tweet. If you elected to allow for replies if the user is a HG user they can reply directly to your tweet. Replies are found in the COMMENT tab menu.
If you included auto-tweet #hashtags and there is a match to your tweet the match will be sent to you at your @mentions tab in your incoming twitter feed.
Discover new tweeterIDs near you that want, have or would like to talk about things of common interest. Insert a map like at right in your blog or web page that provides geographical information about your location and your most recent Twitter messages that can be browsed with classical hierarchical tree (+/-).
Hungry Garden release 2.0 turns twitter into a classified system where you can post what you want, need or want to talk about and find other users, near you, that have, or want to talk about, things of interest to you, your family or community.
The current #hashtag autoresponder words are #want #have and #discuss when used with any other #hashtag. So if you have or want something or like to talk about subject tag it with Hungry Garden's autoresponder and get these great benefits.
You can continue to use your favorite software. There is nothing special you need to do other then include the special #hashtag words in your message stream.
HG processes all messages in near time and after processing forwards your new messages to you.
If we read a tweet of your's that uses one of our special hashtags we save it for you!
We create a vanity url where you can share your messages with family, friends and neighbors.
You control whom can see your messages.
Your message can be found by others by searching at hungrygarden.com.
You can invite friends to match #hashtag autoresponders with your by emailing them invite.
Discover new tweeterIDs near you that want, have or would like to talk about things of interest to you.
HG message processing will start next week. We will increase the radius for user so they can select to share their content in 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 mile radius. This will help to expedite the likelihood of a match with a small pool of test users.
You can register now or at any time at http://dev.hungrygarden.com. Once you have created a users account name and signed into Twitter there is nothing more you need to do. We'll let you know as soon as we begin processing, hopefully, next week.
Hungry Garden is a FREE resource for internet users that are interested in regional/local food. With your help, Hungry Garden is building "food maps" connecting farmers to consumers and all points in between.
Chris Brogran says "The Internet of Place is here: we just haven’t hooked it up yet" in Wiring the City and the Internet of Place. In Chris' piece he references a recent post by Dave Winer. I think if you take a broader view of what Dave Winer is asking for you'll find that "location" is one of the basic internet "filters" and one that is becoming increasingly important for a number of reasons I'll mention but briefly. First a recap.
