Join us there to get a whole new perspective on the four Ms of humanity: Momentum, Maintenance, Multiplicity and Mobility.

Irene

Obviously you could set this up manually, but that would be limited. As the article points out, it’s much more interesting if the system can integrate different sources of data, learning from all of your social interactions, and identify those people that would be good matches for you, even if you don’t know them. Wouldn’t that be cool?

I think it can be done. All you location-based services people, and all you social-networking people, let’s get together and see if we can make it work!

Irene

Aside from the ‘meat’ of the event, though, we’re also getting into the homestretch on the logistical details, and that’s where we’d sure like to hear from our loyal fans. We need to know how many people are coming, so we can be certain to have enough meeting space, food, t-shirts, etc., etc. So, it would help us out if all you locative-services devotees could let us know you’re coming.

Also, we want to hear from you. What do you think about t-shirts, food, other conference swag? Should we have them? Would you pay for them?  The comments section of this blog is your chance to let us know your opinions. So drop us a line, and we will see what we can do to accomodate you.

Looking forward to seeing you WHERE!

Irene

And my answer to him, in all seriousness, is, “Yes.”

It’s no secret right now that the US economy is in pretty serious trouble. The reasons behind this are many and complex, but the situation as it stands is that many banks and other lending institutions are freezing their funds. Money that used to be available as loans or grants to help small companies grow or survive isn’t there any more. The trickle-down effect of this financial meltdown could be catastrophic collapse, as those small businesses that are dependent on external funding are unable to meet their operating budgets. Any way you look at it, the situation is grim, especially for small, young, and start-up businesses.

But there is also potential. Strange though it may sound, I think this is an opportunity for location-based services to find their niche. After all, the one thing every business needs is customers. Much of the money that investors provide is to boost growth, which means giving these businesses ways to reach more customers. Losing those funds, for many businesses, means that they’re going to have to find new ways to engage with their customers. New ways to do their transactions directly with the people who want to purchase their goods or services.

And guess what? Those people, without exception, have one thing in common. Every single one of them has a location. Has friends, neighborhoods, routes, and other businesses that they frequent in the course of their daily lives. Locative services, in all their myriad flavors, have enormous potential to benefit many businesses that are seeking new ways to get together with their customers. They can help business learn their customers’ needs and desires and to integrate their products and services into their users’ lifestyles. That’s how I’d answer my friend… bring your business to your customers, on their real estate!

So there’s the challenge for anyone and everyone in business who’s looking to grow their customer base: start thinking outside the box. Instead of mainstream, old-fashioned marketing and business development, start thinking about how you can relate to your customers directly, on location. Think about how you can bring your products or services to your users, where and when they really need them. And then come to WhereCamp PDX and see how many locative-services experts are ready to help you do just that! 

Why do I think that? It’s not just because I’m helping organize it… I’m helping because I think it’s that important.  I think that location-based services, in general, have more potential to bring about fundamental change in our society than any other modern technology. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this conference, and that’s why I want everybody else to, as well.

What’s so special about location based services? Well, to me what’s special about it is that this is where the virtual world and the physical world intersect. Because if you think about it, in many ways the most important aspect of the physical world is location, is space. Where things are relative to where other things are, how to get from place to place, what things are located where… these are fundamental issues in our daily lives. Everything we do in the world involves place.  Location-based services, for the first time, let us bring the electronic world to serve us as we go about our physical lives. The value to this, the potential to revolutionize the role of technology in human life, is… is beyond imagination. But let’s try.

I do a lot of work in emergency preparedness, disaster planning and recovery. One of the most critical aspects of EM/DR is simply knowing what resources you have, what resources you need, where they are (or need to be) and how to get them there. Take medical services, for instance. In the event of a major disaster, the county health centers need to get medical supplies and services together with patients and customers. But how do they know where they are? Well, for instance, technology to plot the locations and menus of food carts or happy hours, might easily be adapted to address this fundamental societal need! Events like WhereCampPDX will let people who need these services explain what they need to people who can provide them. I am hoping that this event will draw those people in, people who aren’t developing location-based services, but who need them.

The most amazing thing about Portland is the spirit of generosity that pervades the entire community – people WANT to solve problems! They don’t wait to be told what to do, they don’t stall until they get the contract signed or the check clears, they don’t expect somebody else to solve all their problems for them… they jump in with both feet and start solving! More than anywhere I’ve ever been, Portland has the culture, the community, and the technical know-how to create solutions to national problems. Let’s get started with WhereCampPDX!

Irene Schwarting