Mobile social software allows users of mobile devices to attach and retrieve information to and from a specific location. By using a mobile social software service, participants can link the physical world to a virtual world of content and ideas. It's like putting a sticky note that only mobile devices can see on a place. This is called the geospatial web, and the mapping of the virtual world to the real world is done in two ways.
The first uses physical artifacts such as stickers to identify a location. For example, Yellow Arrow is a global art project that lets users post their thoughts to physical locations. Stickers in the shape of yellow arrows are placed on physical objects and each sticker has a unique SMS code that participants send to a central number. An active participant puts up a sticker and sends the messages attached to it using the SMS code; passive participants retrieve the message when they see the sticker and send the SMS codes and a question mark to the central number.
The aim of the project is let individuals point out what is meaningful in their surroundings. As one Yellow Arrow user states: "The yellow arrow is the simplest way to say this is worth noticing, this is unique, this is art." It allows strangers to share ideas about a particular place or give new meaning to common places.
Another method used to map the virtual to the real world uses global positioning systems (GPS). SocialLight is a service which allows users to post virtual sticky notes to locations using GPS-enabled mobile devices. To create a StickyShadow - a location with a note attached - participants run an application on their mobile device which links and posts the GPS location with the message or picture. By allowing the GPS feature in newer mobile devices to track their moves, participants are notified as they pass into a StickyShadow. Uses for this services range from creating a historical tour of an area to letting friends know where you are.
The geospatial web is like leaving a hyperlink, or clickable web link, that mobile devices can activate on a physical location. For example, a historic place, say Isaac Newton's apple tree, could be linked to information on the internet about the discovery of gravity. As participants pass the tree, a message and the link to information on gravity could be sent to their mobile device.
While these initial programs are simple in use, the potential for mobile social software is great. One proposal is a subscription services for travelers to point out what is interesting in a city, where to eat, and what to do. As travelers roamed a city, mobile social software running on their phones would indicate whenever they passed by something interesting. Another proposal is for neighborhood bloggers to attach information to locations, such as restaurants, with reviews or comments. Participants could read other people's comments and even send their own.
On the geospatial web (unlike the internet), location determines what information is available. The SMS code or GPS location is the link to the virtual world that can inform and connect individuals. As the name implies, mobile social software uses mobile technology to facilitate social interaction and networking in new and exciting ways.
