PlaceSite @ Your Library?

April 17th, 2005

This is extremely interesting. A social network based on being on the same wireless network. It’s called Project PlaceSite and comes out of research from U.C. Berkeley and could have some implications on the use of wifi at your library. They have two immediate goals:

“1) What information, if any, would people like to share digitally with others in the same public place?

2) How will the introduction of a digital information service by, for and about people in a physical café affect social interactions in that café?”

The first goal works within the basic theory of the library as a community. The second could work if the first one comes through. Now that wifi is becoming more prevalent in libraries, will online social networks like this one enable the increasing use of wifi, or will the network stop at just providing access?

I’d love to see how this research plays out and, more specifically, if it will work in the library setting where more information is available to be shared between users. (link via waxy)

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