Socialight / blog+news

NewMediaAge magazine in the UK wrote about us in a piece called “Mobile Networking”.

Dan Melinger, co-founder of Socialight, agrees that content for content’s sake isn’t going to form mobile social communities unless that content is specifically relevant to people. Hence Socialight allows people to tag places, such as a good restaurant, with a comment and a picture taken on their mobile. These can then be shared with friends on the service, as well as those who have opted to receive content from beyond their buddy list.

“We’re going to get people talking on their mobiles about places they’ve enjoyed or hated,” says Melinger. “By the end of next year, 70% of new phones should have GPS, which will make the system work at its best - although we can get some form of accuracy without it and people can later move their notes onto an online map. Then, when someone passes a spot with a note assigned to it, they’re alerted and can comment on it.”

There was a blurb on Socialight in the Septeber 2006 issue of WIRED Magazine.

Tell the world about that fabulous martini bar you’ve discovered. With StickyShadows, owners of location-aware cell phones can leave virtual sticky notes for the next guy. While sipping a gin, thumb a text message. The next traveler to step into your StickyShadow will get an instant heads-up on his handset. Psst! Order the Boodles.

With our happily provided permission Penelope from London Metropolitan University created this wonderful animation on Socialight: The Future of Conversation. <blush> Thanks, Penelope!

Our hometown tabloid the New York Post published a story on the ways online mapping tools are changing the way we live in NYC. I’m proud to say they featured a choice quote on Socialight from yours truly, including the following tidbit of wisdom:

“It’s this connection with place that resonates deep down in the human psyche; it’s very empowering.”

Deep, Dan, deep.

Brady Forrest just posted a podcast on O’Reilly Radar with me in which we discuss where some of the ideas for Socialight originated (23centstories shoutout!), as well as what we’re working on now and what you can look forward to in the next version. (MP3)

If you’re anywhere near San Jose next week - come say hi and meet me at the Where 2.0 Conference.

Since the late ’90s, LBS has been linked to a host of intriguing, yet somehow not-quite-ready-for prime time, mobile scenarios..

USA Today has a great article on the new wave of LBS applications entitled “Where in the world am I? Your phone might know”. The article is comprehensive and is a good overview of what is happening in the space today. My favourite bit (apart from their mention of Socialight) - Dan Gilmartin from Sprint debunking the ubiquitous “Starbucks finder” LBS myth.

Sometimes it’s not all about mobile phones and maps for the Socialight team. Our own superstar intern, Jury Hahn, shows off The Seven Deadly Meals, her latest project at NYU’s ITP Spring Show, featured first on the latest Cool Hunting video. Congratulations, jury!

What a happy surpise! If you head down to your local newsagents and pick out a copy of the Business 2.0, you will find Kamida (makers of Socialight and other fine socialware) and friends (including Semacode) featured in a lavishly illustrated article by Carlo Longino (of Mobhappy and The Feature [RIP] fame). We’re in the bit called Here You Are: Location-based services.

Click here for a full-size scan (~550k).

You may have noticed that the Socialight home page has a clean new look. We asked our friends over at Iridesco to come up with a new look for the page on a tight deadline and they produced a great clean look for us. Thanks guys!

We were in Las Vegas for CTIA Wireless 2006 during the week of April 5 (sorry for the delayed post!).

We’re proud to annouce that at the LBS Challenge award ceremony, Socialight took home a semifinalist trophy in the Social Networking category. Our friends at Skyhook Wireless took home a finalist award (and $10,000) for their Loki product. Congratulations, guys! See - we can be good sports…

Skyhook launched Loki at CTIA. If you haven’t checked it out yet, Loki’s an application and web browser plugin (Firefox and IE) that makes your web browsing relevant to where you are. It’s based on Skyhook’s own WiFi positioning system, which pinpoints your location based on the WiFi signals around you (US-only for now). Socialight is integrated into Loki; use the Socialight channel in its browser toolbar to view and create StickyShadows around you. If you try it out, let us know what you think.