Flash mob in Dolores Park

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a flash mob in Dolores Park, in San Francisco. I also expect that cheesebikini will have some reporting on the event; it seems to cover them very well.

An IFTF resarcher was there, and sent her impressions of the event:

My partner and I participated in a smart mob this last weekend. The goal: congregate in Dolores Park for a quick game of "Duck, Duck, Goose." In attendance were about 200 locals.

The process itself was fun--it was great to be doing such a silly task with strangers and neighbors that you would otherwise never meet. It was also fascinating to see the mob quickly coalesce out of "nothing" -- the process was much more *efficient* than a top-down style of milling about and waiting for instructions. It's an interesting phenomenon of a mob whose members are still individuals with agency.... It's a great introduction to the idea of smart mobs, and it should be apparent to any participant how this process could be efficiently used for other means, such as political action, cleaning up neighborhoods, and so on. It'll be interesting to see how the lesson is applied.....

The only downside of the smart mob was the secrecy--we were not "allowed" to tell bystanders what we were doing, that this was intended to be a flash mob, etc. The official word was that this would add to the sense of randomness and whimsy to the event....but there is another, more elitist interpretation of why we would be withholding information from others. (You know, only the Cool Kids get to know what's happening, and everyone else has to stand around wondering, "what the hell?!?!?"")

I keep mulling this over, as the coolness factor really seemed to go against the spirit of all sorts of people running together, pell-mell in Dolores Park, laughing and smiling. I hope the call to secrecy fades away as people continue to experiment with these mobs. I can envision a more chaotic and whimsical urban area, where people jump into flash mobs as they encounter them throughout their day.

[Many thanks to Leah!]

[from Relevant History]

m-pulse on moblogging

The latest issue of my favorite surprisingly above-average corporate magazine, m-pulse, has a good piece on moblogging. The key grafs:

"I think the ability to correlate experience with place, and to share that correlated experience with others who either occupy the same space or may wish to in the future, is tremendous" [said Adam Greenfield, organizer of the 1st International Moblogging Conference (1mc)].

Rather than replacing traditional blogging, Greenfield suggests that the potential of moblogging lies in what it offers travelers - the ability to annotate cities, places, and spaces through moblogs.

Whereas traditional blogs are often filled with links to places on the Web, Greenfield posits that moblogs can be understood as "links to places, logs of interesting places visited in real life."

"When user-created content - restaurant reviews, heads-ups about particularly congenial or stimulating or dangerous places, what have you - is not merely publishable from mobile devices, but retrievable from them, it really does give the keys to the city," says Greenfield.

According to Greenfield, the potential of moblogging isn't something that can be ignored.

"When you consider that blogs have already changed the way we understand publishing, journalism, and the power of the individual voice, limited as they are to the relatively small audience with access to computers, and then extrapolate from that to the hundreds of millions of people already using some kind of mobile device - well, I think the impact will be nontrivial [ed: typical engineer
talk]."

[via Gene Becker and Relevanthistory]

Tokyo Train Observations

As part of our research on mobile phone use in Tokyo, we conducted extensive observations on trains in the greater Tokyo area. The most foundational finding is that people use the non-voice functions of the mobile phone most extensively (email, web). There are limited instances of people receiving voice calls, but the calls are generally ended quickly. There are virtually no instances of people initiating voice calls on trains. In our observations we did not see a single instance of laptop usage on the train.

Train as mobile phone text chatting space

First, I wanted to give you just one example (from one of the our communication diaries research) of an extended mobile phone texting conversation on public transportation.

Female college student, age 20.
22:30 (boards bus)
22:24 (send) Ugh. I just finished (>_<). I’m wasted! It was so busy.
22:28 (receive) Whew. Good job. (>_<)
22:30 (send) I was running around the whole time. Are you okay?
22:30 (Only other passenger leaves. Makes voice call. Hangs up after 2 minutes when other passengers board.)
22:37 (send) Gee I wish I could go see fireworks ( ; _ ; )
22:39 (receive) So let’s go together! I asked you!
22:40 (gets off bus and moves to train platform)
22:42 (send) sniff sniff sniff ( ; _ ; ) Can’t if I have a meeting! I have to stay late!
22:43 (receive) You can’t come if you have to stay late?
22:46 (send) Um, no… I really want to go… ( ; _ ; )
22:47 (receive) Can’t you work it out so you can make it?
22:48 (boards train)
22:52 (send) Oh… I don’t know. If I can finish preparing for my presentation the next day. I really want to see you. (>_<) I am starting to feel bad again. My neck hurts and I feel like I am going to be sick. ( ; _; ) Urg
22:57 (receive) I get to see you tomorrow so I guess I just have to hang in there! (^o^)
23:04 (gets off train)
23:05 (send) Right right. I still have a lot of work tonight. I can’t sleep!

People often see public transport as prime time for email because of the limits on voice communication and because they are killing time, what in Japanese they call “himatsubushi”.

Seeing our interview data, there are a few people who have Personal Handy phone mobile (Air H”), but we did not observe a single person who using a laptop or PDA during our observation. Because of terrible crowds (in the morning), frequent transfers and unstable connectivity, it is more convenient for commuters to use mobile phones than laptops.

Growing sophistication in regulation efforts

Text messaging gets used in relatively unregulated contexts such as the home, but are most characteristic of communication in regulated contexts like public transportation. There is a lot of public outrage in Japan as elsewhere about bad manners in mobile voice communications. Even though surveys have shown that youth do not make voice calls on public transportation very frequently at all, there is still this public perception. According to our observation, the rate of using mobile phone for call is 25.5%. I n contrast, texting usage rate is 57.6%.

There is a growing and increasingly sophisticated set of efforts at regulating mobile media use on public transportation (see below), but this focuses mainly on voice calls.

Download file

Download file
The posters inhibiting mobile phone usage

A few years ago, the announcements on trains would simply say please do not use your mobile phone. Now the signage and announcements tend to specify not to use mobile voice communications. On trains, there is not surveillance in each car, but on the bus, the drivers will ask users to hang up before entering the bus, or make an announcement if they see someone talking on the phone. More recently, on one train line in Japan they have introduced a priority mobile-free seating area presumably for people with pace makers that would be off limits to even texting and net surfing.

Email availability check ---Voice as increasingly a secondary modality

In this context, youth generally think the prohibitions are stupid and unnecessarily strict. But when we look at their mobile phone usage, they are acutely aware of manners and the perceptions of others. Often the reasons for using email as opposed to voice even if they are not in a public place is because they are afraid that their friend may be, so that is it more polite to use email. Voice calls are generally a secondary modality in part, because it is more expensive than email (with each short message costing about the equivalent of 2 cents) but also because of the uncertainty as to whether their interlocutor will be in a regulated space. Most heavy users, so most youths do not leave their ringers on when they are out of the home. Manner mode, or silent mode is the default modality because of the fear that the phone will ring on public transportation.

Yokohama Starbucks Observation

There are 27 Starbucks with WiFi in Japan. I selected two stores for my observations. One is Sangenjaya store the other is Yokohama Park store. I started my observations at the Sangenjaya Starbucks, but did not see anyother WiFi users there during my observations. The Sangenjaya store is located in an area with a shopping mall, university, theater, smart restaurants and shops. So most customers are shoppers or young women. Here I will summarize my observations at the Yokohama Park store.

The Yokohama Park store is located in the first floor of a life insurance building and is a five minute walk from the station. City government buildings, a stadium, a beautiful park, many offices and fast-food restaurants surround the shop. There is central business hub in Yokohama City.

The store has an entrance and window facing a pedestrian wralk. You can see the scenery of the Park and the stadium through the window. The store décor is like other Starbucks. It has 10 small round tables with about 25 chairs and 2 wide tables with about 10 chairs. There is terrace with 3 round tables and 12 chairs. Since the store is on a busy street, the chairs are always 70%-80% occupied.

I asked a few brief questions to the shop attendants. They say that approximately 30%-40% customers are salary men in the morning or during/after lunch time. Another 60%-70% customers are housewives, students, elderly people and others. But in the evening, around 5:00pm to 8:00pm, they are many salary men who drop in after work. Most people do not drop in the Starbucks to use WiFi. Mainly, they spend their time reading a book or newspaper, talking with friends, dallying, and communicating by text messaging on their mobile phone. My observations also bear out this picture of a typical day at this Starbucks. It is very rare to see a laptop and WiFi user.

WiFi connectivity is free, if you register online and get a user ID and password from Yahoo BB!. There are, however, no pamphlets or advertising about WiFi in the store. Most people do not know that they can use the WiFi connectivity in the store. (Or as mentioned before, they may not be interested in mobile Internet by laptop.) I ask the shop attendant, “how many people use WiFi connectivity or AirH” card with their laptop.” According to them, they ganerally see 5 laptop users in a day. Ten to one the users are men wearing suits. One shop attendant says that he has never seen 3 or more personal use laptops at a time. In most cases, the users are sitting alone after work.

I grabbed an opportunity to do a very short interview with one young salary man who sat next to me by chance and started using WiFi connectivity (around 4:30pm). Because of sudden interview, he was quite brief. He had a lightweight new “Let’s note” laptop (produced by Panasonic). He works near Sakuragicho station, and he often comes to a company located near the Starbucks Yokohama Park store. He sometimes uses that shop to drink coffee and check his e-mail and browse the web. He mainly receives/sends business e-mails. Less commonly he replies to private e-mail at that café. Of course his office has many desktop computers and he can use Ethernet connectivity there, but it is not easy to check his private e-mails while at his office. So he drops in the Starbucks before he goes back to his office. He sometimes checks out other shops where he can use a WiFi network.

The store I observed may be considered/located a relay spot between the outside and the office, or between the office and the home.

in front of the store

store interior

terrace

Cafe REX Observations (Helsinki)

Insight 1: Physical context: Easily accessible

Café REX is located in the lobby of the Bio REX cinema between the two entrances to the single theatre (hall). There is no entrance or doorway to the café itself. It can be accessed in two ways: through the entrance to Bio REX and up a broad flight of stairs or from Cable Book Library on the first floor.

The lobby in which the café is located has high ceilings. The right wall and part of the front wall are glass: windows extend from floor to ceiling. The back and left walls are solid. Behind the back wall is the movie theatre. Behind the front wall is the Cable Book Library. The bar counter of Café REX is located in the back wall between the two entrances to the theatre. The tables and chairs are on the right side of the bar. There are movie posters on the left wall separating Bio REX from Cable Book Library and rest of Lasipalatsi. The posters are of movies currently showing, coming attractions as well as movie classics from the past (take photo). There is a “storage area” for the summer terrace chairs behind the stairs.

The décor in the lobby reflects the Jugend style architecture of Lasipalatsi. There is lots of light during the summer because of the windows. Sounds echo in this space. Lounge and Cuban music plays constantly. The music is picked by the café workers and played from cds.

During the winters the café seats approximately 40 people. In the summers because of the terrace the number is at least double.

Insight 2: People: Favorite place of library goers

Café REX draws a diverse crowd consisting of creative professionals, students, immigrants, and tourists. Some of the same people also frequent Cable Book Library: being next door it’s easy to come there for a coffee, tea or beer after using the library. Moreover, the creative professionals, and tourists are drawn to the place because of its architecture and history.

Right before a movie starts the lobby is filled with a new group of people: the moviegoers. They are from different professions and levels of society. Some of moviegoers grab something to drink or eat at the café before the film. However, most of these people would not come to the café just to hangout.

During the summers the crowd is more diverse than during the winters because of the summer terrace, one of the most popular in the city. A lot less people go to the café during the winter months. It’s easy to spot the regulars during this time of year.

Insight 3: Activities: Meetings and hanging-out

Café REX is a popular meeting place for African immigrants in Helsinki. Its proximity to the Cable Book Library and relative proximity to the central railway station contribute to its popularity. Furthermore, its location in the lobby of a cinema means that it’s possible to spend time there without having to consume something from the café. This is a bonus for low income and unemployed people in need of a meeting place in the center of Helsinki.

Occasionally private parties are organized in the lobby of Bio REX. On these occasions the café is closed to the public.

Insight 4: Technology: Whose network?

There are 2 free touch-screen Internet kiosks in the lobby of Bio REX. People who have not been able to get on a computer next door in Cable Book Library come to use these kiosks. Also those who like to avoid the lines at the library come directly to the lobby. The kiosks have been designed for short Internet usage sessions: they require the user to stand and use a virtual keyboard.

Café REX is known to have free public wi-fi, however, the café owners have not set up the network. Like in Cable Book Library wi-fi is a service provided by the organization running Lasipalatsi. The bar manager at Café REX was not sure where the base-station was located. He guessed it was inside theatre, which would explain why the signal is the strongest at the bar counter. However, one of people I interviewed believed it to be at Mbar. I believe the manager was right about the location of the base station.

Regardless of where the signal was coming from I was able to connect effortlessly to the network. Indeed the signal is the strongest at the bar counter and it extends to the terrace. The same signal covers the Cable Book Library.

Photos

Entrance from Cable Book Library
Entrance from Bio REX
Bio REX lobby
Internet kiosks
"Storage area" (on left)
Wi-fi user at terrace
Meeting in Cafe REX
Another meeting
Glass walls
Wi-fi user in the "storage area"
Wi-fi user at the bar
Internet kiosk users
Wi-fi user (bar closed)
Terrace

Mbar Observations (Helsinki)

Insight 1: Physical context: Segmented space

Located below the Bio REX cinema, Mbar is the most relaxed and multi-functional space in Lasipalatsi. It’s an easy-going bar, nightlife hotspot and an Internet café all at the same time.

The façade has two entrances and tall windows that extend the whole length of the space. The space is a rectangular and is divided into four sections. The bar-counter is located in the middle of the space; it marks the boundary between the smoking and the non-smoking sections. The computer section along the front windows spanning all three sections. On the left of the counter, in the smoking section, is a dj-booth and behind it are the restrooms. In the smoking section people sit on a sofa that curves along the back-wall and on lounging chairs. The tables are round and small. In the non-smoking section there are sturdy wooden tables, benches and chairs. This section is more suitable for eating and working. The computers in the computer section are on counters of different heights that run along the front wall. The monitors face into the space, the users sitting at the computers can be seen from the outside. Users sit on chairs and bar stools depending on where along the counter they are. During the summers Mbar has a fifth section: the summer terrace. This is common ground for all Mbar clients. It gets packed in the evenings. The terrace is open till midnight and the rest of the bar closes around 2am.

There is always music playing in Mbar. When a dj is not spinning in the evenings, there is background music. Like in any bar it gets noisier and smokier as the evening progresses.

Insight 2: People and activities: Each section has its own crowd

The smoking section draws a clients who are 16-30 years old, dress in a trendy or bohemian clothes and are mainly Finnish. They are there to socialize or kill time. They usually arrive in the late afternoon and some stay until closing. On Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons this crowd comes to listen to the dj.

The non-smoking section draws an older crowd who comes for lunch or an afternoon snack after work. This crowd is also mostly Finnish. People who have come to do work also prefer to sit in this section.

The computer (Internet) section also has its own crowd mainly made up of foreigners and tourists, although I did see some teens as well. They are in Mbar to use the Internet and read e-mails while having a cup of coffee. Possibly, the reason why not many Finns rent the computers is because they know that next-door both Cable Book and Café REX offer free Internet computers. Moreover, many Finns have Internet access at home and/or at work. During my observations I did not notice a distinct peak time for computer use during a day or week.

Interestingly, immigrants who make up a big part of the clientele at Cable Book Library and Café REX do not come to Mbar.

Insight 3: Business: no business model for wi-fi

There are no signs in Mbar indicating that there is a free public wireless network. I knew that at the time the place used to be Meteor Bookshop it had a wireless network but wasn’t sure whether it was still available after it became Mbar. I decided to ask the barmaid before I tried my laptop. Her surprised answer to my question was "Yes we have… how did you know?"

There is probably a business reason why wi-fi is not promoted. Using the Internet computers costs 5? for half an hour. When I asked her about the costs of using wi-fi the barmaid somewhat embarrassed admitted that wi-fi use was free. She quickly added that she would charge someone if they sat and used it for some hours. I doubt she has ever charged a wi-fi user. Her reply made it obvious that these users posed somewhat of a concern; they take up space in the bar for long periods of time without consuming or paying. It seems Mbar has not figured out whether and how to charge for wi-fi.

If there is a danger that wi-fi cannibalizes some of the Internet access revenue or that users stay for hours without buying something then why does Mbar continue to provide free wi-fi? The answer probably lies in the history of the place: the network could be from the time of the Meteor bookstore. Both Cable Book Library and Café REX offer free wi-fi. Moreover, there are some regular users who have come to expect the service from Mbar.

Insight 4: Technology: Wi-fi users have their own protocols (set by themselves) for the place

When I asked the barmaid if she had noticed anyone using wi-fi she told me about two "regulars". One of the regulars the barmaid referred to is a man in his 50s and the other a man in his 30s. She pointed out that the older man likes to sit in the corners, in both the smoking and non-smoking sections. While the older man is there almost every-day, she told me the younger man comes only on the weekends. She did not know either of them by name.

Later during my observations I found out why the older laptop user, whom I had also seen sitting in the “storage area” of Café REX, likes to sit in the corners. His primary reason for choosing the corners in Mbar and the “storage area” in Café REX was access to power. These where the only places which had power-outlets. Secondarily these areas provided privacy that he needed to do his work but also to eat his own food.

On one occasion I observed the older man sit in Mbar for an hour with an empty coffee cup in front of him. After he returned from getting a fresh cup of coffee he started to dip his hand into his bag pulling out pieces of bread. He was cutting back on costs of staying in Mbar by bringing his own lunch/dinner with him.

On the same occasion I approached him to ask if I could interview him. He accepted and we set a date (see Interview 2: Harri, connected entrepreneur). I then returned to the sofa where I sat with my laptop. A little while afterwards he came to ask me if I could look after his laptop and things while he went to the bathroom. I assumed he trusted me because I had a laptop of my own and more importantly, I had just asked him for an interview. I realized that while it was preferable to sit by oneself when using a laptop in a cafe, having someone whom you could trust to look after your things when you took a break was a big bonus. This is a point Harri stressed in the interview.

Photos

Mbar entrance
Computers from outside
Terrace during the day
Wi-fi user
Non-smoking section
Internet access rates
Computer user
More computer users
DJ and view of smoking section
Terrace at night
View of computers at night
Smoking section
Base station
Smoking section from front