Call it crowd-sourcing or user generated content (UGC), hashtags on twitter are amassing fragmented data that has yet to tapped for it’s full potential. I found out about a new band mixing hip-hop, dub, and nintendo style sounds, and decided to hype it on Twitter. I tweeted out Listening to Mux Mool – MERLINFIST! http://www.myspace.com/muxmool #nowplaying #musicmonday.
Immediately I checked out a hashtag search for #nowplaying to see that my tweet made it over there ok. What I saw when the search loaded though, was an entire playlist generated by random users around Twitter. People are just telling the world that they are currently listening to this song.It got me thinking that there should be a site that capitalizes on this content and broadcasts out #NowPlaying Radio. It could be an automated system that pulls each song from the latest #nowplaying tweet. Or it could be a weekly top 40 broadcast that plays the most tweeted #nowplaying songs.
And if we can do this kind of thing with #nowplaying. What can we do with #traveltuesday, where people tweet out recommended exotic locations. Or #followfriday, where people filter out the best tweeters from their follower-base.
Already companies like fflick.com are realizing the potential of the millions of seemingly meaningless tweets. fflick.com scours the twittershpere for instances of movie names, assigns a positive or negative rating to the tweet based on the words in the tweet, and comes up with a real-time list of the most popular movies.
Take a moment to think about what’s possible.
What could we do with the #traffic tag? What about #idea? Could a brand create a new hashtag, sponsor it on the trending list, and watch their business take off in the capable hands of millions of tweets? Could a business take control of a brand new hashtag? $%&*<> are all up for grabs.
While traveling back from D.C. last week, I sat on the plane trying to think up a perfect in-flight iPhone app. While in D.C. I spent a good share of time looking up bus schedules and waited for the Metro. I also spent time thinking up some app ideas for the city’s bus and subway system.
Delta if you are listening you can have these app ideas for one free ticket to D.C. or to fly home to Atlanta. WMATA if you are listening I would only like a smartrip card good for 2 months of travel. You can also freely take the ideas and run with them.
In-Flight App
- Purchase food, snacks, and alcoholic beverages
- Calls the flight attendant
- Stream today’s movie and music channels
- Change / book flights
- Live chat with airline agent
- Purchase items from Sky Mall
- Check out flight speed, location, ETA, etc.
- Facts about what we are flying over
- Live cam from bottom of plane
- Travel stories from previous passengers and write your own
- Information and history of plane model
- Electronic ticket for flight
- Play games, trivia with other passengers on board
Bus & Subway App
- Use your current location to give bus route options. Once you decide which route is best it will tell you when the next bus is scheduled to arrive, and where the closest stop is located.
- Pick a subway station and line, it will then tell you how much time until the train will be at that station.
- QR codes for smart pass (electronic ticket). You can put money on the pass from the phone, or have it directly tied to your bank account.
- Point A to Point B search will tell you the best bus / train route based on where you are, where you want to go, and how long it will take to get there.
- Subway maintenance blog that updates you with track closures.
- Complaint, question, and idea forms you can fill out and submit instantly.
- Uses GPS from other smartphones to calculate crowded buses, and stations, and accurately gather location data for the bus and subway.
Got some ideas to add? Post them in the comments section and I will totally give you one of my bags of peanuts!
