I found out about a cool new social network/application tracker/application all rolled into one called Wakoopa on the makeuseof.com blog.
Building on the idea of reality mining, Wakoopa is a social network attached to a small software tracker. The tracker updates every 15 minutes with the programs you’ve used. It’s a great way to visualize what programs you’re using, the ones that your friends are using, and (what I think is the most ingenious part about this site) the most used applications overall. What better way is there to decide what program you should use for say, managing your operating processes or to edit images, than by seeing what applications others are using, and which ones are used most. It must mean something if a lot of people are using it, right?
Wakoopa aggregates the data into pretty charts and top 10 lists that are easily navigated.
The beauty of reality mining is that the user doesn’t have to do any work at all (other than, in this case, the initial download of the tracker). Otherwise, the user can go about their daily lives, business as usual while the site is gathering useful and interesting information.
However, as Ian Da Silva pointed out about reality mining in a previous post, how far is too far? There is inherent value in opening up and sharing information, but we’re nearing a fine line. Don’t get me wrong, I think Wakoopa is a great site and innovative application, but as we continue to push the boundaries, we will eventually reach a point where we give away too much?
Opening up our information to the world is the best way to address some of the worlds most pressing issues.
I think people have an antiquated view of what freedom and identity is and this might cause negative attitudes towards such approaches. This is not big brother this is allowing people to help each other, this is living together in a communal society and giving us the opportunity to work together to best use resources.
Im all for this application and will look at how i can use it to help me help other people