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Micro-Networks & Hyper-Local Communities: Creating Meaningful Human Connections

Amy L. Dickson @amylucillesmith Deborah Gassner @crunchyplastic

Blink UX

Who we are & why were here

Intro slide here

For humans to have a responsible relationship to the world, they must imagine their places in it. To have a place, to live and belong in a place, to live from a place without destroying it, we must imagine it

As imagination enables sympathy, sympathy enables affection. And it is in affection that we find the possibility of a neighborly, kind, and conserving economy.

Wendell Berry

Heavy Facebook users might be comparing themselves to their friends, which in turn, can make them feel more depressed.

Mai-Ly Steers, University of Houston, study author, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

Real-world, non-digital settings provide the environment in which faulty beliefs can be countered with evidence that proves them wrong.

A study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior in 2011 tested the impact of both face-to-face and computer-mediated social support. While both types of support were found to be beneficial, face-to-face support showed a greater impact on buffering life's disruptions. When you're battling depression, Dr. Santos says, in-person interaction is especially important. Real-world, non-digital settings provide the environment in which faulty beliefs can be countered with evidence that proves them wrong, she says.

Buy Nothing: Give Freely. Share creatively.

Post anything youd like to give away, lend, or share among neighbors. Ask for anything youd like to receive for free or borrow. Keep it legal. Keep it civil. No buying or selling, no trades or bartering, no soliciting for cash, were an adult-only, hyper-local gift economy.

We need to use the masters toolsto dismantle the castle.

Experience Map

First Time Use

Give freely.

Gratitude

They come for the stuff. They stay for the gratitude.

Buy Nothing Co-founder

What about Goodwill?

What about when it is just about the stuff?28

Its special.47 year-old woman&12 year-old girl

said independently about different stuffed animals

AffectionNot only for our place and our people, but for our stuff as well30

AffectionNot only for our place and our people, but for our stuff as well31

Trouble in Paradise

Members felt empowered to make changes fb so simplemake a new group with new rules or maybe just less rules32

Community

Too much of a good thing

2800 members. Less face-to-face. Hot items: 100 plus people want the patagonia jacket or the le creuset pot.Or maybe not enough of a good thing 2800 members. Less face-to-face. Hot items: 100 plus people want the patagonia jacket or the le creuset pot.36

Private social network for your n. 98% of seattle n.s represented.Kids and dogs (real or stuffed).37

Another social network. Funded 3 yrs old no revenue yet38

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40

One persons trash

42

How much personal info do we share?

Our exact address1 in 3

If we have kids (name & age)1 in 10

We may not share info, but we do share our thoughts44

People get very uppity. It can get out of hand.

There are personalities that love to get into it online.

Nextdoor members

Opportunity: make mute discoverable46

What about Craig?

Could be anyoneCould be crazy47

This person lives 3 blocks away; if they were to screw me I can find them again. Its not like Craigslist, where it could be some random person from Tukwila.*

Nextdoor member* 17 miles south of members neighborhood.

Why does it matter?

49

No.

Rethink consumption.

What makes a neighborhood? A place for kids and pets51

Content in context.

What makes a neighborhood? A place for kids and pets52

Real-life interactions.

Share creatively.

Experimental project from FUSE Labs & Microsoft Research

Active events

Trending topics

Popular places

Active people

We develop affection.We become Stickers.

Thats nice and all, but what about my brand?

Start small.Start local.Use known tools.Anchor in the real.

White Whale Coffee Co.

A fictional story.

Your hot cup of branded beverage in their hands.

Mmmmm, nice.

Special Thanks.

Much gratitude to all of the BNBers and NextDoor members who shared their stories.

Thank you to all of the Blinkers whose expertise enhanced this presentation.

Lets talk.

@amylucillesmith@crunchyplastic

@BlinkUX

Thank you.