RealPlaces for Real Lives:

A plan to revitalize and restore public space by rewarding media-free bars, cafes, and restaurants

Thanks to Café Royale for hosting this event!

800 Post Street

San Francisco

January 20, 2010

Photo: Kevin Rothwell

“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act

that should not be taken lightly.” —MFK Fisher

“Fuck that shit.” —The Media Industry

THE PROBLEM:In the last few years, the cable, advertising, and media industries have collaborated to put wide-screen TVs and “retail video networks” into public places that previously were sacrosanct:

restaurants, cafes, elevators, you name it.

Photo: Or Hiltch

Why is it happening? And why so quickly?

THE ACTORS:

• Café, restaurant, and public establishment owners

• “Location-based audience networks”

• Advertisers

• Cable TV networks

• YOU, the patron

Why is it happening? And why so quickly?

THE MOTIVATIONS:• Restaurant/café owners need customers and

income• Advertisers need to reach customers burnt on ads• Ad networks’ “location partnerships” may give

restaurant/café owners a cut of ad revenue • Cable TV companies convince café/restaurant

owners that they have “TV needs”• The public adjusts to a media-saturated

environment and begins to expect or even want it

Result:Fewer and fewer

places “get” atmosphere

anymore.

Atmosphere may become an endangered species, unless we positively define what it is, and

demand it.

Photo: markhillary's photostream, flickr

What defines atmosphere?

• Humanity/hospitality: Plain human interaction takes center stage; it’s assumed customers have things to say and can say them.

• Ritual: Sharing food and drink with others is treated as the important, ancient rite it is.

Photo: Kiril Kapustin, Imagesfrombulgaria.com

What defines atmosphere?

• Confidence: The establishment must believe in its own four walls, even when business is slow.

• Atmospherics that enhance and don’t distract -- music, lighting, art, and décor.

Photo: Dziczka

Additional Signs of a RealPlace:

• Staff-chosen music (rather than a satellite service or commercial radio station)

• Real cups, plates, and cutlery are offered• Counter service asks “For here or to go?”

(instead of just automatically slinging your order into paper or plastic)

Now, you might well ask:

“What’s wrong with TV in public places?”

Photo: Mahanga

Folks might like…

• The “buzz” from having a hot, bright, flashy media device in the room that seems very new and connected to the world

• Some of the information offered (sports scores, weather, traffic, stock quotes, etc.)

• Something engaging to look at while they’re waiting in line or killing time

But…

• Most people have a TV at home, so how novel is that buzz really?

• Most of the useful information streamed is available on hand-held devices anyway

• People comprehend and retain information better when they read it on their own

• Whither “stolen moments” and people-watching? Must every second be spent absorbing information we didn’t ask for?

A radical concept:

Sometimes “boredom” is good.Because it’s not really boredom.

“Once, when I was in the middle of doing nothing, someone asked me if I was having a stroke.”

--Simon Doonan, 2008

Photo: Dominic's pics, flickr

People who love TV at home may not like it in a public place.

• Customers can’t control the content• The increasing size of today’s flat-screens ensures

they dominate any room they’re in; everywhere starts to feel like the same basic place

• Customers can’t control placement of the TV. Owners now put multiple sets on multiple walls so there’s “nowhere to hide”

• At the end of the day, what is the TV really doing there at all?

Bottom Line: Watching TV while eating is unhealthy

• Linked to heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol

• TV distracts us from our body’s satiety signals• Especially bad for kids• Mealtime conversation goes by the wayside

(Sources: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 2001 study; study

published in Preventing Chronic Disease, April 2006)

What can we do, when…

• Complaining about TV is so uncool?• Consumers lack the language to effectively

complain?• Public space owners are commonly unresponsive?• Public spaces are being colonized by glowing

rectangles so rapidly and thoroughly?• The values of atmosphere are not being

aggressively asserted in the public forum?

Our response:RealPlaces

A plan to revitalize and restore public space by

rewarding media-free bars, cafes, and restaurants

The RealPlaces Vision

• An integrated network re-enforcing the strongholds of atmospheric values:

• Web site

• Travel guide

• iPhone application

• Window decals

• Thought leadership and public commentary

How would it work?

1. A bar, restaurant, or café says no to media and incubates a great atmosphere

2. RealPlaces gives them the thumbs-up!3. RP honors them on their website with review,

address, and other information4. The establishment gets a decal to put in their

window5. Patrons valuing atmosphere can now easily

find and recognize the places that have it

How else would it work?

• Press coverage of the network

• Editorials and op-eds in leading publications

• Colorful, engaging Facebook and Twitter features on RealPlaces around the country

• Regional RealPlaces “reporters”

…but most of all, it would work by means of:

The RealPlaces Dollah Hollah!

What the hell is that and how do I use it?

Photo: Tracy O, flickr

The RealPlaces “Dollah Hollah”

• Download and print out the Dollah Hollah from the website

• Snip on the dotted lines and keep these mini-forms in your wallet

• When you patronize a RealPlace, wrap your tip in the Dollah Hollah and check the boxes that apply…

Dollah Hollah criteria:

No TV, or TV only visible in bar area� No advertising screens or other distractions� Conversational atmosphere� I’m going to tell my friends about this place!�(Hint: You should be checking all of these!)

Are TVs in public places always sick and wrong?

Not at all.

A thoughtful aside…

Photo: isfullofcrap's photostream, flickr

Places you might go for the “media-rich” experience…

• Sports bars

• Clubs, discos, and casinos

• Some “ethnic” restaurants where expatriates gather to watch news and entertainment from home in their native language

• Bubble drink cafes, sushi joints, and other places going for a “hot Tokyo” vibe

Back on topic.

What will we need to make the RealPlaces campaign happen?

• Web site, content, and hosting• “Reporters” scouting RealPlaces and writing

reviews• Editorial upkeep

The conversation opens up here.

What should the next steps be in achieving the RealPlaces vision?

Photo: dmje's photostream, flickr

Thanks for listening.This has been a joint presentation

by the Abundance League and Shareable.net.

Eat, drink, talk, and create your ATMOSPHERE!