Fire Eagle and other geolocation apps
Fire Eagle from Yahoo’s Brickhouse was released today. Basically it keeps an individual’s location up-to-date, usually via their mobile device. We could use it to tie in to Flaming Desks so that we automatically search for desk locations near the user. Not so useful if you are accessing it from your laptop or desktop, but when we finish the mobile version (!) it could be handy. Also a good way of getting it out there.
Possibly a better tie up would be with geographicly based social networks, some of which are conveniently listed on this fire eagle blog post.
Tags: fire eagle, geolocation, mobile
August 13th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh. Lovely stuff. I like it when people make stuff just so it can plug into other stuff.
Definitely most useful w/ a mobile version of FD. We’ll need to bear in mind that use of FD involves a bit of a time delay. i.e. if I use it on my iPhone to “find my nearest desk”, I’ll still need to contact the desk owner and await their reply before I’ll know if I can use the desk… not very instant. (Mind you, if the desk-lister has mobile alerts, I guess that might do the trick).
This post, along with your earlier one re: Airbed&Breakfast (http://airbedandbreakfast.com/) has also re-affirmed my desire to have a logo that is NOT a horrible web2 cliche. If I see any more Arial Rounded type with a nice, “vectory” logo style I think I’ll have to go and commit some serious desk-arson just to stay sane.
(Luckily, Nick’s going in a different direction; http://www.flamingdesks.com/blog/2008/08/08/initial-logo-ideas/ mind you, I still think abandoning graphics all together is the way forward. Give me a real picture of a burning desk any day).
August 14th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Awww but I LIKE the “vectory” logos… are we going to have a fight about this?
August 14th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
“Vectory” logo’s seem like the way to go for me.
I like the idea of filming the desk and using it for some kind of launch montage, but it’s a little impractical for a logo seeing as this is going to be our ‘flag’ that other people can grab and display around the web thus spreading Flaming Desks message!
It will often be the first visual encounter potential users have of our service so we shouldn’t take too much risk by trying something wacky in this area - we can do this through the blog/site!
August 14th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Yeah Robbie’s totally right, the desk burning is just a fun addition to the project.
Still very much in the nature of Ben’s notion though!
The majority vote seems to be vector, and even if we do end up using footage/imagery from the desk burning, the vector style logo will have a nice contrast to all that and stand out.. which at the end of the day is the point of a logo anyway!
We spoke at some point about auto emails going out to desk givers to ensure the desks were still available or to prompt people when they haven’t made a desk available for a while.. A nice touch on fire eagle is in the registration form where it asks you how often you would like them to check that you are still comfortable with sharing your location (options being monthly, every 3 months or never!), a nice bit of courtesy whilst pre-warning that you will be contacted about this from time to time!
August 14th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
PS.. Can we try to keep the logo chat in the lnitial Logos post until I post a Logo Development post please!
August 14th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I like that “flaming desk” niche …..great little piece of brand marketing……& eh I was thinking I could make a few dollars from my location, my desk top and mobile,,, …..data….mashing the software up…..Ottawa Canada is a nerd heavy town….I’d expect a number of desks to develop here…people seeing the potential…..and “wafering” the data “when” this idea reaches altitude ….
August 15th, 2008 at 11:48 am
So, you’ve all ganged up on me, have you? That’s just fine!
All I really care about is not having a boring generic logo. There’s a very definite cliche web2 logo look and feel out there now which everyone will scoff at in years to come. Let’s not be part of that backlash.
Don’t care if the logo isn’t photographic, just thought it was a route we could explore.
And yeah, the desk burning has always been primarily a fun stunt. Reckon people would be up for attending a live torching?!