We'll be releasing a Facebook application soon -- currently in testing. So I guess, in particular, the question is how to spread word about the application?
(...From what I see of FB groups, they appear to be essentially discussion forums; and I'm not 100% sure we want to create a second set of forums -- the App, for instance, will link users back here for discussion. but I'd be curious to get opinions about this...)
Hi,
I run a "wildly successful" ("wildly" for a town of 30,000 people ), citizen activist group out of Tewksbury, MA. using a freely available bulletin board software.
To get people to show up at an event, you really need to build "virtual interest" first. Via, interesting web forums and mentions in the local newspapers and tv shows. That's how our website got popular. http://www.TewksburyIssues.org
It usually takes a cruddy project built in someone's backyard before they will get interested enough in actually coming out of their homes into a place. But there is nothing worse than setting up a get together and one person shows up. You really need to build a critical mass before you start having get togethers.
How? Guest speakers, local politicians who have interest in what you are doing, mentions in school, local, and even national newspapers, etc. Get friendly with the reporters from local newspapers by going to city or town meetings where these reporters show up. Get friendly and start talking eventually about GridRepublic. You will be amazed at how facinated people will be when you talk about world-wide computing grids, no really. The local reporters are always looking for a different story, GR seems to be just the ticket.
Building "critical mass" takes a while, took me at least two years to get to that level, but my world consists of 30,000 people, your world is global so should take significantly less time.
Get the GridRepublic website hooked up with "Diggit", "Reddit" and all the other tools out there that will get your website's name out there.
You can start with this a tool that connects you to all the social mining websites out there, though I haven't used it yet, a friend who develops popular websites told me about it:
http://sharethis.com
Facebook ap. should automatically update your status with "I am curing cancer" or "I am stopping global warming" (if they ever get that retarded simulation working). Or I spent 1,000 hours curing cancer wile I was a sleep.
If you can do this it should have:
- Default messages that feed off of your GR status (I am curing cancer)
- Customizable messages (I am curing cancer while I watch movies)
- Customizable update period (don't update the status every day or people will turn it off)
- A link (You can too just click here.)
Q
Hi Quentin. We do have a FB app-- currently this is in testing. If you want to join the testing, click here for instrux. It has many of the features you describe but not all. (It is not possible, for instance, for a FB app to write user status messages, iso far as I know. But we can send newsfeed items on occasion -- when a user adds the application, when he or she adds a new project, or reaches a credit milestone.)
For now, these messages aren't customizable. The status message thing is a great idea... I wonder how we can encourage users to do this manually...
BFerrarri, Thanks for the suggestions.
Re: your ideas about generating interest for real-world events-- This thread is about Facebook; I wonder if you might want to post your ideas to discussions and/or documentation pages about Meetups, ex
