New York-based LifeAt wants to create a social network around your residential building. Do you need one? Nope. But maybe you’ll use it anyway. And perhaps you’ll even get to know some of your neighbors.
The building managers control the network and post information about the building itself. Residents sign up to get news about the building, interact with other users, etc. They’ll provide information about local businesses (dry cleaners, restaurants, delivery services, etc.) and allow residents to post reviews (similar to Yelp, but even more geographically targeted). They’ve also included a marketplace for people to buy and sell goods within the building.
The only thing it’s missing is a dating area; perhaps the LifeAt guys thought that would be too risque. Meetro, a location based instant messaging service, also once had dreams of getting people in the same apartment building to actually talk to each other. Perhaps LifeAt will succeed where they failed.
Or you could just make a group on Facebook…
I lived in a condo for five years and never once got to know my neighbors. Perhaps it takes the Internet and social networking technology to restore sanity to the way we live.
If there was at least one nerd in the building he would probably mention that since you are all “in the same building” you could just buy some cheap social networking software, and do it on a LAN instead. So random people at said server do not collect your data or store it remotely.
Either that or put it on a VPN in the building, and use a Linux box to host the software. http://www.phpfox.com comes to mind for feature poor software, but there are plenty to choose from on script websites.
Lots of people in the same building also set up game servers on LAN’s. Being in the same building usually means you do not need internet services for collaboration since most of the time people are on the same provider.
I do not live in a building, but our sales rep used to and he would set up stuff like this all the time.
This is a very, very, very interesting idea. Hmm…
“Or you could just make a group on Facebook…”
Yeah, you could do that on myspace or any other social network. If you really wanted something for the building alone and secure though, the internet would not be the way to go. Just buy the software, and set up an old computer you don’t use anymore with ubuntu on a LAN. The internet can’t get at you and you’re better off.
i like the idea.
i could see the overall building/community being exponentially stronger, or intertwined
@2, lol - that’s right. it’s amazing how we don’t know our neighbors
Controlled by building managers = Doomed.
I like it. not just this product, but the general idea of neighbour social networks. I thinks it’s fantastic. I can imagine for instance, my private neighborhood needing a setting like this to share info like when the outdoor hockey rink is setup, when the tennis court opens, why are no one looking after the weed in lawns, garbage pickup notices etc etc. mind you I’m not in a building, but the application still applies.
hey, maybe i’ll start something similar, and pick up on what this idea lacks
“hey, maybe i’ll start something similar, and pick up on what this idea lacks”
Sell it as an appliance. Like Google sells search appliances to schools. That way they can just plug it into the RJ45 and into the wall and it will play. We can license you a framework if you want a kick start. Call it something like the building connector or something like that.
http://www.google.com/enterprise/mini/index.html
Get real money, not advert revenue. If I was still in Social networking, I would do that. People pay real money, and you give them a real low spec box with some software. I bet you could run it with a debian core and a 333CPU ($4 a piece)
I think there is something here! If anything it’s worth a try. Chris i grabbed your email. we’ll be in touch.
This will be bought by MetLife!
This is a great idea— check out travelbuz.com and urturn.com—social networks are blooming!
Sure, we can also buy up the hardware components for you from our contacts at large hardware firms in Montreal at lower than wholesale prices.
We’ll give you a super deal on the hardware and software you need to get it released in a couple months.
A plug & play social network appliance would make a killing with big-city building markets.
We gave up on social networking on the cloud a couple year ago, when we figured out that people that visit social networking sites do not click on adverts at the same rate as for any other website. Social networking and bookmarking are dead ducks when it comes to CPC.
Our company simply isn’t big enough to follow through on every idea that would make money, so we rely heavily on partners like you potentially could be.
Selling low production cost plug and play appliances would be a nice way to generate real revenue, and big numbers. I’m sure you’ll make a killing if you follow through and we’d be happy to help you do it.
I think that HOA’s could also use this to distribute information and take polls of their community members. I recently moved into a condo complex and have yet to really meet any neighbors.
If my community had this I would join for the social aspect as well as being informed on the general neighborhood news.
Thanks for the blurb!
Some minor clarification - the site is user-generated therefore controlled by the residents not the management.
Why not?
Why?
Social stuff is for people with nothing but time on their hands. What they need is a job!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Yet another “mission critical”, must have or die application for social networks!
http://bizcast.typepad.com/cli.....works.html
Great headlines today…
its a good idea if they use some sort of exposed FOAF data so that it essentially becomes descriptive “leaf” data on your open social graph.
Kelley,
Alternatively, we can take your LifeAt existing software and put it into a small box that a building manager can plug into their building LAN. This small box could be programmed to synchronize different datas with your website server, and could provide secure building area network functionality and offline mode.
We won’t create this software for 3 companies at the same time, so first come is the lucky winner. We can also design the hardware case, and box for you, and hook you up with low cost production on the appliance.
If anybody wants our service, please call and do not email, with the volumes that come in on our SMTP, our junk settings are set to super high.
The idea has merit for condos and coops. It could work for info sharing and bldg updates. However, I don’t know about the whole social aspect…
I thought about doing this in 1999. Had one of the largest property management companies on the East Coast interested. In the end, leaky pipes, concierge services, etc. were simply more important to them than the Web. Of course, maybe times have changed. Good luck.
You should probably sell your first production unit of your building-social-network-appliance to the occupants at the yscaper
Let’s not fool ourselves here… why are we interested in our neighbors?
I live in a complex of 300 small apartments right next to a medical university. Seeing all the nurses and med students going in and out of the building, without having any reason to chat them up, was driving me crazy. So I joined the condo board and started a group on facebook, to “inform everyone what the board is doing” and hey, I’m getting somewhere now.
My point is that since all hotties are already on Facebook there is no need for any special networks for neighbors.
“You should probably sell your first production unit of your building-social-network-appliance to the occupants at the yscaper :)”
Watch them reverse engineer it in like 5 minutes too.
I almost forgot, we’ll reverse-engineer proof the software and do “clean packaging” where the GPL/Debian stuff is cleanly away from the binary only software that sits on top of the Linux platform. Otherwise the FSF will be on your *ss faster than you can say candy. strings appliance | grep gpl, you know it too.
I was at the FSF annual meeting with RMS in March in Boston. I know what is legal and not legal to do in appliances. I know what happened to dlink. The little valley boys out in Cali aren’t up to speed trust me. We’re worth what we charge in spades.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8.....523586970/
Don’t pics or it didn’t happen me either!
I’ve been implementing Linux core in different applications for years and years now.
So anyway i get to go out with the girl next door?
A good idea, but others have tried and failed. I wish I could remember the name of the site during Boom 1.0 that tried to connect people in New York buildings. Maybe the world is ready now, but I doubt it. As sputnick said, in many buildings neighbors have no interest in communicating with one another. A better idea — an extranet so that you can report your broken sink to the management and make an appointment to get it fixed.
So these guys watched the classic Seinfeld episode where everyone put pictures up of themselves and then started hanging out, hugging every time they saw each other and the like and applied Web 2.0 to it - nice.
What happens when 23C doesn’t want to sign up? Do they get harassed like our good friend Jerry Seinfeld did?
Interesting idea, but the power of social networks doesn’t work in small groups - and just because you live in the same building… does that make you a group?
When buildings have their own social network, Fonzie is nearing the ramp…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_the_shark
Mark Newman - great reference!
We have a really website, with all of these features, for the building I am in (350 condos in it — and is new and full of 20-30-somethings).
The problem is, nobody uses it. There is a facebook group for our building that is used somewhat, but still only a little bit.
“The problem is, nobody uses it.”
That’s the sweet thing about selling an appliance. The building owner or manager only has to have a perceived use for it to purchase it “in case” or as a “feature” when they sell off apartments.
When you run a website that makes money off of adverts, people actually have to use it to make the money. You can’t buy a membership at a social networking website then let it rot in a building basement after having paid. The beauty of physical goods.
Looking at LifeAt, I’m guessing they’re aiming to have apartment management companies pay them to create these sites.
It’s similar to uReside, a 2002-2004 era company that was creating forums for apartment communities.
The challenge (based on my 7 years in the online apartment rentals space) is that apartment owners and managers take a dim view of consumer-generated content. So LifeAt will have to choose between being a walled garden where the apartment managers control much of the content (i.e. they can delete content at will), or it will be a consumer-centric service and be unable to generate direct revenue from apartments, like http://www.apartmentratings.com.
FAKE!
People don’t want to know their neighbors anymore.
Vow…this is really web 3.0 stuff.
Apple Cuts DRM Free to 99 Cents
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....ts_news_us
I thought about this idea in 2002 .
I can sell you my domain if you want http://www.apartmentchat.com
You have to be in partnership with the property managers so that more tenants will be aware of the service but the property managers were not that interested because they were more interested in filling vacancies . Basically if they can’t see how this will help their bottom line or revenue they dont really care .
There is a company that is web 1.0 that is making loot that I know about . They have thousands of apartments and Condos signed up …
http://www.gbj.com/content.cfm.....oryID=1572
When getting into any venture you should do plenty of research . You should also have a
Business Model
Revenue Model
Pricing Model
Marketing Model — Most important
“apartment owners and managers take a dim view of consumer-generated content”
Anyone ever use online apartment-review type sites? In my experience, the only people who end up bothering to post information are managers posing as residents. All rave reviews, naturally. Then, because half the info on there is fake, no real residents end up using it and the thing dies.
I am tired of social networks! I am tired of reading about them!
How about a social network for people living in the same house
Considering the isolation and segmentation of our society today, I’m not surprised to see something as this for “building community within a community.”
Some might think it’s silly, though it has potential.
I’m not a big fan of online social networks (or this “web 2.0″ hype in general) because I’m not interested in “socializing” with people that I’ll never meet in person. But this idea is a lot more appealing to me, since these are people that I probably *will* see from time to time.
And there are practical reasons for wanting to sign up as well: Where should I go for good Thai food? What’s the best dry cleaning service? When do the buses run?
It could also bring small, locally-run businesses into the online advertising world. This sounds like a very smart idea that has a lot of potential.
Chris etc - no one will buy an appliance for a building. Some free advice before you start your new venture.
Why:
1. In a group situation consisting of relative strangers, it is really hard for people to chip in money for a nice-to-have.
2. The building/property managers aren’t going to spend money up front to buy your appliance, maintain it, set up the site etc - they don’t love technology, and use it when it is essential and contributes directly to the bottom line.
The only way this has a chance is via a free hosted service with enough compelling features to build critical mass. Discussion boards, events, reasons to make contact and flirt, repair contact form etc, promotions, open houses etc.
Why should this just be for A building?
Why cannot this be used for/by A sub division - to discuss plumbers, operating lawn mowers on saturday morning, baby sitting requests, neighbors dogs pooping on lawns of others etc….My 2 cents worth…
This platform sucks. Its installed at my condo and they are sending you email sheit all day. Plus, in New York no one even wants to know their neighbors let alone link to them. I see a couple with kids down the hall, and even though they knows I have kids they quickly scurry like rats into their apartment when they see that I open my door.
Look. If anyone in my building has time to do this they either scare me, are preditors, perverts, or voyers. None of whom I want to chat with, send emails to, or organize social events with,
Hey Lajos, I’m also tired of social networks… like many others. Join us on FaceBook, we are a community sharing this very interest.
This concept has been around for a while.
See http://www.meettheneighbors.org/
Deadpool.
People live in apartment buildings so that they can ignore their neighbors.