citybot.organselm@hook.org

barter network

using twitter to build a ‘signalling network’

let people trade for things they want or have

let people see through walls

solve everyday problems for ordinary folks not just for geeks

citybot examples

#have extra carrots in my garden #free

#need volunteer help at a gallery now

#have bicycle for sale

#need pizza #organic now

what is twitter

popular - a critical mass of users

only single link networks! wtf?

no concept of groups

fails to follow the maxim 'the more similar to irc the more success'

owned by somebody; not federated

what is craigslist

true to its audience

minimalist

very very good; helped me find my dog for example; critical mass

slow turnaround

poor location features

citybot first steps

very early effort

just shows wants and haves

effectively adds ‘groups’ to twitter

maps peoples locations

citybot next?

lots of possible choices

active matchmaking is probably next

let people matchmake between other people

humans make better matchmakers than machines

hybrid approach; search and filter with some automated matchmaking

- trust filtering

citybot hopes

federated, open, free

support for privacy

promoted in some way

quietly enhances quality of life for folks

closing

at some level new ideas probably have to be heretical and transgressive

cash is expensive but has enforcability; what does it take to build alternative systems that have some of the same attributes as cash?

we’re pretty distant from the street today but a real economic collapse could happen. if you can’t feel it you can’t fix it?