Connecting at dConstruct

guest post by Matt Balara

I just got back from my first dConstruct, a yearly conference in Brighton, focussed this year on designing the social web. With speakers such as Steven Johnson, Joshua Porter, the Matts Biddulph & Jones and others, it was as interesting and informative as expected, but I’m not going to write a fat summary here since so many others have already done so admirably elsewhere.

A conference is the killer use environment for social networks, in fact I’d guess that nowhere do social nets experience higher spikes among people who are actually within 1km of each other than at geek-ins like dConstruct, Reboot, SXSW and the like. If you’re a data nerd maybe you can prove me right or wrong. Anyway, while wandering around (occasionally) sunny Brighton, talking and thinking about all this social stuff we’re all thinking about and building, I missed an experience from past conferences, and look forward to a new one in the future.

You’re Eating What?

To be honest, I never used Twitter’s SMS notifications much, in fact I’ve had them turned off for everything but direct messages for ages. But I’ve been in the habit of turning them on for a few people I want to catch up with before going to a conference. At something like dConstruct, where 700 geeks sit in a dark auditorium until lunch, then cram into the small foyer of the Brighton Dome briefly before dispersing to the four winds in search of grub, knowing who’s headed where is essential. Twitter turning off SMS notifications to some countries a few weeks ago left myself and others huddling in doorways like junkies, in search of a free wifi fix. We were mobile but strangely pinned in place.

As Tantek Çelik said in his talk, the second question at conferences like these after “Who are you?” is now “What’s your Twitter?” Finding friends, acquaintances and that guy you’ve always wanted to meet in a town swarming with geeks, no matter where you or they are, is what made Twitter magic.

Judging by the getsatisfaction thread the change has pissed off plenty of Twitter fans, and after dConstruct, I’m less than impressed myself. Bring the magic back Twitter. Tip: check out how many people said they’d be willing to pay for premium service.

See You There?

The Twitter debacle was somewhat minimised by Matt Biddulph and Matt Jones’ announcement of dopplr groups. Of course by the time they announced it, it wasn’t much use for dConstruct any more, but I look forward to the next chance to use it. The basic idea is dopplr users can join groups, which means you can for example see who’s coming to a conference, but also see where your co-workers are at, keep track of collective carbon emissions and who knows what else. At SXSW next year, I may not know who’s eating where or where the party’s moving to, but I’ll at least know who’s attending.

On stage, the Matts showed a group they set up for the BBC, and officially unveiled the dConstruct group, but after a little digging it feels like something that’s launched early and is begging to be expanded. Conspicuously missing is a way to find more groups, start your own group, and associate tips with a group. But knowing them, I’m sure they’re working on it already.