A friend of mine was at a conference for a software app earlier this month (doesn’t really matter which one) where the company announced the next feature slated for integration was a kind of auto detect feature for contacts in their database. It would work by scanning known services such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for a name that existed and populate their software with all of the information available about that person.
So, say a company had ‘Finn McMissle, Store Manager residing at 555 MyStreet, Toronto Ontario’ in their database. The app would intelligently poll other sites for contacts named ‘Finn McMissile’ and provide the company with a list of potential matches. An employee for the company could confirm which profiles apply and now they would have a constant feed of information in their database about Mr. McMissile from their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. They will know what you like to do, who you interact with, where your kids have hockey practice etc.
Scary huh?
Yes, I know all of this information is already out there, but when I think about the implications of one person or company having all that information available in one place at one time, and being able to change their relationship with me based on what they see about me in any given moment it really gives me the creeps.
Think about the implication, you tweet one day that you hate company X. A year later, you apply for a job with company X and once they add you to their database they see where you ate dinner last night, do a quick search and see that you hated them last year and you’re done. Or, you suddenly stop getting invited to PTA meetings because the school board database was accessed by the chairman of the board and he knew you were on a bender 3 nights earlier. Or even worse, you post in Facebook that you and the family are headed to the circus, and that shady lawn maintenance guy that won’t stop calling shows up there ‘coincidentally.’
I guess what I’m trying to do is remind you that EVERYTHING you say and do online could eventually be in the public domain (if it isn’t already). Remember - just because its private now doesn’t mean it always will be. Facebook is a prime example of this. Their newest features are expected to open up more information about you to external applications – and this includes things you’ve posted in the past. Pictures long forgotten will resurface, status updates about how much you love your ex-boyfriend will potentially be visible to your new husband.
Our addiction with all things social is driving technology forward so quickly we aren’t pausing to consider the implications of what we say or do online. Security settings that lock down what people see about you at this moment might not mean anything in the future.
So, think before you post, and don’t forget to tell your kids to do the same
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What if you could make cleaning up a game and reward your kids for doing their chores without resorting to cash based allowance?
I’ve talked before about apps and technology trying to turn the mundane into fun for the kids. HighScore House is a Canadian website that makes things fun by allowing parents to give points to their kids as a reward for doing their daily chores.
HOW IT WORKS
Parents log into the website and enter all of their child's daily chores, focusing on the ones that are especially painful to get them to comply with – like making the bed is at our house. Once all the tasks are entered, you can assign a point value to the tasks.
At the end of the day, your child can log in to the site and mark off all of the tasks that they have completed which adds to their point bank. The interface is fresh and funky, and definitely has a ‘fun’ appeal to it.
REWARDS FOR CLEANING UP
After the kids have logged their points, you as the parent log in and confirm that they were actually done. You can also award points for ‘Extras’ that you may not require to be done every day like reading a book, or putting away laundry.
The beauty in this system is that once the kids have enough points, they can redeem them for rewards like picking what they want for dinner (10 points) or staying up an extra 15 minutes past bedtime (20 points). Because the rewards are defined by you, you are also giving your children a fun way to learn how to work for long term goals.
From some of the reviews I’ve been reading, the site is really helping some parents get their kids excited about doing their daily chores. The Geekling (5 years old) wasn’t as thrilled about it, but I can see this working really well for the 7-11 group. Heck, if we geared it to the proper rewards I might start using it for myself ;)
If you want to try HighScore House for your family, enter the invite code yummy to get access and start using it.
Let me know what you think! Does this kind of reward system work for your family? What other strategies do you use for chores?
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US telecom giant AT&T has launched Drive Mode for BlackBerry. A free app that will auto-reply to people when they text you, leaving your hands and brain free to concentrate on driving.
The app works like this. You set up your auto reply message. When you get in the car you turn the app on. Your screen becomes locked, and if I text you, I get an automatic reply text like "Hey, I'm driving. Chat later." This way I know you're driving, and you aren't monitoring your text inbox. The app also locks your BlackBerry screen, but not to worry, configurable emergency contact numbers are still available with easy to use buttons. That is why we let our teenagers have a smart phone in the car in the first place, right?
Comparable products are available out there, but they all come at a cost. I'm thrilled that AT&T has the safety of its clients in mind and is offering the software for free.
The app is currently only available to AT&T BlackBerry subscribers, but they do have versions for other smart phones slated for future release. (I have contacted Rogers here in Canada to see if they would be making the product available to their customers, and have yet to get a reply. Once I hear back I'll let you know right here!)
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