Mobile Social Technology & Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG) Bob Hitching Director of Technology, Xumii 22 April 2009 Twitter: @hitching A presentation to the Australian Film Television and Radio School

Story or technology? The story comes first However, “ the medium is the message ” New stories become possible using new media So let’s look at some mobile social technologies that will enable new forms of narrative My objective today: convince you that some of your time should be invested in keeping an eye on emerging mobile social technologies Then: m y personal journey into an ARG Why I have been sending pictures of sheep to strangers in Paris using Twitter

The story comes first

However, “ the medium is the message ”

New stories become possible using new media

So let’s look at some mobile social technologies that will enable new forms of narrative

My objective today: convince you that some of your time should be invested in keeping an eye on emerging mobile social technologies

Then: m y personal journey into an ARG

Why I have been sending pictures of sheep to strangers in Paris using Twitter

Twitter - http://twitter.com Twitter is the simplest way for anyone to publish stuff A Tweet is a 140 character update via SMS originally, then web, IM, email, iPhone Other users follow your tweets if they value your content. Tweets get published out to followers in real-time (originally by SMS) The hockey stick surprise is that many people are now sourcing lots of their information in this way Old media is struggling to keep up. E.g. Susan Boyle, Ashton Kutcher, Oprah.

Twitter is the simplest way for anyone to publish stuff

A Tweet is a 140 character update via SMS originally, then web, IM, email, iPhone

Other users follow your tweets if they value your content. Tweets get published out to followers in real-time (originally by SMS)

The hockey stick surprise is that many people are now sourcing lots of their information in this way

Old media is struggling to keep up. E.g. Susan Boyle, Ashton Kutcher, Oprah.

Truth or Fiction? Big challenge for old media Big opportunity for ARGs? There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy. Steve Jobs was rushed to ER after severe heart attack

Big challenge for old media

Big opportunity for ARGs?

Twittervision One example of a real-time publishing medium Adds geography, but lacks any narrative threading

One example of a real-time publishing medium

Adds geography, but lacks any narrative threading

twitpic Adds pictures & credibility to Twitter Mostly mobile Extract GPS position from EXIF data 450k views of Hudson River plane crash

Adds pictures & credibility to Twitter

Mostly mobile

Extract GPS position from EXIF data

450k views of Hudson River plane crash

iPhone accelerometer Adds roll, pitch and yaw

Adds roll, pitch and yaw

Photosynth 2007: a Microsoft Labs demo that many thought was smoke and mirrors 2008: it actually works

2007: a Microsoft Labs demo that many thought was smoke and mirrors

2008: it actually works

Google Latitude Adds user location Adds lots of privacy issues and controls

Adds user location

Adds lots of privacy issues and controls

Xumii - mobile social networking platform Plugs you into all your social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live, Google Talk, Yahoo Chat, more soon) … and lets you real-time chat and share stuff (photos, gifts, videos, more soon) with all your friends using your phone (Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorola, iPhone, Android, Blackberry)

Plugs you into all your social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live, Google Talk, Yahoo Chat, more soon)

… and lets you real-time chat and share stuff (photos, gifts, videos, more soon) with all your friends using your phone (Nokia, SonyEricsson, Motorola, iPhone, Android, Blackberry)

Video - 12seconds.tv and Qik.com 12seconds.tv does what it says on the tin Qik.com is real-time mobile video streaming

12seconds.tv does what it says on the tin

Qik.com is real-time mobile video streaming

Video synth Synthesis of multiple user generated videos into a single coherent visual thread … probably coming sooner than you might think Remember the surprise of Google Earth, and Google Maps Street View?

Synthesis of multiple user generated videos into a single coherent visual thread

… probably coming sooner than you might think

Remember the surprise of Google Earth, and Google Maps Street View?

Checkpoint The medium is the message Keeping an eye on emerging mobile social technologies will allow us to create new forms of narrative Now, my personal experience with StarTrekARG The narrative is still surfacing as I write this slide My interpretation of characters and events is possibly totally wrong, and probably influenced by me writing this presentation I’m now addicted so don’t take the piss Let’s focus on h ow the technology has influenced the story so far

The medium is the message

Keeping an eye on emerging mobile social technologies will allow us to create new forms of narrative

Now, my personal experience with StarTrekARG

The narrative is still surfacing as I write this slide

My interpretation of characters and events is possibly totally wrong, and probably influenced by me writing this presentation

I’m now addicted so don’t take the piss

Let’s focus on h ow the technology has influenced the story so far

Star Trek Dance Party Photos posted on the internet

Photos posted on the internet

http://thecobrasnake.com Some photos have been airbrushed to include website addresses, e.g. 01001111.com

Some photos have been airbrushed to include website addresses, e.g. 01001111.com

http://01001111.com This website plays a flash movie of mostly static, but including some imagery from the upcoming movie and codes: Fe Ca Si Al which translate to more websites

This website plays a flash movie of mostly static, but including some imagery from the upcoming movie

and codes: Fe Ca Si Al which translate to more websites

Ca = http://0100001101100001.eu Variants of the flash movie, including an encrypted message which resolves to the IP address of another website …

Variants of the flash movie, including an encrypted message which resolves to the IP address of another website …

http://97.74.158.186/ This site (after a few days) displays a chat room conversation PHPChatUser2 mentions an intersection in Paris PHPChatUser1: テスト中、テスト中。誰かいる？僕が時間より早いのはわかってるんだけど、誰か応答もらえた？ ____PHPChatUser1 has disconnected____ PHPChatUser2: Carrefour de la Rue de la Fédération et Rue de Presles ____PHPChatUser2 has disconnected____

This site (after a few days) displays a chat room conversation

PHPChatUser2 mentions an intersection in Paris

http://bit.ly/2387-42 Someone called Malak0 posts on LePost.fr that he has found a strange device at that precise location Bob’s contribution: it’s all about Kronenbourg lager (my link got 1,200 clicks over 3 days)

Someone called Malak0 posts on LePost.fr that he has found a strange device at that precise location

Bob’s contribution: it’s all about Kronenbourg lager (my link got 1,200 clicks over 3 days)

http://lepost.fr Lost & Found Malak0 asks for the owner to email him to arrange the return of the device Emails reveal Malak0 could be playing the character of The Little Prince Bob’s contribution; according to the Twitter API, Malak0 has a Twitter account @MaLaK0 created at the same time, and is a student at Boston

Malak0 asks for the owner to email him to arrange the return of the device

Emails reveal Malak0 could be playing the character of The Little Prince

Bob’s contribution; according to the Twitter API, Malak0 has a Twitter account @MaLaK0 created at the same time, and is a student at Boston

Meanwhile, @ aliceforrest700 Character is Alice through the Looking Glass Twitter seeded with hashtag #StarTrekARG Bob’s contribution: if an ARG agency wanted to create some viral (and measurable) buzz around a movie in Q1’09, of course they’d use Twitter!

Character is Alice through the Looking Glass

Twitter seeded with hashtag #StarTrekARG

Bob’s contribution: if an ARG agency wanted to create some viral (and measurable) buzz around a movie in Q1’09, of course they’d use Twitter!

http://97.74.158.186/ updated @PHPChatUser5 is common Twitter syntax PHPChatUser1 … 5 are found to have Twitter accounts Talk of posting locations and time … real-time mobile geo social  PHPChatUser5: I’ll post locations as I find the key fields. I’ll need you to go them exactly when I say. … PHPChatUser5: Pictures are tough here, but we must start sending each other the access points - @PHPChatUser5 . Not sure yet how to get Ca’s – but the input site will soon be live for all our fixes, hopefully generates something that works.

@PHPChatUser5 is common Twitter syntax

PHPChatUser1 … 5 are found to have Twitter accounts

Talk of posting locations and time … real-time mobile geo social 

Some observations Truth of Fiction: is Malak0 in-game or OOG? Audience struggling with “old new media” forums for communication Signal / noise ratio is not good Setting up wikis Setting up live chats to talk faster Bob’s contribution: suggesting everyone move the conversation to Twitter Actually FriendFeed would be better but Twitter is a good first step into real-time social media

Truth of Fiction: is Malak0 in-game or OOG?

Audience struggling with “old new media” forums for communication

Signal / noise ratio is not good

Setting up wikis

Setting up live chats to talk faster

Bob’s contribution: suggesting everyone move the conversation to Twitter

Actually FriendFeed would be better but Twitter is a good first step into real-time social media

Game moves inside Twitter Game characters talking to each other on Twitter Profile image contains an image of Johann Christoph Bayer, plus a watermarked QR code which decodes to the message “APUS01:05” APUS is a constellation of stars discovered by Johann Bayer

Game characters talking to each other on Twitter

Profile image contains an image of Johann Christoph Bayer, plus a watermarked QR code which decodes to the message “APUS01:05”

APUS is a constellation of stars discovered by Johann Bayer

Audience moves inside Twitter Game characters talking with audience Massive viral distribution Measurable Potential for pictures, video, mobile, geo, etc. New forms of narrative?

Game characters talking with audience

Massive viral distribution

Measurable

Potential for pictures, video, mobile, geo, etc.

New forms of narrative?

[updated 22 April 8am] MaLaK0 posts a video of the device on YouTube The device has a QR code visible underneath…

The device has a QR code visible underneath…

Mobile Social Technology & Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG) Bob Hitching Director of Technology, Xumii 22 April 2009 Twitter: @hitching That’s all for today – any questions? Stay connected by following @hitching and #StarTrekARG