USF event: talk by marc smith, senior research sociologist, microsoft research

while in seattle, i spent some time over the years getting to know marc smith and his many, many ideas. tomorrow, from 12:20 - 1:20 in harney 235, he'll be speaking at USF.

Pictures of Traces of Places, People, and Groups: Recent Work from the Microsoft Research Community Technologies Group

Abstract: The Microsoft Research Community Technologies group focuses on the study and enhancement of computer mediated collective action systems. In this talk I will present recent developments in projects that highlight and attempt to enhance computer mediated collective action: Netscan, SNARF and AURA.

Netscan is a set of tools and services for online communities. Netscan manufactures "social accounting metadata" about Usenet newsgroups and web boards.

SNARF applies the concepts explored in the Netscan project to personal collections of email. SNARF provides tools to implement "social sorting."

AURA is a platform for Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and mobile PCs that have various kinds of sensors such as barcode readers, cameras, WiFi detectors, RFID tag readers, and GPS. Using AURA, users can scan the barcodes on everyday objects in the home, office, or store and gain access to related information and services such as competitive pricing and product reviews.

this talk is co-sponsored by the departments of computer science and media studies.

update: a few pics!



(marc and USF professor benjamin wells)