Groundcrew offers features that non-profits, businesses, local communities, and individuals have been dreaming about.
This document will begin with a brief description of the user experience, followed by a comparison of Groundcrew with existing location/messaging services like Twitter, Broadtexter, and Brightkite. From there we will go into our feature set in slightly more detail, and describe our rollout process.
When you are ready for action, Groundcrew lets organizers see your immediate location and availability, and sends assignments directly to your phone. You get to be an agent, like James Bond, receiving live instructions whenever you like.
With Groundcrew, anyone with a dream can be an organizer. As you prove yourself
capable, you can address larger and larger squads, locally and globally. Participants
in these actions can enjoy a level of precision coordination and timing, individual
connection, and interactivity that is not possible with conventional volunteer
coordination technology like walkie-talkies.
As Groundcrew comes to be used in an area, we will be a powerful engine for local
economies, local engagement, and local fun.
Unlike existing networks based on short messaging (twitter, broadtexter, brightkite, etc), Groundcrew focuses on finding and coordinating like-minded strangers rather than friends. Groups form based on common beliefs, needs, and interests. Broad groups exist for those interested in good deeds, adventures, exchanges, and more.
Another differentiating factor is that Groundcrew aggregates information about members’ immediate availability for action, together with agents’ passions and dreams. This is opposed to other services (twitter, facebook) which work more generally with status updates and feeds.
Finally, Groundcrew is branded as a full-stack lifestyle, not just a service or platform. (see below)
Once again, the basic functionality of Groundcrew:
By integrating these functions, some of which have been available on other sites, we
offer more than just functionality: we offer organizations a powerful, ever-ready
physical community; we offer individuals a more active, exciting, engaged way of life.
Groundcrew provides a full-stack lifestyle. We’re everything you need to move your
life, at your own pace, from the old operating system of money and work, to the new
operating system of adventure, service, synchrony, and access.
Whereas Apple’s “digital lifestyle” gives you everything you need to consume and create
digital media, our mobile collaboration lifestyle gives you everything you need to
start working with other people, on the ground, in a new way.
Groundcrew makes it easier to coordinate anything, from bike messenger fleets to street theater to public games and marketing stunts. We will have both free community users and corporate customers.
We are buzzing. From newspapers (citizen journalism) to municipalities (town cleanups) to mobile game and marketing companies (coordinated public stunts), we are already being asked for quotes and contracts.
We aim to launch in Northampton within the next few months by staging a “Good Deeds Contest”, in which students from the colleges and townspeople compete in teams to do the most good deeds.
From there we aim to extend our services to community groups of all kinds who would like to
coordinate volunteers in real-time, and to artists planning large, publicity-generating coordinated stunts.
We will allow the Groundcrew brand to expand. Groundcrew means moment-to-moment adventure, community involvement and collaboration, and having other people organize your dreams.
1 think thepoint.com or pledgebank.org
2 like meetup.com
3 like twitter.com or broadtexter.com
4 think google maps and walkie-talkies