Social Media Apps: What Goes Around...

Today I learned about a new mobile application called ParkShark.

ParkShark is a "parking space sharing app." Users share their current parking locations, as well as what time they plan to leave the parking spot, and other information such as a photo of their car, a photo of the spot, whether the spot is paid or free, etc. The app then displays those soon-to-be-available parking spots for other nearby users to see, reducing the time they spend fruitlessly circling the area in search of a parking spot.

The goal of this app is to reduce the amount of time, energy, frustration, and gasoline spent by users as they search for parking spaces. In turn, this reduces pollution and congestion, making a happier driving experience for everyone.

Of course, the concept of finding a parking space faster only works if users are first willing to help others by sharing their parking information as much as possible. As more parking-space-occupants share their locations and departure times, more parking-space-seekers can happily find a spot.

To facilitate this sharing process, the ParkShark app uses a rating algorithm to determine which users are good sharers (they share spots on time, and rarely cancel or leave earlier or later than they said they would) and which are not. The app rewards good sharers by telling them about soon-to-be-available spots first, before it displays those same spots to other users.

One Creativity Online commentator calls this, "parking karma in an app." While I don't believe in all the nuances of "karma," per se, I will agree that this app demonstrates a similar principle from Christianity: people reap what they sow.

This principle of sowing and reaping (or, "what goes around, comes around") is the basis for a healthy society. As each of us individually treats others with respect, kindness, generosity, friendliness, compassion, and goodwill, we improve society, making life better for ourselves and for those around us.

In a world where many places have lost this neighborly feel, social media tools can often enable people to rebuild a sense of community - of sharing life together, for their own sake and for the sake of those around them. ParkShark does this by creating "a community of cooperating parking citizens who work for the betterment of everyone's parking experiences."

Other apps like UrbanSpoon and Yelp enable people to share advice that is based on their experiences at various restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. Loopt enables users to see which of their friends are in the same geographic vicinity. Pandora enables listeners to share their custom radio stations with their friends. And social networks like Facebook and Twitter simply allow people to stay in contact with one another.

This idea of rebuilding community is what makes social media tools so successful. And rebuilding community is something that all of us should strive for - as marketers, as businesspeople, as coworkers, as neighbors, as friends and family, and as people.

(Note: It seems that the ParkShark app is currently available only on the iPhone and iPod touch. For the sake of drivers everywhere, I hope that it becomes available on other devices soon!)