Monday, February 21, 2005

Location Aware Txt Alert Bookcrossing?

BookCrossing is oh so simple an idea that can be used to pass on a book (possibly) to someone who really wants to read it. Leave your book in a particular location, register it on the Bookcrossing site, and posssibly, possibly it will go to a good home.

The site supports alerts - so you can get an email if someone leaves a book in your area - but this is only useful if you have access to your email. It would be more convenient, perhapsm to get the alert to your mobile...

But who'd pay? There are plenty of sites on the web that allow you to buy some txt credit and then use it to send txts from the web, so if you trust Bookcrossing enough to allow it to send you txts via your account a solution presents itself. If you live in a popular Bookcrossing area, though, the txts may get expensive, so filters would be useful (e.g. to notify you of books on your booklist that have been left in your vicinity).

Two additional sorts of automation would also be possible

- using Amazon's similar items webservice, you can cast the net wider than your booklist, but still related to it;

- using location awareness (based on the location of your mobile) to set your current location preference on the Bookcrossing site.

A few projects there for a slow weekend, perhaps...

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