Last night, from 7:18 to 7:23 was MOB #4. This is a strange event that gathers a large crowd at a specific location, for no apparent reason, and then just as quickly disbands. This fourth version introduced one step of misdirection as the last MOB (#3) ran into some paranoia from law enforcement types. So rather than preannouce the location you had to gather first at one of three local bars where the final destination was revealed only moments before the event. Last night this turned out to be the shoe store Tootsie Plohound on Lafayette and Prince. Several hundred techno hipsters descended on the store, camera phones and other gadgets flashing, for the alloted five minutes, and then just as quickly disappeared (well, that's the idea at least, but people weren't actually as good about leaving promptly since everyone was having fun.) Store personal were perplexed, to say the least. The crowd spilled out into the street. Passerbys were scratching their heads trying to figure out what was going on. And of course, nothing was going on. "But what's the point?" someone asked me. "No point, it's just a MOB."
NY Post coverage.
The Mob Project is now a website: flocksmart. Looks interesting in a theoretical way but I'm skeptical it will amount to anything.
The cool thing is that they are not using the site to promote their own mobs, but are instead positioning it as a web service for others to create their own mobs. As a regular user you sign up, give your geographic region, and then when people organize a mob in your area you receive an email (or SMS) telling you about it.
Anyone, apparently, can organize a mob, although they are working to install some sort of reputation system so that - I assume - people who have organized successful events in the past get their message out more easily then unknown organizers.
Today, for instance, there are mobs in Dallas, Boston, and Rome. Tomorrow in Munich, Sydney, Berlin, and San Diego. So who knows, maybe it will amount to something...
http://www.wordspy.com/words/flashmob.asp
from cheesebikini.com (and The New York Times)
August 4, 2003
The first flash mobs took place nearly two months ago in New York — yet the first New York Times flash mob coverage appeared today, in the "Berlin Journal" portion of the International section. What were they thinking?
Anyway, the piece contains one of my favorite flash mob quotes:
Tobias von Schönebeck, a tour guide, shook his head when he heard about how the phenomenon was traced back to Macy's. "This is just the sort of thing that happens when you forbid New York to smoke."
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- jim 7-17-2003 6:47 pm
NY Post coverage.
- alex 7-21-2003 7:25 pm
The Mob Project is now a website: flocksmart. Looks interesting in a theoretical way but I'm skeptical it will amount to anything.
The cool thing is that they are not using the site to promote their own mobs, but are instead positioning it as a web service for others to create their own mobs. As a regular user you sign up, give your geographic region, and then when people organize a mob in your area you receive an email (or SMS) telling you about it.
Anyone, apparently, can organize a mob, although they are working to install some sort of reputation system so that - I assume - people who have organized successful events in the past get their message out more easily then unknown organizers.
Today, for instance, there are mobs in Dallas, Boston, and Rome. Tomorrow in Munich, Sydney, Berlin, and San Diego. So who knows, maybe it will amount to something...
- jim 7-31-2003 4:56 pm
http://www.wordspy.com/words/flashmob.asp
- anonymous (guest) 8-08-2003 1:18 am
from cheesebikini.com (and The New York Times)
August 4, 2003
The first flash mobs took place nearly two months ago in New York — yet the first New York Times flash mob coverage appeared today, in the "Berlin Journal" portion of the International section. What were they thinking?
Anyway, the piece contains one of my favorite flash mob quotes:
Tobias von Schönebeck, a tour guide, shook his head when he heard about how the phenomenon was traced back to Macy's. "This is just the sort of thing that happens when you forbid New York to smoke."
- anonymous (guest) 8-08-2003 1:30 am