|
Z
o o g y - M E
<
Zoogy-ME mainly consists in an Instant Messaging application where LSE
students can visualize who
else
is
currently connected in the LSE network, depending on the preferences they
have chosen. The
Zoogy-ME
website is only accessible to LSE students but not specifically within
the campus; on the
website
students can specify their interests and define a personal profile that
others can access. When
on
Campus, students can see who better matches their profile, and who is
up for going out and chatting.
Users
can in fact select their mood (happy, normal, sad) and state (up 4 sumthin',
want 2 chat, have 2
study,
discrete). The decision was provided for users with many preferences,
in such cases, a view of
user
statuses combined with a % similarity rating might better enhance interaction.
Another
feature that the Instant Message application provides is the ability to
send zOOgies, asynchronous
messages with a configurable lifetime that can be sent to a user or group
of users. Although the zOOgy
was
designed to provide non-intrusive communication between users, we feel
that this one feature is the
least
deterministic of all. The maximum lifetime of a zOOgy is seven days, and
primarily provides an
opportunity
for users to view what was sent to them. It also enhances group interaction,
and acts as a
channel
for the virtually timid.
The
zChat is a mini-chat session designed to support multiple-user discussions.
It is designed so that users
can
be invited by a simple drag and drop function. It is designed to avoid
the hassle of multiple IM sessions,
which
can be difficult to coordinate and manage, the hope is that this feature
will also enhance group interaction. >
|