-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 1
FAQ
How is Vicini different from "social networks"?
How does Vicini protect my privacy?
What do you mean, by "speaking radius" and "listening radius"?
What should I say with Vicini?
What should I listen for with Vicini?
Vicini's core structure is focused on the verifiable physical location where you live. We're using online tools to facilitate the same communication you could have if you wanted to walk door to door around your neighborhood. Our communication tools allow you to adjust how loudly you want to speak and how carefully you want to listen. back to top
Vicini's communication controls let you clearly see how far you electronic voice will carry. You set the range of your speech by creating a clear, mapped boundary representing the neighbors who can see your messages. You and your neighbors set their boundaries representing who you want to listen to. For each topic that interests you, you set the scope of your "speaking" and "listening" maps. For example, you might ask your neighbors within 100 yards whether you can borrow a really tall ladder. But you wouldn't get in the car and drive a few miles, knock on doors, and ask about borrowing a ladder. With Vicini, you can send a message to listeners withing 100 yards, but no further. Similarly, if a new neighbor knocked on our door and said they were looking for a lost cat, you would probably be more willing to help look than if it were a complete stranger. Vicini lets you listen only for messages from neighbors with verified addresses. back to top
Your neighborhood probably contains many types of people: New neighbors, retired folks, families with kids, empty nesters, shut-ins, singles, block leaders, and non-native speakers. Each type has skills to offer and needs to be met. Vicini allows them all to voluntarily connect, on their own terms, and work together to make your neighborhood a better place for everyone. back to top
Because Vicini operates ONLY with people who have verified physical addresses, you can be sure that all of your communication is only with your neighbors. Since you choose what to say, who you are saying it to, and what you are listening for, the privacy and integrity of your communication is firmly under your control. back to top
Imagine you're in a piano bar/restaurant with a group of friends. When you whisper to your date that the piano player isn't so good, your "speaking radius" only includes your date, inches away. His listening radius is also very close. Your discretion about the piano player reflects your comfort level with sharing opinions beyond your date. When your friend across the table suggest ordering another pitcher, his "speaking radius" is the whole table. When you signal the waiter, your "speaking radius" is the whole room. When you ignore the couple fighting at the next table, your "listening radius" shrinks. Vicini allows you to use real world maps to define the "speaking radius" for messages like "Can I borrow a ladder?" It also allows you to define your "listening radius" for messages like "Has anyone seen my cat?" You wouldn't ask the whole restaurant who wants to order another pitcher, nor would you ask the whole city whether you can borrow a ladder. Well, you might ask, but who would want to listen to so many messages from strangers? That's why you can define a "listening radius" that lets you filter out lost cat messages from miles away. back to top
When neighbors talk, they don't discuss sensitive religious and/or political topics unless they are very comfortable with each other. Vicini allows you to use "channels" to direct your communication to specific areas and away from others. When used in conjunction with a "listening radius" and "speaking radius", channels let you direct your message only to people who want to hear it. The initial channels are:
- Alert
- Crime
- Events
- Family
- Garden
- Other
- Pets
- Sharing
- Tools
What do you want and/or need to say to your neighbors? If your neighbors want to know about your vacation, they're probably Facebook friends. If they want to know your every thought, they follow you on Twitter. Vicini is for focused, local communication between neighbors. Some typical messages might include:
- Why were the cops at the hardware store?
- Have you seen my lost cat?
- Elderly David's sidewalk hasn't been shoveled. Is he OK? Has anyone seen him lately?
- We're having a yard sale on Saturday. Can we borrow a big table?
- Is that blue Toyota abandoned? Should we report it to the city?
- Marie's nephew is visiting from Tulsa. Anybody have a bicycle he can borrow?
- Street cleaning this Wednesday. No parking from 8:00AM - 11:00AM.
- Does anybody know a reliable baby sitter for this Friday?
- I found a set of keys in front of 3422.
- Anyone want to help me fix the horseshoe pit at Painter Park?
Vicini is built around the idea of "channels" that you can listen to. Your neighborhood probably already has informal channels that are used to communicate crime alerts and city news. Most Vicini users will want to subscribe to the crime and alert channels. Other channels are optional and depend on your ability and willingness to receive messages. If you like pets and don't mind helping their owners, subscribe to the pets channel. If you have tools and/or muscle and don't mind using them to help your neighbors, subscribe to the tools channel. In all cases, the sender of messages won't know whether you received their message, so you can choose when to pitch in. At its core, Vicini lets you listen for ways to be a better neighbor and help strengthen your community. back to top