About a year ago, I discovered an iPhone application in the iTunes App Store called “Idea Generator“. I haven’t bought the app, but it’s concept seems pretty cool.

I want to explore using this methodology in my own creative thinking – if only just for fun.

The way the application works is that it will randomly shuffle three columns of words. The words available in the left column are different than the words available in the middle column are different than the words available in the right column. Once the word in each column is randomly selected, they are put together to form a 3-word phrase. The example given on the app’s preview images is:

automatic | tubular | toy

Once you have that abstract phrase, you can let yourself run down a road of imagination because your brain is working with a new concept altogether.

Looking through the pattern of this app, there are two key things that make it work:

1. The words must come out in a left-to-right order. Meaning, the placement of all the words is not random, just the words in each column.
2. It looks like the words in the left and middle columns are all adjectives (including participles).
3. The words available in the third column are all nouns.

Experimenting

Humans think in and through words. We are language-crazy. To discover a new concept, we need to have new words, or new word orders. That’s why education is largely about developing a vocabulary, and expertise is largely based on knowing the jargon (only to then gain wisdom when you can describe concepts simply).

What I would like to do is put hundreds of words in hats. One hat would be nouns. Another would be adjectives. Another would be adverbs. Etc. Then, by picking out words from hats, we could construct any new concept following any phrase order. We could also play with the structure of these phrases. Something like “adjective-noun-verb-adverb” could be used with as much gusto as “adjective-adjective-noun”.

Of course, software makes this easier. If someone were to develop thematic sets of words that you could add or remove from the mix of options, that would add some scope to our possibilities.

Regardless, the take away is this: when stuck for ideas, let’s rearrange our language to spur us on.

We’ve been learning and experimenting (ok, playing) with Foursquare recently.

What’s Foursquare?

Basically, every time you go somewhere – your favorite restaurant, coffee shop, office, gym, appointment (anywhere that’s a destination) – you “check in” as being there. Typically, this works best with a GPS-enabled mobile device like an iPhone.

For instance, last night a friend, my wife, and I go out to dinner at Holy Frijoles, a Mexican restaurant in Hampden, Baltimore. When we get there, I launch Foursquare on my iPhone, it locates my position, and gives some probable options for where I am. I check in at Holy Frijoles, and voilà, the world knows where I am:

“I’m at Holy Frijoles (908 W 36th St, @ Elm Ave, Baltimore). http://bit.ly/3QuNYy“

Of course, my friends on Foursquare get notified about this (often through a text message, if they have that feature turned on). But my Foursquare updates are linked to my Twitter account. My Twitter updates are linked to my Facebook account. Soon, and through a one-click process, I’ve told my entire circle of influence where I am.

Great… another tool for over-sharing, right? Not so fast…

What happens if I went to Holy Frijoles every week? What happens if I went there so often that Foursquare claimed that I was the “Mayor” of Holy Frijoles? What happens if someone else wanted to chase that crown and started eating there more? What happens if I was proud of my position and started eating there even more to keep my title?

What happens if there was an incentive for the Mayor of Holy Frijoles? You’d be surprized what I’d do for a free margarita.

Meanwhile, everytime we’re “checking in” at Holy Frijoles, we’re personally vouching for that brand visibly through our entire networks on Foursqure, Twitter, and Facebook. Talk about word-of-mouth advertising (the free kind). Wow!

But what’s this whole business about being a “Mayor”? Basically, Foursquare keeps track of what you do, when you do it, etc. There are different point values you earn by doing certain tasks. For instance, if you go to a gym enough times in a month, you earn the badge “Gym Rat”. If you go to you gym enough, you’ll soon be the Mayor of the gym. For more information on this points system, Mayors, and badges, check out Foursquare’s web site.

Foursquare is a developing platform. The number of titles and badges available to earn is certain to grow. It’s a game. But it can be played (and won) by anyone – including your customers.

Now the question is, how is your organization going to become a prize?

Wordswell can help you coordinate a plan Foursquare for your business as part of a larger social media strategy. Drop us a line any time.

A friend just bought an iPod touch and asked me for suggestions on “essential apps”. I’ll copy and paste my email to him here for your enjoyment and info.

If you need help getting your Apple hardware (macs, iPhones) up and running – and working for YOU – let me know.

hmm… Something for twitter. Tweetie is most popular. I LOVE Twittelator Pro.

Google

Some RSS reader if you read blog/content fees. NetNewsWire is great – it syncs with your desktop to know what has/has not been read already.

Wall Street Journal has good news in their “what’s news” and “editors picks” sections. The rest of the standard crap I just go to cnn.com through mobile safari.

Facebook app is great.

Sportacular (my favorite) or SportsTap (Lisa’s) for scores, standings.

Trapster for on-the-fly speed trap warnings.

HUGE ONE+++++: Easy Wi-Fi for logining into WiFi at Starbucks without having to enter UN/PW in web browser.

There are some good free/cheap workout programs

Radio stuff:
Speakers (plays your computer iTunes through your iPod touch – which I guess you could wire to a stereo in another room)
Pandora
AOL radio
IHeartRadio

Flickster for movies.

Wi-Fi Finder for knowing what Wi-Fi is around.

Banner (Free) for projecting a message across a crowded room.

ICanHasCheezburger for a good laugh (LOL Cats, Fail, etc.).

The Weather Channel (live radar, etc.).

Skype

Some file-sharing program. I haven’t used these yet, but I hear Air Sharing is good. There’s also box.net, Briefcase Lite, Files Lite, and many others…

The only apps on here that aren’t free are the Twitter ones (and maybe Air Sharing).

Hope that helps.
brody