Tag the World!
FringeHog is working on a project called “Tag the World,” and you can participate! This is a wonderful way to get people thinking about the future of multiple domains and the emergence of global trends, relating the concepts through pictures instead of words only. A description of the project from the latest World Future Society newsletter…
“FringeHog has launched an innovative project to create a global interactive map of trends and emerging issues impacting the future. FringeHog Tags the World is a social media project to create a comprehensive interactive database of photographs and images that illustrate emerging ideas about the future. Now through June 15, WFS members are invited to participate in the project by submitting digital photographs that represent a nascent trend or emerging issue. Using social bookmarking technology, the theme and location of each photograph will be geo-tagged and displayed on a Web-based global map. The resulting map will be a “visual database” representing the collective wisdom of the WFS community that will be released and discussed at a session, “Virtual Worlds, Real Opportunities,” during the WFS annual conference in July 2007.”
The Fringe Hog website says:
“Welcome to FringeHog Tags the World – a global conversation about the trends and ideas that will change your world. Set your sights on the people, places, things and activities that hint at what the future might look like in 10, 20 or even 50 years. Then snap a photo and email it, along with a title and brief description, to future (at) fringehog (dot) com…
FringeHog Tags the World is a collaborative media project designed to build a comprehensive interactive database of photographs and images that illustrate emerging ideas about the future. Using three of our favorite tools (social book-marking technology, user-generated content and the wisdom-of-crowds principle) we’re using the pictures to create a visual map of trends and emerging issues from around the world.”
So, not only is it a great project that has an incredible payoff for future thinkers (and those who should be thinking about the future!), but is also a “hands-on” strategic foresight activity that includes elements of genuis forecasting, Web 2.0 networking, systems thinking, environmental scanning, scenario building, integral recognition… well, I guess if I try hard enough, I could connect even more foresight techniques that may be pushing the boundaries of the project, at best. But you get the idea.
It’s easy to participate, and your photo may be included in the WFS presentation and a published book highlighting the project this July. C’mon, show everyone what the future is whispering in your ear!
