If we make a Lotusphere Sessions db...

Yesterday I asked whether we still needed a downloadable Lotusphere Sessions db (for the eleventh year in a row).  As I guessed, the response via both twitter and the blog has been unanimous.  People want it, and some have even offered to contribute (although I don't think I'll go that route-any issues I have are not about the financial cost associated, but rather the time when I could be writing about space ships or trolls).

For all those who answered that you would like to see the sessions database, and that it still provides value, and for all those who nodded silently but didn't bother to chime, is there anything we could do to provide higher value?  Since the nuisance is usually in the preliminary data gathering and consolidation, adding either features or additional data is often not too difficult.

Would you like any automated gizmos to tweet your location (or update facebook or whatever your social networking vice-of-choice might be)?  This might be handy for business link-ups or nasty, immoral, illicit liasons, or just so you don't have to sit alone at lunch.

Would you like to see links to previous sessions posted by that speaker from earlier sessions databases?  Or in any way use information from the past ten databases that might help people?

Would you like to see a virtual product showcase of some sort?

Would you like a way to take pictures of people, tag them and send a link (from Flickr or wherever) to the sessions database so that photos of that person from Lotusphere would be accessible from the People view?

Any other ideas?

Granted, many of these would take some coding, but that is also where others can help.  If somebody adds a widget/button/whatever to tweet/facebook/whatever stuff, I'd be happy to add it in.  So, either chime in with your ideas or simply code something and share it with me.  If we are going to make this database again, we can make it ever more ours.

What has been said:

914.1. Keith Brooks (11/04/2010 03:45 PM)

Adding a biz card/profile pic from someplace would be helpful but you would need to find them all, which may not be in your favor as far as time.

914.2. Karl-Henry Martinsson (11/04/2010 04:22 PM)

Ideas:

* A way to flag sessions (for myself) with different priorities: "Must go", "Should go", "Go if I have the time" and "Maybe".

* A way to recommend/"Like" sessions, so others can see what sessions are popular or potentially interesting. Same as above but public.

* Rank sessions after they take place. Good for repeats.

* Comments on session.

Of course, several of those suggestions rely on users replicating the database regulary. But if Turtle Partnership build iPhoen and Blackberry applications, and someone (you?) host a web version of it as well, all the info can be shared quickly...

Some kind of location service would be nice. Since both iPhone and Blackberry got GPS, what about if you could share your location (latitude and longitude), it get translated into physical location (someone has to walk around and log different rooms/locations) and you can then follow people who have that setting turned on in their mobile version of the database.

When we talk about following, why not use the Twitter API to pull in who the user is following and check if they are close. Make Twitter and Facebook URL or name (optional) settings the user can set.

914.3. Chris Miller (11/04/2010 08:16 PM)

more speaker info/links is one thing. Another would be the link for FourSquare checkin for each meeting room.

We already have the entire space mapped out for another year of IdoCheckin. Now using Foursquare. All the rooms for Dolphin and Swan are done and Y&B is almost complete.

That would make it so easy from any mobile device with their API for each room specified. I walk i, check the database and also check in!

914.4. Ben Langhinrichs (11/04/2010 08:26 PM)

Chris - That sounds great. Since my knowledge of FourSquare extends to the game played with young children and not much beyond, could you help make a button that would make that happen?