MattSnodBlog

Have you heard about PlanCast yet? If not, you probably will, especially after this year's SXSW conference. Just as Twitterwas the "what's happening at SXSW" in 2009, this year, many of the official and unofficial activities are being planned (and broadcasted) via PlanCast.

I think this really has a chance to take off -- not as aggressively as Twitter -- because of its simplicity. Everyone seems to ask, "What's the next Twitter?" Always remember that Twitter became so popular because it's so darn simple. In 140 characters, type something ... that's it. PlanCast has a similar model with some add-ons.

First, it asks just three simple questions: What? When? and Where? By themselves, those are indeed quite basic, but when you type in your answers, PlanCast goes to work by figuring out what you're doing and then later showing else who else is doing the same thing. The "where" calls to Google's mapping API to assign it to an actual place. And the "when" puts your answer in a calendar format. It even works if you type in "tomorrow." You can then have PlanCast post your plans to your Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Mind you, this (and other location-based services) does bring up the issue of online privacy and safety, but I'll be discussing that in my next post. Stay tuned.

Here's my PlanCast.