Fans of Doctor Who may want every phone booth still in existence to function like a TARDIS, but it’s more likely that you can convert these them into a new tool for communication and engagement.

Many clamor that we’re in the midst of the true Digital Age and the future’s mobile. When approximately 77% of the world’s population own a mobile phone, it’s a great opportunity for someone to figure out exactly how to effectively reach people using mobile. That’s of course assuming that everyone is comfortable using mobile. Maybe part of the short term solution is to continue providing several options to those looking for the information.

I’m thinking part of that solution lies with old phone booths.

Many of the suggested new uses of these machines already out there don’t necessarily have much to do with their original function – a way to reach out and touch someone. The crazy thing is they could still fill this function – with a little imagination.

Riffing off of the digital newspaper box dreamed up a few years ago by The Birmingham News‘ Scott Walker, it probably wouldn’t be that hard to create a shatterproof screen that enables folks to check out current headlines and allow you to report issues to your local government, either directly or through a service like SeeClickFix. It would sit on the back “wall” of the enclosure. leaving space for those who may need to pay for a quick recharging of their phone or tablet. Those users who have WiFi enabled devices but don’t pay for 3G or 4G data service plans could also pay for the ability to download the latest news stories from local and national sources.

Many of these phone booths could also serve as housing for wireless routers, allowing for street-level access for those using laptops, tablets and smartphones a way to hop online for a moment.

There are other possibilities for them to play a complimentary role to other services. Those booths located near or at existing bus stops could be converted to provide additional information about where the bus was, when it would arrive and current weather conditions in different parts of the city. Some cities could turn them into interactive kiosks located near areas of heavy foot traffic.

For some reason I’ve had this stuff stuck in my head since returning from Hardly Strictly Young last month. I guess it only took a month to finally come up with a recommendation that seems plausible to implement. If a corporation were willing to partner, it would allow for a community to have unfettered access to information and have it reasonably available in digital format for all. It also turns the phone or media companies operating these units into good corporate citizens, helping increase the social value of the community.

Who doesn’t want that when it’s all said and done. Seems like the Doctor Who fans would get their wish in the end – an opportunity to travel through space and time available just down the block from them.

There are other options already out there – but the fight for their survival is a great topic for another post…

So what do you think? Any other suggestions? Could this even work?

Photo: Phone Booth Sunday. acnatta/Flickr

Branding campaigns are nothing new for newspapers – or any news organization for that matter. They’re as common (though not nearly as long-lasting) as their taglines.

I’ll probably find some way to dig up the money to pay for a monthly online subscription to The New York Times once the pay wall goes up because to me it’s still the place for “All The News That’s Fit to Print.” It’s also currently “where the conversation begins,” and for many, that’s exactly the case.

I still occasionally watch the long version of the 1998 in-house piece celebrating the oldest television station in the country , remembering that while the years may go by, there is always one constant. It’s a constant at least for those of us who’ve never known life without a television.

The Boston Globe decided a couple of years ago in the midst of rumors declaring their demise that they would remind folks that they were telling one “really good” story while highlighting what made them different and celebrating their primary focus – the people, places and things that make Boston unique. Some area bloggers felt compelled to help save the paper, recognizing its importance.

Our daily paper Birmingham, AL, The Birmingham News, recently launched a new branding campaign titled, “This Is Our Story.” The image up above is what those who drive past their physical headquarters downtown see every day. It seems to be meant to remind everyone that they are the newspaper of record.

It probably comes across a lot more confrontational than they intended.

It is a true statement though, especially if you look at their online product.

A scan of The Birmingham News‘ twitter stream shows the only profiles retweeted are those of its sister publications in the state.

This is compared to the stream for the Twitter account The Boston Globe maintains. While I was working on this post, they responded directly someone who made a suggestion about a story. Then there’s one of the accounts maintained by Boston.com, which includes retweets of community news site Universal Hub and stories shared by their reporters via their personal online accounts.

An example closer to home is the stream maintained by AL.com, which while not nearly as much as it once did, does engage with its virtual audience.

The story doesn’t end when the paper leaves the production facility. The city’s story is written every day while the individual stories in the paper continue to evolve as more and more is discovered and shared. It is in fact our story (one that all of us can claim), but for it to truly be viewed that way, it needs to be approached as a collaborative, embracing effort instead of one that looks like it isn’t.

A preliminary report completed for The Chicago Community Trust as part of a recent community news summit demonstrated that perhaps that network is a little more inclusive than legacy media tends to realize at times.

Legacy media’s spot in the pecking order of importance for daily sources of news is secure, especially if the organization in question is still serving its primary purpose. The bigger issue is figuring out just how to make it “our” story and not just their reporting.

Maybe the issue shouldn’t be one of reminding people you’re here, but offering chances to add to the story.

There are initiatives like the one that’s about to take place in Boston next month is a logical step in that process. Boston.com will be inviting individuals in for a one day hack challenge with the goal of producing tools that will help make the lives of those online citizens better.

A recent edition of #wjchat also looks at ways that people can become part of the process while still allowing the paper to serve its role as informer-in-chief.

What do you think? What other examples are out there – good, bad, neutral?

As some have already stated, pedestrians have become the attraction in the newest show on Broadway. It is much more of an Italian piazza now, only with asphalt tinted to look like sand in one location, beach chairs and a sea of humanity to look out onto. Actually, there are a few folks that would probably think of it as more of a trip to the beach – a crowded one at that.

The folks at the TKTS structure probably have the best view of the result actually – a chance for folks to finally get a closer look at the space around them. Visitors to Times Square can finally pay attention to the details of the entry to the Paramount Theatre or spend a little more time staring at the ticker without worrying (as much) about being bowled over by the masses. New Yorkers have been slowed down in a city where for many the stereotype’s been about rushing from one place to the next.

It’s important to recognize the fact that the project is being treated as though it’s a European square and not as a pedestrian mall, though there are some that will still try to see it that way. Pedestrian malls are seen by many as ways to move people through a space to get to and from stores and businesses, often with little activity going on outside. Piazzas can be the center of life for a community and what better place to have a piazza than at the Crossroads of the World (and yes, I know about the mall with that name out West). New York seems to have taken it one step further and turned it into an urban escape from the concrete jungle – one that gets lost on most people as they seem to be more concerned with the design of the permanent furniture than the transient nature of the crowds and the signage.

One of the things that I thought about as I looked across the mass gathering of people was just how this public project would affect the venue that had recently once again become a central gathering place for people – Bryant Park.

The spaces are quite different, especially when you think about what’s on display and how they’re to be viewed. For years, Times Square has symbolized the glitz and glamor of a city that never sleeps, both as a destination that embraced ill repute and family friendly activities as various points and time in its history. Bryant Park was also not necessarily a space that welcomed people, though it has now seen made-for-TV concerts, fashion shows and ice skating.

One could say that while New York’s newest urban space is based upon active engagement, Bryant Park is more about relaxation and escapism. The evening I visited recently, hundreds of residents were gathered to watch The Magnificent Seven . There were also chess games, ping-pong, laptops humming along and people just enjoying the outdoors – a warmer version of what I’d just seen in December when the ice skating rink was the featured attraction. People were being people – more relaxed and at ease as they waited for dusk and the start of their mental vacations.

I’m not quite sure I like one option more than the other. Which one makes sense to you? Or does either option even sound interesting?

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