Trepia is interesting and different from other popular IM such as AIM or MSN, in which it provides virtual face-to-face conversation with the buddies' pictures on the screen.
In terms of the fact that "personal contact and trust are intimately related" and "face time" is "an essential element in building trust with groups", Trepia may facilitate mutual trust and knowledge exchange via IM.
It will be also interesting to test Trust of IM byTrepia and to figure out the difference between Trepia and BuddyZoo.
Trepia and BuddyZoo seem to have somewhat similar intention, in light of showing the user a list of people who are currently in his or her area -- people who the user most likely didn't know before.
The Same Function to Cell
"Trepia tracks the movement of people through access points, and then notifies you of other users who are in your area".
With the cells, Korean housewives can track their husbands' location and vice versa. Usually, when husbands come back home late, womens would call to their men's cells.
As soon as the cells ring, womens can find out where their husbands are hanging around. If it is still his office, it will be O.K.,but if it is a bar or somewhere wierd, he will get naged with suspicous eyes by his wife on the full screen.
Posted by judith at April 19, 2003 10:05 PM