Back in February we reported that Buzzd, a Mobile Web social networking service used at bars, clubs and restaurants, had won a bunch of awards at the MobileMonday Peer Awards. We noted that Buzzd is a great example of how location-based services will be the killer app for the Mobile Web. Today Buzzd announced that their service is being white labeled for the music and arts festival Bonnaroo, in a feature labeled 'Bonnaroo Mobile'.
Festival goers with mobile phones will be able to keep in touch with their friends, sign up for alerts, access performance schedules for specific artists, 'buzz' people with showtimes, give real time reviews of the music, and report on what is happening across the venue.
Buzzd is one of an emerging breed of mobile apps, that basically enables real-time social networking using phones. Apart from powering Bonnaroo Mobile, Buzzd allows people to use their mobile phones to find an event near where they are, then buzz their friends to meet them there. It operates under the catchphrase: "Your city, in real time".
80,000 people are expected at Bonnaroo, and the festival features some awesome music artists - such as The Raconteurs, Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson and many more. According to Buzzd CEO Nihal Mehta, Buzzd at Bonnaroo will bring "user-generated real-time updates" to music festivals for the first time. Bonnaroo Mobile will be accessible through the Mobile Web browser of consumers' handsets, as well as SMS. It is a free service at Bonnaroo and the company says it will work "across all cellular carriers".
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is described on its website as "a four-day, multi-stage camping festival", being held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, on 12-15 June.
Other than Buzzd, there are a number of interesting Web-media things happening at Bonnaroo. Some examples: Bonnaroo Radio channel is a radio station for the festival, powered by Microsoft's Flash-like technology Silverlight; Nokia and film-maker Spike Lee are creating a "massively collaborative film", which will have a presence at Bonnaroo; FM Publishing (which provides adverts for ReadWriteWeb and other blogs), has created a "collective, crowdsourced media campfire of sorts" called CrowdFire.
Update: Social Media platform KickApps sent us a note to say that they are powering the online community and media management system for Bonnaroo.com.
Are any RWW readers going to Bonnaroo? If so please leave a comment telling us what you're looking forward to experiencing - especially if it's Web-based!
See also: The Future of Mobile Social Networks: 4 Promising Services
Comments
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I'm going to Bonnaroo, and although it's my first time, I think I can safely say that when you're in the middle of a farm, there's not going to be a lot of electrical outlets.
So, there's the problem. This Buzzd thing looks absolutely amazingly useful, but if I try to use the internet on my iPhone for 4 days, it'll end up losing its battery in 1.5 days. I really do believe that the one thing holding back a massive switch to a fully portable lifestyle is battery life. If only there were a real Tony Stark.
Posted by: Alex Klein | June 9, 2008 5:52 AM
You can actually charge your phone while you're at Bonnaroo. There is a charging station in the FUSE barn. Check it: http://www.bonnaroo.com/news/2008/05/30/fuse-barn.aspx
Posted by: Nigel | June 9, 2008 7:51 AM
I will be heading there in 2 days and look forward to trying it out. There will be plenty of trustafarians there with iphones.
Posted by: KeVroN | June 9, 2008 8:05 AM
has anyone actually used buzzd? it is incredibly buggy and flawed.
there's a disproportionate amount of hype behind this because everyone feels they need to talk about mobile social networking. but this product strikes me as something that is slapped together to sell off asap to some unwitting big media company that wants a "just add water" mobile solution.
the praise from the blogosphere (who tend to write before even testing out) is papering over the cracks of a supremely flawed product.
Posted by: ted | June 10, 2008 11:42 AM
I actually found Bonnaroo Mobile to be a really great tool at the festival. Having the schedule on my phone made it very easy (specially after my booklet was drenched from the thunderstorms). Plus, the fiasco surrounding Kanye's set time was broadcasted over the buzzd network so I was able to find out exactly when I should leave my camp site to walk to the main stage...I think buzzd did a good job.
Posted by: Steve | June 19, 2008 9:34 AM