If you found a camera memory card, would you be tempted to pick it up, pop it in your computer and see what comes up? That’s the idea behind PhotoChaining.com, a website that encourages people to buy cheap memory cards, snap a few shots of themselves, then leave them (obviously protected in a small casing) in public places in the hope that someone will pick it up. The memory cards come with a URL leading them to PhotoChaining.com where they are asked to upload the images, then once the card is clear, to add some photos of their own, then leave it in a public place of choice.
A fabulous idea, so long as people don’t get greedy and keep the cards, that they don’t get ruined by the weather, or that they don’t get stepped on or run over.
Check out a few more trends about using the web for lost goods—including a site to help you find your lost digital camera.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Memory Card Treasure Hunting
- The rise of public photo treasure hunts that drive engagement through user-generated content (UGC) and location-based interactions.
- Photo Sharing Gamification
- A new way to interact with your surroundings by using gamification to expand the user experience with UGC through photo sharing.
- Web-based Lost and Found
- Leveraging the web, uploading user generated content and social sharing to make lost and found more accessible than ever before.
Where This Applies
- Technology
- The opportunity to develop innovative memory card technology and software that leverages photo sharing and gamification experiences.
- Marketing
- Using digital scavenger hunts and other location-based marketing techniques to effectively reach younger audiences in new and innovative ways.
- Tourism and Travel
- Integrating these gamification experiences into city tourism, creating memory card treasure hunts that enhance exploration of landmarks and destinations.
