1. Instant mobile communities
Quick to deploy and easy to manage communities for pleasure and profit

2. We all have our toolsets

3. Some more complex than others

4. But there is a great leveller

5. Problem Not many smartphones for good browsing
Not many mobile specialized web presences
Slow data rates are very limiting

6. Solution Offload most of the hard work to the server side.
Use YQL and other services to really provide rich services with very little work/coding
Allow custom YQL queries and service lookups through a simple text based interface
All run off simple XMPP client to avoid data costs

7. On the server Provides an open API by default Free Software
Optimized for bandwidth
Easy to install
Provides YQL and XMPP out of the box
With the “tribe” module creates mobile social networks and groups via text based interface

8. Chisimba tribes
Example site at (personal test site)
Has a web interface as well as mobile interfaces
Very rich user experience with Chisimba filters; e.g. [YOUTUBE] filter can be used to pull in video via text message
Adapted as a productivity tool, education tool, groupware, social network...etc

9. YQL Used to search against multiple search engines simultaneously
Update from Flickr
Perform simple geocoding from text based location strings
Announced yesterday that Y! Mail data tables are now available, now a business productivity tool
Almost infinitely hackable with custom data tables

10. What else does it provide?
Wikipedia content:
“Wikipedia: Chisimba” sent from a mobile phone will return the wikipedia text for the Chisimba page
Dictionary lookups
Provided by dict.org
Simple REST API
“dict: monkey” will return a dictionary definition for the word monkey
requests = the price of a single text message (SMS)

11. Extensible Easily hackable
Add more features in a pluggable architecture
Super simple PHP code
REST or SOAP based calls easy to do in 3 lines of code or less
Huge potential

12. Client side Simple XMPP client for any MIDP 2.0 (Java capable) phone
Includes most, if not all, phone models in the wild
Free Software
Easily customizable (branding etc)
Uses GPRS as a minimum which is ubiquitous m/

13. Commercial clients Huge network of over 12 million users
Has a marketplace
Uses standard XMPP stanzas so completely compatible
Free to download and use
Makes money off of value add services
Works off most handsets

14. So how does it work? Download and install necessary mobile software
Connect to a single Jabber/XMPP contact (e.g.
Install Chisimba and tribe module
Start interacting with groups, individuals or web services

15. Enabling microenterprise
Street vendor
Downloads and installs client
Uses phone to take a picture of goods
Uploads picture via MMS/
Posts XMPP message to his/her group

16. The eCommerce side
Clients can select goods to purchase by text message “buy item00861”
Premium rate text message (SMS) to pay for goods
Goes to escrow account
Vendors paid by collection agents (lack of bank accounts)
Goods picked up and delivered
Courier costs lowered by bulk

17. Who makes money? Short answer: almost everyone
Vendors have access to millions of new customers worldwide
Delivery and pickup entrepreneurs can start businesses
Web site owners get interest of escrow accounts/charge handling fees
Customers have access to new markets and cool new stuff that would ordinarily have been out of reach

18. Image Credits
Tools in Jean pocket: n/photostream/
Wooden Mallet ostream/
Stop sign hotostream/
Chisimba images from
Lampiro from
Open sign
Street vendor html
Ecommerce logo
Lego Money: Gaetan Lee on Flickr

19. Thank you pscott@uwc.ac.za http://www.chisimba.com
@paulscott56
Any questions?