What two things do all urban drivers have? Antiacid pills to calm the nerves when cruising the blocks looking for parking, and a cell phone. A new iPhone app can't do anything about sour stomachs, but it can do something about parking. ParkShark lets people collaborate over parking rather than fight over it.
According to its promo copy, it makes the most sense for use in big urban areas with little onstreet parking and lots of residents who rely on it.
As the promo copy goes, the app puts people in real-time contact with each other who want to share a parking place (think of people working different shifts, for example). "Once you specify the time your spot will be available, it is visible to the other members who are searching for a spot."
Not only is it a social-networking app, it incorporates self-policing through user ratings a-la selling services such as eBay and Amazon. It displays "available spaces to those members with good ratings before displaying to other members. This encourages you to be a good ParkShark citizen and build a strong user rating. Good citizens are those that share and reserve in a reliable and consistent manner with infrequent cancellations."
This is some great new-media thinking: Working with and within already established daily routines and capabilities while directly addressing an already existing problem. Now if it only works...
