MyblockNYC: Map-based video sharing comes to NYC

Want to find out what kinds of antics your fellow New Yorkers are getting into in your neighborhood? MyblockNYC, which will be presented at the MoMA Talk to Me Exhibit, has your fix. Myblock is a map-based video sharing site to share your stories about your neighborhood.  I took a look at the site, which is still in beta phase and easily killed a few minutes exploring the memories on my block in the East Village. Unfortunately, the only video shared near me was of a very overweight construction worker bearing midriff in the summer heat, but it is a pretty accurate portrayal of the types of things that stick out in your mind walking around on hot New York summer day. One of my personal favorite videos was tagged at Central Park Driveway showing a 4-minute montage of all of the different street performers who perform there.

MyblockNYC’s search function allows you to filter videos, not only by standard fields such as topic, but also by whether the sharer is a tourist or a local and by his/her age and gender. Aside from the content, I love MyblockNYC’s rather refreshing retro style at a time when all other map programs use a standard Google map view. So far, the site has 922 NYC videos with nearly 40,000 views and I’m interested to see what direction the content uploaded takes it in the weeks to come.

MyblockNYC  is by Igal Nassima, a student at NYU ITP.