[Air-L] Where Are You?

[Ben Spigel]

Looking at my own cell phone, the #1 entry in the "quick message" menu
for a T-Mobile Razr cell phone is "Where Are You?" I'm sure its there
for a reason.


Cheers,

Ben Spigel
Department of Geography
The Ohio State University

On Dec 21, 2007 4:01 PM, Christo Sims <christo at sims.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> A couple quick points: I also lean towards Jerom and Deanya's
> interpretation. The question isn't just about location, it's an
> invitation for the other person to tell a bit about their
> availability. In addition to "where you at?" I've heard a lot of
> "what are you up to?" and "who are you with?" occurring early in
> conversations (I study teenagers). This information helps the caller
> know how to proceed with the conversation (e.g. what are they
> interrupting, how available is the other at this time). Simply
> picking up the phone doesn't indicate unfettered availability.
>
> As for the Boost adds, they refer to "chirping" (or "bleeping") which
> isn't quite the same as making a phone call. From my observations,
> the protocols for building up and tearing down conversations are much
> less burdensome with chirping. "Where you at" with Boost seems
> similar to pinging someone on IM, feeling out if the other is
> available to talk or even maybe even to meet up in person. Although I
> haven't looked at it, I'd imagine it's often considered reasonable to
> ignore a chirp (like an IM ping) or to respond with a quick
> indication that they can't talk right now.
>
> - Christo
>
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