I can’t say I know a lot about poetry…but someone sent this along…so I figured “why not?”

It’s a poem called “Commuters”

Read it here

Listen to it here

Clever Commute has recently completed the development of a new product.
We now have the ability to deliver the aggregated content of all Clever Commute messages…in real-time
So, disaster recover professionals can have a “dashboard” which gives full visibility into the state of public transportation at the times when you need it (blackout, snowstorms, fires, etc).
The way it works: we start with the e-mail messages send among commuters…and we strip out the personally-identifiable info. The resulting product is a feed of data which allows DR professional to fully leverage the comprehensive info from the field.

Clever Commute [8:02 AM]
Just announced switch problems

Clever Commute [8:25 AM]
7:46 Watchung to Penn due in at 8:26. 8:24 now and not yet to Secaucus.

Clever Commute [8:42 AM]
Just announced Wire problems at the tunnel. One track is operating in and out

NJ Transit [8:48 AM]
NEC, NJCL and MidTOWN trains are subject to 10-15 minute delays in and out of New York due to an Amtrak overhead wire problem.
Sent: 8:45 AM

I was out in LA recently, and spent some time with the founder of MetroRider LA (a blog that promotes, supports, and critiques the burgeoning Transit Oriented Lifestyle forming in Los Angeles).

Read about it here.

Please be sure to share the good news about “LA Clever Commute” with anyone you
know in the LA area.
Thanks,

–Josh

I was happy to see that a few of the IDG magazines did stories on Clever Commute. Thanks!
CIO Magazine

PC World

Computerworld

It’s really more of a getting-to-know-you period. Remember, the Clever Commute system has been running for years in other areas.
It can handle extremely high volumes (of messages and users)…and has helped many commuters through some of the most challenging times.

So…what will we do over the next two weeks?

• Come up-to-speed so that you can serve as local advocates / mentors to others.
  There are so many “Clever” communities around the country that we need embedded experts who to help create the culture for each line.
• Help your community find a good balance of message volume.
  Certainly the many individuals in your community will have different thresholds…but some real-world use can help discover the most suitable “use cases” (and maybe find ones unique to your area)

Based on the other existing Clever Communities, we think its safe to say that the standard reasons for alerting your passengers will be relevant (e.g., service disruptions)
But…there may be other things local to your community….and that might require new approaches.
For example: one light rail community that I have talked to is exploring the idea of letting the community know that “the last train of the day has left the station”

For the next two weeks, we’ll keep the membership roster limited to members who received this mail.

Remember, for day-to-day use, there is only one address you need (the one address we shared with you at sign up).

Remember that messages sent among your community are identifiable by

• a consistent “From” address (e.g., Clever-something)
• a subject prefix (e.g., “[YourLine]”)

…so you can use your e-mail software to filter / manage those as you please (both during this period as well as after we officially go live).

I think that’s about it. If I had to sum it up, I’d say the key points are
– it’s just us for the next 2 weeks
– send some test messages…get a feel for things
– find what works best to manage the mails that do come into your inbox
– send us feedback…we’re always looking for new ideas

Resources
https://clevercommute.com/blog/page-rules-of-the-road/
The Clever Commute website and blog
All along the way – feedback at clevercommute [.] com

Just a quick heads up in case you are not commuting this AM…or following this thread.

The portal bridge was open this AM…and it caused delays.
Montclair-line riders knew about an issue at 6:48 AM (but NJ Transit sent their first alert at 7:02…which did indeed identify the Portal Bridge as the root cause)

Some ideas and feedback for you:

• I’m looking at ways to cross-share the news I see about delays (because “Clever Commute” receives the mails from all lines).
• You should all sign up for NJT alerts (go www.njtransit.com for more info). I give people advice to not simply re-forward those NJT alerts to this group…as there is strong risk of those being simply redundant or stale by the time they gets to us
• Encourage your fellow commuters to sign up for Clever Commute.
  The Montclair line has 4-5x as many people as this community. Don’t worry – it’s not chatty…but it’s a great network
• Lead by example when it comes to sending alerts
  I’m sure a lot of you are reading this mail from the comfort of your homes today. But, the point remains that the info FOR this group comes FROM this group…so it’s up to you to share and help each other. Some days, you may feel like the you are the only one sending mails…but take it from me: people appreciate it
• We are working on ways to recognize the people on each line that have helped the most. Like many places on the web/internet, experts can emerge and be “rewarded”…and we are looking at such models here on Clever Commute.

My in-box is always open to the wisdom of this crowd…as I am a just another commuter.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

The irony is that the news story on this event that was easiest for me to find came from the Long Island newspaper (Newsday). But nonetheless, we asked Clever Commuters for feedback on how our service worked…and here is what we heard:
[some responses edited for clarity and privacy]

Read the rest of this entry »

What an exciting day yesterday was! We processed so many requests to join…and expanded tremendously.

Now that we have taken care of the lion’s share of the “adds”…there remain some that need extra attention. Most of them fall into these categories:

• People who did not share their full name when they registered (e.g., “J Smith”, “Morristown Commuter”). Remember, we are a community of neighbors helping each other. While Clever Commute may mask your “real name” on some lines when you send to the list, we do expect you to register as who you are.
• People who did not (1) receive or (2) respond to the mail we sent asking people to confirm their address. This step is required so that we can validate that you entered your address properly…and that you do indeed want to join.
• Some mail systems may treat first-time Clever Commute mails as unsolicited/junk mail…so please take whatever steps you need to on your side to allow mails from Clever Commute. You can find more info on the FAQ site (see “My spam filter is preventing me from getting the alerts”)

Even though you may have received a “Welcome” mail with instructions on how to communicate via these new lists, not all are ready / populated yet. Please bear with us. Today was definitely a huge day for us. The story from the NY Times was a giant catalyst which generated interest from 1010Wins, NY1 News, ABC news, plus others…as well as many bloggers. So…here is the scoop:

• All NJT and a few other lists are now ready to use. See clevercommute.com/blog/ready-communities for the full list.
• We are working hard to process all the new entries. Please give us a few more days
• We’re still following up with people that had sign-up issues (e.g., incomplete, erroneous). If you know of anyone who signed up with a nickname, initials, or any other special case, please help set their expectation that the necessary follow-up may delay things.
• As the folks on the Montclair line know, this service is all about people-helping-each-other. Certainly there will wind up being some people who post and share more than others…but please don’t always rely on them. It works best when we all participate.

I guess that’s it for now…but please remember that we are neighbors trying to help each other. With all this growth, there will be some growing pains I’m sure…but we’ll get through it together.