Time flies when you’re having fun, out there, recording poop.
It turns out that Pooper Snooper has been out in the wild for three months already and its been an interesting 12 weeks or so.
- As we know it’s a bit of a poop-fest out there. 1500 discarded dog poops have been recorded so far, with lots even being reported on beaches (yuck!) despite this being holiday season.
- Giles Coren wrote about us in his Comments column in the Times back in June – Now you can join me in the war on poo and proved to be an all round good sport.
- The Metro ran an article on the project too, even if the headline was a bit off base – Pooper Snooper app lets you shame dog owners into picking up mess (we’re not really into shaming irresponsible dog owners directly and more into driving culture change).
But, we’re really pleased the app has been well reviewed in the press and well received by users – an encouraging start.
We’ve essentially been viewing the initial 3 months as a sort of soft-release (the app has captured a few of those too). And all the while, we’ve been ruminating, mulling and angsting over how to make the project even more useful. We’ve spoken to users, communities and local authorities (we just love hanging around on their phone systems) and we’ve rolled up our sleeves and got our hands dirty.
And now, we’re ready to launch Phase 2! This version boasts features that will make dog poop a thing of myth and legend in a matter of weeks!! For doggy deposits, the end is well and truly nigh!
Oh, no,… wait. That’s Phase 3.
Phase 2, (this version), boasts… some really useful features. Read on to find out more.
Okay, so what’s new?
You can now report poop sightings directly to your local council
- So, you’ve spotted a rogue poop or, more likely, several?
- Simply record them with the app like normal!
- Once submitted you’ll be given the option to report them to your local authority via email, Twitter or Facebook straight from the app, without so much as breaking a sweat! Nice!
The report, which is sent to your council, will also include a URL to a map overview of all the poops recorded in your area, giving your council the clearest possible picture of the scale of the issue. There’s no need to worry about which local authority area you’re in either – the app works it all out for you! Somehow…
Visualise the local and UK poop problem on our new website
We now have a supporting Pooper Snooper website that shows you every poop record. Click on your required area and the map will zoom into that local authority boundary area giving you summary statistics and a shareable URL. Share this with fellow community poop crusaders, your council or send it out into the Twittersphere! Help to kick up a stink!
If you want to, you can even check out details of every single poop on the map by clicking on each one. But, if you ask me, that’s a bit of a niche interest you’ve got there. You probably need Netflix or something.
Oh, and we made a video
All work and no play makes us a bit glum, especially when staring in the face of a sometimes, seemingly insurmountable social problem. So we decided we’d produce a video for the project. It really cheered us up and it even features Maddy, our CEO’s dog. She’s a white, miniature schnauzer. Check out the video and let us know what you think!
Next Steps for Pooper Snooper
There are lots of plans being hatched. Currently we’re speaking to Bristol City Council about how they can most effectively make use of the app and website. They’re keen to use it in their Bristol Clean Streets campaign and we hope to have an update on that very shortly. But now it’s really over to you! We need your help to record as many dog poops as possible – and for you to report and share what you find via your social media channels. Use #PooperSnooper so we can find and share your tweets.
Let’s start making the UK poop free. And where better to start than in your area? Get the app, share your poop sightings and pretty soon we’ll be a movement too big to ignore. (We also had one of those recorded in the app).
Meanwhile, here’s a photo of Maddy, trying to avoid going for a walk (I know, go figure!).