SOFTec 2012 - Workshop on Computer Mediated Social Offline Interactions (SOFTec 2012)

The proliferation of social networking sites and mobile technology allows us to follow the latest news, find out what our friends and family are doing, or let everybody know that we 'checked-in' to our favorite restaurant ? anytime and anywhere! While advantageous, however, the ability to be constantly online and connected can have a negative impact on our offline interactions. It is not uncommon these days to see people who are sharing a table at a bar or restaurant ignore each other for stretches at a time, while each of them interacts with far-away friends through smartphones or tablet computers.

The goal of this workshop is to examine how we can build technology that can help to promote offline interactions. We plan to discuss how offline interactions can be spurred within different social groups and different settings through currently available devices and technologies, including today's prevalent online social networking platforms. We also plan to explore how such technologies can be built and used for different types of offline engagement (e.g., playful vs. serious). The workshop aims to establish a community interested in computer mediated offline interaction.