The AA App

First Draft / Communication

So today, a subject I’ve been avoiding since the beginning, almost: the subject of social networks.
The famous social networks.
The Fort Knox of the communication-stressed advertisers.

Before I begin, I must say that on this subject I’m completely alone.
For programming, I have Jackie, Marie-Claude, Pierre, Armelle, Julien, at least.
For the video games and virtuality part, I have Jean, Léo – now my son Etienne and his sixteen years old, and all the kids I’ve managed to bring to the theatre and who make it their duty to throw me on all the interesting new things they find.

But for this idea of an application, no one.
My “old people” find the other applications that exist very well – and very sufficient.
My “young people” just warned me: if it’s not great, it’s going to last two years max and then nothing.

To complete this unpromising picture, I have to admit publicly that I don’t support social networks. The flood of dog and cat pictures on Facebook with the Zen advice of the day in the middle; the torrents of insults in Twitter, the stupid stories of people with oversized egos in Insta: it’s coming out of my eyes and I’ve given up everything..

But – but, in spite of all this, this idea of an Application for Altair has been running through my head almost from the beginning, without me knowing how to make it happen.

So here it is – I’m going to go ahead and think about it almost live here.

Let’s start with what already exists :

Before getting excited, it’s a question of identifying the audience: all newcomers are overwhelmed by young people – who “need” their own network.
Currently, if you have a Facebook account for something other than Messenger, you’re labeled: “old crouton” “has been” “boomer” etc.

These kids are cruel.
But let’s not forget that – otherwise so much effort and money for an audience that’s not there is sad.

There are networks now for old people. All right, well…
They’re happy, they’ve managed to get on the Internet. So you have a clutter of opinions about life, cooking recipes, photos of babies – pets – ice creams – and great considerations about the world, about young people and about what is going to become our planet. Old people.
Since ancient times the old people have been saying the same things.
I must clarify, to be honest, that I am classified as old.

There are the networks for “junkyard dogs”: here, the game is : kill / harass / hate / scream the others. It seems to be the rule.

There are the networks for “too beautiful with my filters.”

There are youtubers – but I’ve already touched on that.

And all the so-called direct contact networks – which change with each mini generation: the fashion last year in France was Discord. Next year it will be another one.

We have all seen large companies start to “be present on the networks” because it is too important.
Others who are flooding “influencers” with money…

For my part – and you have the right to tell me I’m a girl of evil spirit, I’ve always been amazed by people who think they can catch a cheetah in a race.
I look at them.
Eventually, when the cheetah takes its break (it’s a feline, don’t exaggerate either), they might be able to get within 500 metres of it.
I think it’s pretty funny.

In short – the real truth is that to go in, there is to go exactly nowhere.

All this to say that I’m against spending a single penny of money and a single milliliter of energy on this.

Yes, but… (hey, I’m a real girl. – I’m so sorry. I so wanted to be a classy lady with a perfect sense of humor – and no.- Well, let’s go. )

Yes, but inventing an application that would be a mobile extension of Altair Twin, that yes, not only is it interesting but I think that it can be essential to development.

No. It is essential for Altair.

I’ll start by the easiest one : the name. AA App – yes, I like it. I like it a lot.

Firstly, it’s sounds good & it’s easy to remember. Next, because it is a reference to JoJo, – well, I remain an unconditional fan of JoJo Bizarre Adventure.
Then because the two A’s refer to the two sides of Altair.
And especially because they are two twin letters of the alphabet.
If I stay in the ultra-consumerist logic of the net – I know that the AA App will last a few years at most – and suddenly I already know that I will replace it with the BB App – the CC, the DD, the EE … . etc.
Two twin letters following each other allow rapid identification with an unchanging heart: Altair – while allowing constant evolution.

– I agree with you: that name is just a detail.

The most important thing (yes, I’ve been stuck on it for months, I’m going in circles, I have stupid ideas, it’s annoying me) : the content

All the super popular apps have super simple content.
400 characters / a photo / a gift / my little song …

So AA App will also be based on ultra-simple content allowing the public to communicate and participate.

Actually – but it’s horrible what I’ve seen on the networks – there are three major audiences:
the old people: they must comment and ask you to think (well there I am making a big batch of all those for whom life is serious, and “you realize ? Barbara, please !” and a whole cacophony of opinions which are shattered against each other)
the midinettes: they must prove that they are the most beautiful, the coolest, the most tricks and will photograph their shoes to have flames.
young people : they cause games – memes – youtube – a little political –

I’m not going to choose between the three, even though my target audience is mostly number three.

I’m no more going to invent something in computing (I’m already learning redoing my walls, I won’t learn how to code, let’s not exaggerate).
So I’m going to use everything that already exists.

If you’re thinking I’m not clear – you’re right.
You are currently reading a draft.

I think more clearly when I tell myself that I’m talking to someone.
Well, it’s you if you’re still with me. – Thank you!

As I’m facing a gigantic maze with 500,000 entries all wrong except one – I’m going to do as I did when I was a kid: I’m going to start at the end and work my way up to the right entry.

The end is what Altair proposes to the audience:

• to see shows (obviously… )
• participate in workshops related to our professional worlds
• conduct virtual reality experiments – alone, with a child, as a couple, in a group.
• carry out more or less terrorizing virtual reality experiments.
• enter under DLC in big online games
• participate in major events such as e.sport .
• enter Altair Twin (yes yes I want the public to be able to enter in the medium term)
• to stage the creations of the net (in music, decoration, graphic arts etc)
• to valorize the links made by the gamers (Altair modeling etc)
• give the voice to the public: on what has been presented, on what will be programmed, on what we could go and see for Altair etc.

Well – with that, I think there’s some material to get into AA App.

The first thing that seems important to me is a “discussion forum” type entry – that allows everyone to give their opinion, to be a force for proposal and sharing.

Secondly, since a large part of our proposals are related to Altair Twin, it means that it is very easy to get pictures of it.
And then, sharing screenshots of “me in the acrobat’s earring” – even mini-videos like stories – I think it can be fun and interesting to watch.
Not to mention that it makes other people want to try it.
Screenshots of Altair’s artists found in the games: there will be an emulation between gamers, the first one who screens is always valued. (because putting excerpt from a show in a game is nice, but it doesn’t mean that everyone will see it: you have to get to the right place in the game).

And after that, we roll out the theme: “the shows and us.”
Your dog in front of Altair okay. Otherwise no.
And, depending on the medium, we could play both on the story principle and the selfies principle: but with your avatars and your virtual players/acrobats nickname.
And okay, the young girls who are too beautiful in the hall, in the workshops … yes, yes they are too beautiful – all right for the beauties.

Thus, it could be something like that :

Me before, me during, me after the show
Me and my friends before, during, after

Me, who finds the artists in such and such a game, such place on the map
Me who will try VR Extreme Experience
Me who who’s having fun in VR etc

Me fighting for Altair Twin…
I, who am fighting to defeat Altair Twin…

I who built Altair Twin on Minecraft
Me, who built Altair in the basement of Terraria…
I, who thought the intro to Mass for the present time was great and who arranged it…

In short, a “niche” social network where we solicit the public’s voice, opinions, feedback and creativity.
When I write “niche”, I think of the astronomical operating results published by the video game industries in recent days. It seems to me that the niche is quite large.

And since Altair in real life will only be located in one place in the world – and since a social network relies on a global audience – it’s not just about the shows seen on Altair. On the contrary. A show seen and loved in Saint Petersburg is also in the nails of this application. In the same way, as the principle of shows in games is going to grow, any show found in a game (I’m thinking – inevitably – of Fortnite’s programming – and Minecraft’s, too – well, it’s all starting to happen).

The important thing is that this app, which has a fairly broad content base, is in fact linked to Altair.

The BB App could appear with a new technology (when we will all be switched to 3D shooting and broadcasting for example).

The last point concerns the links to others: I wonder about the relevance of : likes and followers/friends.
I know that in the world of geeks and gamers, this is not very relevant – and that it can slow down the adhesion of some of the participants.
So I thought that not giving the number of followers, not publishing it, would remove this obstacle.
As for the likes – to put them regularly on articles I like and for which I have nothing to say but which I liked to read, I think we can keep them, at the choice of the person who registers.

Honestly, is that completely stupid?

This is the current state of my thinking.

All in all, I think of this application as a kind of “‘living and tumultuous source” that would continuously feed Altair Twin. I’ve needed it ever since I thought of Altair Twin – but it took me time to accept that I – who don’t like social networks – find myself inventing one. While it was written the very moment I conceptualized Altair Twin.

In this regard, I think I’ve managed to be clear about what Altair Twin will be in reality – in short, buildings dedicated to the production of virtual content.
I’m not sure I’ve been very clear about what Altair Twin will be on the Internet.
So that will be the subject of my next article.

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And since I’m here to tell you my life story, I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that the next two articles will be dedicated to two gentlemen who have done me the honor of nominating Altair in two different Awards. And as I was quite touched by this, I will take the time to honour their invitations.