Social Networking Has Gone to the Dogs.

So what do MIT Media lab graduates do when they love dogs, and are shy at dating?  They create a new way for animal lovers to meet!  It has taken them three years of development, but last fall Noah Paessel, Phil Liang, and Jon Gips launched the Snif Tag.

Social Networking Via The Web Goes To The Dogs!

Okay now, the Sniff Tag??  What is that you ask? Well its a tag, that goes on a dog collar, which connects to a social website.

Each dog, puppy or pooch who is the proud wearer of a Sniff Tag on their collar will also get a profile on sniftag.com.  Now whenever two dogs wearing a Sniff Tag walk near each other, a signal races between the tags and is then transmitted to the Snif Tag site.  Dog owners can log on and see which dogs they strolled by on any day and, if they want to, send a friend request to a particular dog.  Profiles offer information like breed, age, gender, and weight.  They also offer Facebook like status updates.

Sniff Tag CEO Noah Paessel says, “The invention was inspired by the old premise that there’s no better wingman than a dog.  Before Zoe, I wouldn’t talk to anybody,” the now-married Paessel says, referring to an Italian greyhound he lived with in his bachelor days. “But with her, I talked to people all the time. Not just girls, but certainly that was helpful.”

Now the Sniff Tag offers more than just networking and the ability to meet potential dates.   Sniff Tag also offers:

Monitoring:      The Sniff Tag lets you know what your dog is doing even if you are not around.
Health:            Use the Sniff Tag to monitor your dogs activity and adjust feeding accordingly.
History:           Sniff Tag offers history for the hour, week, month…. so you can compare what your dog is doing.
Compare:        Compare your dogs stats with others on Sniff Tag.

Text from the website says,  “Having your best friend at your side is a great way to meet new people, and the SNIF Tag makes it even easier. By recording encounters with other SNIF dogs, your SNIF Tag becomes more than a pet monitoring device– it’s a tool for social networking that expands your circle of friends every time you take your pup for a walk. The SNIF Tag makes building new friendships safe and easy, whether in the park, at the dog run, or just out and about.”

Now when this product first came on the market it was available to consumers for $299, for a starter price that also included a one-year subscription to the company’s online monitoring service and social site.  Now, the website states the price is $149 with a lifetime service.  Not a bad deal to monitor your pets and gather friends.

Just think the ability to network with Facebook like features, the ability to meet other animal lovers, the ability to make friends, and lastly monitor your animals activity.   The future of Social Media, not only for you but your animals.

Kimberly Veautour

Acknowledgments:  Boston.com, Boston Magazine, Sniff Tag