302 Personal Content Experience: Managing Digital Life in the Mobile Age photos sent by others. Each photo is given a hotness rate on a 1–10 scale. Furthermore, a participant may check the score they have earned; while doing this, the timestamp is recorded. This timestamp is also visible for those viewing the photos. This way, you not only rate a photo and can see how others have rated it, but are also able to check when the person in the photo has checked their score. Contact- ing the person in the photo is also possible, as in dating services. There is also a scoreboard that allows a group of people to compare their scores. At the time of writing, more than 23 million photos have been submitted, and more than 12 billion votes cast. There are numerous other rating-related web sites, such as those for rating cars, pets, 17 gardens, or even teachers. What can we learn from such a community? Perhaps the ingredients for a global concept of hotness? Or perhaps the site refl ects the human desire for 15 minutes of fame? Or our inherent will to rate everything we experience? Or maybe it is just a game without any underlying truths? Probably all of this, and more. Nevertheless, rating sites includes many factors important in personal content experience, even though this may not be immediately evident. Rating alone creates a link between the one who gives the rating and the content. Especially rel- evant is the site from the photo submitter’s point of view, as the content can be easily shared. Metadata will be included, such as the ratings and photos provide links to people; and so forth. Even though the concept of rating photos is not in any way mobile, envisioning services that provide the same functionality while being mobile is straightforward. Why not rate objects while on the move, using the built-in camera of an imaging phone and sending the photo instantly to the rating service for others to review? In fact, such services do exist today. One of them, of a somewhat dubious nature, is Mobile- 18 asses that specializes in rating photos with a restricted, very specifi c kind of content. 7.3.3 Self-Expression 19 MySpace was, at the time of writing, the most prominent social net- working site among youth (particularly western 15–25-year olds), with 17 For a comprehensive list of rating sites, see http://www.ratingspot.com/ 18 http://www.mobileasses.com/ 19 http://www.myspace.com/