As our inaugural blog post, the first topic of choice is to share the history of how the Windshieldink concept came about, and how we see it growing into the future. We intend to introduce additional features to the platform as we move forward in order to expand the functionality and add further value to our Windshieldink community.
Reaching car owners has many benefits
It all start back in the mid-1990’s in Calgary, Alberta. We parked in a mall parking lot. When we got out of the car we noticed an elderly man slumped in the front seat of the car beside us. Recognizing this man was in a critical emergency situation, we quickly called for help. After this incident, we realized what a benefit it would have been to have the capability to alert anyone associated with that car, or any other car in fact, because a vehicle is essentially anonymous to the public. And 20 years later, it still remains the same.
More recently, driving down an Ontario expressway, we noticed a muffler hanging precariously from a car. Sure this is a minor issue, but once again we wished there was a way to contact the car owner.
Messaging a car owner is made easy
Then came the light bulb moment: with today’s mobile technology and the rapid growth of mobile apps, facilitating messaging between car owners can be made simple and can become a part of everyday life and road safety.
We thought more and more about the idea and after seeing more and more stories in the news about pets or children being left in hot cars, we did something about it. We developed Windshieldink. As you can tell, the name is derived from the fact that the only way to currently get a hold of a car owner is to leave a handwritten note on their windshield.
The idea of registering your license plate and assigning a contact email or SMS number to it is very simple. We understand that people will have reservations about potentially being contacted inappropriately or harassed. In the early stages of social networks, many of us had some of the same fears with listed phone numbers, email addresses, or being part of Facebook, Twitter, etc. The ability to block senders or expel them from Windshieldink will hopefully help address some of these concerns as well.
Think of it as added insurance for you and your vehicle
From the sender’s perspective, sending an alert message or being a good samaritan to someone you don’t know may be a bit intimidating. We feel it is great to have the opportunity for this kind of communication, because right now it doesn’t exist.
Ultimately, Windshieldink can be looked at like an insurance policy – you buy insurance with the hope that you’ll never have to use it. Similarly, getting a message sent to your license plate may be an alert to you about something that is not necessarily positive. Getting a message is better than not getting a message.
You might never receive a message being sent to your license plate. For that reason we don’t charge a fee for the service. Simply set it and forget it. It costs you nothing.
Our hope is that the Windshieldink user community continues to grow and that our platform will become commonplace and ultimately a benefit to all who register.
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The Windshieldink app is available on the App Store and get it on Google Play. It’s free to download and free to send messages!
We’re interested in hearing from you. Send your comments or questions to admin@windshieldink.com.
