This was a crucial event. ASU has a huge footprint in the Phoenix area because it has 69,000 students. They buzz around the Valley in cars, on bikes, on foot and yes, on light rail. This makes them a huge group for us as potential users and collaborators.

As we talked to them, we realized that an assumption we made early on -- one that many other projects probably make as well -- was not accurate. In the hype surrounding the race to 3G and 4G and touch-screen phones and do-it-all applications, only a fraction of the market uses these smartphones. The rest of us have, for lack of a better term, "dumphones."

This means that designing a platform for smartphone users could lead one astray. Every student we spoke with had different versions of phones that used a native web browser. We initially considered this reality and were encouraged by our advisors to do so, but we didn't realize how dead-on the advice was until we interacted with some of our users.

So there are two takeaways here: organize events that allow you to interact one-on-one with different groups of your core users; and gear your mobile development towards dumphones. You can always build that slick mobile app later.

For more on our ASU experience, check out our video:

CityCircles at ASU from Adam Klawonn on Vimeo.

It was an incredible opportunity and an enlightening experience that really helped us out. For those of you who are thinking about doing a new media project or are already working on one, the TV interview format can be a boon as it forces you to sum up your project in small sound bites (while under the extreme pressure of being on live television).

Apparently, we did a great job. How do I know this? Well, when we laid out the basics of the project (our pitch), the anchor, Tess Rafols, thought it made perfect sense and, in fact, was surprised no one had thought of it yet. (The Internet is a pretty big place, so trust us, Tess -- this idea is floating around elsewhere.) Still, we were very encouraged, and we think we are bringing a great concept to the table.

Now for the fun part: The interview also made us re-think our name, Daily Phoenix.

This has been a source of angst for us since the interview. Why? Well, the word "Daily" doesn't really add much utility to the name and isn't very descriptive. It's on the Web, so, of course, anything can be "daily." Originally, we thought it made sense because it gave people the sense that this is a publication -- which, indeed, is the exact reaction we have received. But others have said that it sounds like "old media."

The word "Phoenix" is also troubling. The bulk of our light-rail system is in Phoenix, but it also runs out to the suburbs of Tempe and Mesa. Although newbies use the word "Phoenix" to refer to the region, using "Phoenix" in our name could alienate local folks (our primary users).

As a result, we've decided to brainstorm a new list of names over the next two weeks. This will be a collaborative tool for the community, so, in that spirit, I'd like to toss out this opportunity to the Idea Lab audience for help. We can't offer fame or fortune, but we can offer that cocktail party "coolness" factor if your name -- or some mashup of names submitted below -- actually sticks.

Here are our basic guidelines:

• Our project uses web, print and mobile technologies to deliver information by light-rail stop to urban audiences. They can collaborate or use it to guide themselves around the city's news, events and services.

• Because of this, they should feel like they have control over their environment. This is an empowering tool for them.

• It's location-based knowledge -- meaning it has an awareness at a certain point and time.

• Whatever the name is, it would be nice if it could become a verb among our users (i.e., "googled").

That's it! Although we're coming up with our own list, any suggestions below in the comments are welcome. Thanks!