{"id":251807,"date":"2020-04-11T03:16:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T07:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=251807"},"modified":"2020-04-11T03:16:09","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T07:16:09","slug":"store-finder-ph-launches-fb-chatbot-for-free-internet-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/04\/11\/store-finder-ph-launches-fb-chatbot-for-free-internet-users\/","title":{"rendered":"Store Finder PH launches FB chatbot for free Internet users"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Store Finder PH named its chatbot \u201cCrowdy\u201d to signify the project\u2019s crowd-sourcing nature of collecting information. (PNA file photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 When Store Finder PH\u2019s map website went live on March 19 to help locate nearby establishments that are open during the enhanced community quarantine, families with no Internet connection seemed left behind.<\/p>\n

However, with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the volunteer-initiated website on April 6 said it was able to make its key content available on Facebook Messenger through a chatbot.<\/p>\n

A chatbot is a computer robot that replies to messages like a human being.<\/p>\n

Currently, Facebook Messenger can be used even without a mobile data plan as part of the basic service of Smart, Globe, and affiliate providers, making the store finding-chatbot accessible to more than 44 million phone Internet users in the Philippines at no extra cost.<\/p>\n

Store Finder PH named its chatbot \u201cCrowdy\u201d to signify the project\u2019s crowd-sourcing nature of collecting information.<\/p>\n

To use the chatbot, the user should open the project\u2019s Facebook Messenger.<\/p>\n

After tapping \u201cGet Started\u201d, the user may pick the establishment category and type a location that the chatbot will scan through.<\/p>\n

A list of search results, including grocery shops, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, ATM centers, remittance centers, logistic hubs, and other essential stores, is then displayed within seconds.<\/p>\n

Although the map feature is disabled when on free mobile data, crucial information, such as business hours, are still delivered in text format.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur main contribution as millennials to the Enhanced Community Quarantine measure of the government is making tech solutions and life-saving information reach the doorstep of every Filipino,\u201d said Trinmar Boado, an award-winning Information, and Communication Technology (ICT) advocate and leader of the volunteer project.<\/p>\n

Boado added that the chatbot is getting a high volume of queries for remittance centers, explaining this must be from parents of stranded students and other individuals sending out financial help.<\/p>\n

On Store Finder PH\u2019s website version at www.storefinder.ph, users can see the map of their neighborhood and the exact location of open establishments.<\/p>\n

They can also chat with other active users within the vicinity to seek any assistance during emergencies.<\/p>\n

To start using the Store Finder PH chatbot, open m.me\/StoreFinder.PH or fb.com\/StoreFinder.PH now.\u00a0(PR)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0\u2013 When Store Finder PH\u2019s map website went live on March 19 to help locate nearby establishments that are open …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":251808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251807"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251810,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251807\/revisions\/251810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}