Why not try these astute team-building behaviors in your civic, social or work life?

Here’s six keys to cultivating thriving teams like the thousands created during the “get it done”, “no drama” Obama campaign:

1. Be specific about the top, actionable goal of the group.

2. Identify what needs to be done to reach the goal, then recruit individuals who have the specific talents or other resources to get those tasks done.

3. Approach each person by describing the goal, the specific way each one can help achieve it and why it would benefit that person; then describe the Sweet Spot of mutual benefit for all teammates to participate.

4. Review above 3 items with everyone when first meeting together; ask for improvements in the goal and if others should be recruited to accomplish it; then agree on who should facilitate the group.

5. Seek agreement on the Rules of Engagement by which your group will operate and on the timetable.

6. When the goal is met, de-brief on what worked and what didn’t, then discuss other possible goals for which some or all team mates may want to work together again.

Start now in the place where you see one of your greatest problems or opportunities.

You whip out your phone, scan the bar code on the window then go online to peak at reviews. It got raves so why not go in?

After all, you’ll get a ring on your phone if your parking meter runs low whilst you’re dining. Then you can pay for more time – by phone. These are just two of the mobile phone location-based scenarios that have launched here in San Francisco. More to come.

We’ve come a long way since Howard Rheingold first wrote about Smart Mobs. The U.S. still lags behind some countries in the proliferation of uses for cell phones. Soon we’ll see a flood oflocation-based services (and ads?!) for those out shopping or exploring, according to Geographical Sciences professor, Paul Torrens, who is studying crowd behavior.

“Crowds of shoppers, endowed with smart chip credit cards and RFID tagged merchandise are trailed by long-lasting data shadows that follow them ubiquitously. Embedded in urban infrastructure and in the very products we consume, new technologies are emerging to enable cities to think about—and process—the people that pulse through them, with a burgeoning code-space being developed to capture the actions and interactions of individuals within large dynamic crowds.”

Recall soccer fans’ post-match riots? Notice the apparent increase of teen and tweens’ cyber bullying and other tragically belittling behavior via computer, texting and Twittering? Now staging flash mobs from a distance and anonymously, using technology, can create havoc and/or change opinions almost as quickly as inciting a riot at a stadium.

And one can attract larger crowds. People don’t even have to know each other to gather. They can literally take their rage and revenge to the streets faster, armed with the right location-based technology. They can swarm to surround a victim with less forethought and more speed.

In short the stakes are higher, for good and bad location-based crowd behavior now. The flip side of this sometimes lethal, tech-supported action is the ability to swarm to a location to play, protest or even surround people who in danger – a human ring of protection. For buying products, collaborating, sharing opinions - and so much more - the trend toward technology-supported, location-based services will probably touch your mobile life.

One aggrieved party posts her or his side, then offers their lover the chance to respond. Providing just a few details in defending oneself can lead to recognition, at least among friends, family and others.

Summer fling?
Tightwad?

This is akin to setting the stage for fights on tawdry reality shows. Watch people at their worst. Few can take their eyes off an “overheard” lovers’ quarrel. Like gossip, people acting their worst attract an audience. It’s unlikely that Sidetaker will bring couples closer but it will attract a crowd.

The crowd gets to vote on who is right. This may not be what James Surowiecki had in mind in The Wisdom of the Crowds – or the advocates of crowdsourcing want to see as a success story. As Deborah Tannen suggested in The Argument Culture, traditional TV, radio and other setting are trending towards offering two opposing “experts” as a black or white way to see a situation. What next?

Travel cheap. Discover more.

Try the “temporary bed and breakfast” peer-to-peer sites, AirBed & Breakfast or Roomorama where a night’s stay can range from $45 to $100 or so. Anyone with a bed, airbed or couch can rent it out for the night. Reserve your night online, paying with a credit card or via PayPal. AB & B charges guests a 5 to 12 percent service fee and Roomorama charges 8.

Live in a hotly-contested state for the upcoming presidential election? Then AirBed & Breakfast suggests you host at your home a visiting, get-out-the vote volunteer.

Want to sidestep the service fee oh brave one? See house swaps or vacation rentals at the venerable Craigslist. Braver still? Get a free room through couchsurfing. While you’re laughing at this approach know that it has nearly 470,000 users.

Going upscale a bit, reserve a private room in a hostel. Marin Headlands, near me, has priceless views.

Want a more posh and private place to stay where you can still benefit from a local’s recommendations? Then join Home Exchange. Enjoy encampment in a villa or a vacation home.

Then there’s always that reliable place where Tom Bodett promises, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”

It’s a tight race. Turnout is already record-breaking.

Some have already been given the wrong polling address. It’s up to us as citizens to ensure every citizen can vote and have every vote count. Now we can cover what we find at polling stations.

Traditional media invites us to get involved. Document any interference, malfunctioning machine or long line at a polling place and post it at Video Your Vote - co-sponsored by PBS and YouTube.

Judy Woodruff promises the best videos will be shown during election nightcoverage.

You still have time to learn how recognize trouble at Video the Vote. The project is recruiting volunteers to video-monitor voting in all 50 states.

They support “timely, complete, and accurate reporting of voter suppression and election irregularities by organizing citizen journalists to document elections and then using their footage to raise awareness about the ongoing challenges facing American voters.”

Or you can staff hotlines. Also see two wikis that enable us “to collect examples of problems with voting, whether exceptionally long lines or more direct actions meant to scare off voters.

They are SourceWatch’s Election Protection Wiki and the Voter Suppression Wiki. This is an historic time to participate in election protection in your community.

Yet if your pet makes you sneeze, tear up or worse you can take steps to dander-proof your home. That helps. Yet even in the cleanest home, action happens. Dirty particles get raised into the air. So it helps to make the air throughout your home cleaner than fresh air. Get a continuously high-performing unit that bolts right onto your home (HVAC) heating system. It is made by AspenAir Inside. It uses less than 2 watts to remove 99% of what’s called Respirable Suspended Particles in air.

BTW, here’s good news for those who don’t own a pet, are allergic to cats yet yearn for one. An ostensibly hypoallergenic cat is waiting for you – for just $35,000