Preliminary Findings on Availability Screenshot Forwarding
A person has received a screenshot of a vaccine appointment calendar showing available slots. The screenshot was taken three hours ago. Some slots may still be available.
Preliminary Findings on Availability Screenshot Forwarding Field Notes, April 20, 2021
Observation 1: The Screenshot
A screenshot has been forwarded. The screenshot shows a scheduling interface for a mass vaccination site. Green boxes indicate available appointment slots. The screenshot contains multiple green boxes.
The screenshot was captured at approximately 9:47 AM. It was forwarded to the first recipient at 9:52 AM. It was forwarded from the first recipient to a second at 10:14 AM. It arrived at its current destination at 10:43 AM.
It is now 11:09 AM.
Observation 2: What the Screenshot Is
The screenshot is evidence of availability at the moment it was captured. It is not a reservation. It is not a guarantee. It is a photograph of a website that has continued to change in the absence of any photographer.
Observation 3: The Forward Chain
Each person who forwarded the screenshot did so with good intent. The intent was to increase the number of people who might benefit from the information. This intent was reasonable given the value of the information at the moment of first capture.
The chain of forwarding has stretched the interval between capture and receipt to a point where the screenshot documents historical availability, which is a different category of information than present availability.
Observation 4: The Action Implied
The screenshot implies that the recipient should go to the website and attempt to book an appointment. This is correct. The screenshot has accomplished its purpose if the recipient attempts to book an appointment regardless of whether slots remain.
Observation 5: The Complication
The recipient of this field note has been forwarded seven screenshots this week. Three were from the same site at different times of day. One was mislabeled as applying to the recipient's county when it applied to an adjacent county. One had already been sent by a different contact four days earlier.
None of the seven screenshots had available slots when the recipient attempted to book. This is not evidence that the screenshots were wrong. It is evidence that the system is working under demand conditions that cause availability to close faster than information about availability can propagate.
Observation 6: The Loop
The recipient is now checking the site directly, without the intermediary of the screenshot. This is the efficient outcome. It was reached via the screenshots.
The screenshots were not wasted. They established that checking was worthwhile. That is a finding with modest value, and modest value is not no value.
Status
One slot found. Appointment booked. Screenshot forwarding chain: complete.