(Photo Courtesy Tippingpointlabs.com)
It’s 5:18 a.m., I’m at home blogging, and a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Since I’m not at my gym, there’s no need to whip out my iPhone and check in on Foursquare. Huh? About a month ago, Daphne turned me on to a new, mobile smart phone application that tells “friends” exactly where I am.
When I asked my daughter how to use Foursquare, her response was of the try it, you’ll like it variety: “Oh Mom, just go online, open an account, and play with it.” I’ve since learned that if I check in often enough at one place, I can earn “badges.” So, for example, I am now the “Mayor” of Healthworks Brookline, the Milk Street Café, my default lunch eatery, and my favorite Chinese restaurant, Jumbo Seafood in Newton Centre. Too bad the first person to “check in” at Jumbo got its name screwed up, and there seems no easy way to change it, which irks me.
As a baby boomer, my only Foursquare “friends” are two women I’ve met at national conferences for communications professionals, a friend who’s in charge of new media for the Governor’s Office, a college professor who’s a friend of my son-in-law, Etan, and of course Daphne and Etan. Recently a reporter for the local NPR affiliate whom I met through Twitter accepted my “friend” request.
Since Foursquare provides people with my precise physical location, I’ve made a point of accepting “friend” requests only from people I know and like. I know when the WBUR reporter – also getting familiar with Foursquare – has arrived at work, and also when he’s arrived home, because he, too is taking the time to “check in.” I also know when my friend, Brad, is at his gym swimming laps for yet another one of his upcoming triathlons.
On my recent visit to Atlanta, Daphne and Etan laughed when they saw I’d already checked in at restaurants like Six Feet Under – where I used Foursquare’s “Tips” function to report a 45 minute wait, and Ria’s Bluebird, where I gave a big thumbs up to the caramelized banana pancakes floating in hot maple syrup.
The developers of Foursquare presumably had a serious business purpose when they created this new smart phone app. Real friends in search of something to do on a Friday night can use the app to see who’s gathering at which bar, and use Foursquare’s little mapping function if the location is unfamiliar.
Some people use it to see what trusted friends think of a particular bistro – the value of the tips function is obviously a function of the number of “friends” one has. Supposedly restaurants or other vendors may eventually choose to reward people with frequent check-ins. The latter seems a little silly, since Dennis and I are regulars at most of the places we eat, and get greeted by name.
Yes, Foursquare can be irritating, and my niece, Ruth, who presumably is not using this hot new app, didn’t hesitate to call me on what she considered annoying behavior. I thanked her for telling me to de-link Foursquare from my Twitter account because she would prefer not to receive a Tweet five times a week telling her I’m at the gym – even if I provide tips about Zumba instructors.
If truth be told, I began using Foursquare for the same reasons I opened LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, and also purchased my iPhone and flip video camera. As a new media newbie, I learn best by experimenting.
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3 comments:
Well written, as always. I find myself mixed about apps such as foursquare: as someone who writes about tech and uses it regularly, I'm interested in these kinds of apps. As someone concerned about privacy and online security, this seems ripe for potential danger, especially when the check-ins are re-broadcast to Twitter or fb. If people figure out how to intercept these (which they will) you are telling strangers where you are, and where you're not (home, with your possessions). Enjoy, but be careful. Dan
Dan,
Thanks for weighing in. You make good points about personal safety. That being said, I fear the horse is out of the barn. Web sites for any type of professional services firm typically have pics and bios suggesting that the people profiled are at work during the day and may do a lot of travel. Other sources of online info, such as tax assessment rosters and street listings, are available to all -- including some not very nice people. I think risk is the price we pay for access to all the info we can get from the Internet.
Wow, another smashing foray into the sophisticated chicanery of the blog-o-sphere.
You continue to amaze me. Keep up the good work.
D
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