Comments on: The Unintended Positive Consequences Of Checking In With Foursquare http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/ Capturing. Collecting. Creating. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:23:54 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jason Simon http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/comment-page-1/#comment-426 Jason Simon Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:52:45 +0000 http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/#comment-426 I am not familiar with Whrrl, but I'll check it out. Also, it will be interesting to see what Google has up its sleeve since it has <a href="http://www.google.com/latitude/" rel="nofollow">Latitude</a>, which allows you to locate friends, and is interested in buying <a href="http://www.yelp.com/" rel="nofollow">Yelp</a>, which allows you to review coffee shops, restaurants, etc. As more iPhones and other GPS enabled mobile devices hit the market and become the norm, I think more location / place based applications will emerge. And most will probably complement Twitter. I am not familiar with Whrrl, but I’ll check it out. Also, it will be interesting to see what Google has up its sleeve since it has Latitude, which allows you to locate friends, and is interested in buying Yelp, which allows you to review coffee shops, restaurants, etc. As more iPhones and other GPS enabled mobile devices hit the market and become the norm, I think more location / place based applications will emerge. And most will probably complement Twitter.

]]> By: Joe McCarthy http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/comment-page-1/#comment-424 Joe McCarthy Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:14:09 +0000 http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/#comment-424 Interesting stories about connecting via FourSquare. I have received some interesting text messages from existing friends who see where I've checked in, but so far, I have not transformed any collocated strangers into new acquaintances. FWIW, Dennis Crowley, co-founder of FourSquare, offered his views on the pros and cons of differing levels of constraints in checking in via FourSquare on a comment to Robert Scoble's post on <a href="http://scobleizer.com/2009/09/23/antifeatures-big-mistake-that-location-app-developers-make/" rel="nofollow">Antifeatures: Big Mistakes that Location App Developers Make</a> (I can't figure out how to reference a specific comment, but you can go to the post and search for "dens"). I find FourSquare is as much of a place-based game as it is a location-based social networking application, and so they are careful to find a balance between limiting the impact of "excessive" gaming, while not taking too much away from the game itself. And speaking of unintended consequences, in an earlier comment on that same thread, Gowalla co-founder Josh Williams revealed considerably more about his personality, his philosophy, his communication style and why Gowalla check-ins are far more constrained than he probably intended ... among other things, by accusing Scoble of lying to his readers (!). Finally, in addition to experimenting with FourSquare and Gowalla, I've also been experimenting with <a href="http://www.whrrl.com" rel="nofollow">Whrrl</a>, which was developed by a Seattle-based Startup (Pelago), and also has an iPhone app ... and allows people to post photos and text in order to create a place-based narrative after they check-in. Interesting stories about connecting via FourSquare. I have received some interesting text messages from existing friends who see where I’ve checked in, but so far, I have not transformed any collocated strangers into new acquaintances.

FWIW, Dennis Crowley, co-founder of FourSquare, offered his views on the pros and cons of differing levels of constraints in checking in via FourSquare on a comment to Robert Scoble’s post on Antifeatures: Big Mistakes that Location App Developers Make (I can’t figure out how to reference a specific comment, but you can go to the post and search for “dens”). I find FourSquare is as much of a place-based game as it is a location-based social networking application, and so they are careful to find a balance between limiting the impact of “excessive” gaming, while not taking too much away from the game itself.

And speaking of unintended consequences, in an earlier comment on that same thread, Gowalla co-founder Josh Williams revealed considerably more about his personality, his philosophy, his communication style and why Gowalla check-ins are far more constrained than he probably intended … among other things, by accusing Scoble of lying to his readers (!).

Finally, in addition to experimenting with FourSquare and Gowalla, I’ve also been experimenting with Whrrl, which was developed by a Seattle-based Startup (Pelago), and also has an iPhone app … and allows people to post photos and text in order to create a place-based narrative after they check-in.

]]> By: Jason Simon http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/comment-page-1/#comment-418 Jason Simon Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:42:41 +0000 http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/#comment-418 @Melinda Blau No problem. Foursquare is now offering a new <a href="http://mashable.com/2009/12/15/foursquare-facebook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29" rel="nofollow">Facebook integration</a> that will probably interest users. @Melinda Blau No problem. Foursquare is now offering a new Facebook integration that will probably interest users.

]]> By: Melinda Blau http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/comment-page-1/#comment-416 Melinda Blau Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:48:03 +0000 http://caffeinatedconversations.com/2009/12/14/the-unintended-positive-consequences-of-checking-in-with-foursquare/#comment-416 Jason, I love that you are so conscious of your connections and your various communities. My goal in writing "Consequential Strangers" was to make readers aware of how important these peripheral contacts are--the people outside our family and close friends. Although there have always been consequential strangers (aka "acquaintances"), social media allows us to meet and manage larger social herd. Many of us are still struggling to understand how these new apps facilitate the process, so thanks for walking me through one of them. Jason, I love that you are so conscious of your connections and your various communities. My goal in writing “Consequential Strangers” was to make readers aware of how important these peripheral contacts are–the people outside our family and close friends. Although there have always been consequential strangers (aka “acquaintances”), social media allows us to meet and manage larger social herd. Many of us are still struggling to understand how these new apps facilitate the process, so thanks for walking me through one of them.

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