Are You Ready To Share Your Location Yet?
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Did you ever imagine that you'd be sharing what you're doing right now with a bunch of people from around the globe? If I had asked you this question 4 years ago, chances are that the answer would have been no. Now Twitter, Facebook and the like have completely changed that. Since the rise of such services, sharing habits have broken all bounds and there is no limit really to what people can share today. Share what you want, no special rules apply.
When I started to use Twitter (3/7/07), lots of people kept asking me, what is Twitter, and why on earth would you use such service? Or in other words: who cares about what you're doing right now? Well, some of them did really care, some of them didn't, obviously. But over the years, this sharing behavior was easily adopted by people who never thought they would be sharing their personal life, knowledge, or daily activities with such openness. When people finally grasped how it would benefit them, or their business, and how many other people were doing it, they felt way more comfortable with being so open, transparent, and well, human.
Today someone asked me why am I using location-based service since he simply couldn't see the point in it. My first words of note on this are that people also didn't understand the point of Twitter and look where that went. However, I really do think sharing location is a much more sensitive issue and I'll try to explain it as I see it.
I spend most of my time on the net and my first rule is - do not share what you do not want other people (as in everyone) to see or know.
With this rule in my mind, I only share my location when I have time to actually meet someone or when I'm at a place I want to recommend to other folks. Lets say you are at a conference and want to notify other people that you are there (for any reason that may be). Well, location based services are perfect for that. If I stop at a coffee shop and have some free time on my hands, I can notify others about my location and perhaps have the chance to meet a friend that is nearby - it's all very dynamic. And, like twitter, leads to some wonderful friendships and partnerships. I believe that as long as you do it your own way, location based services can open a wider space of opportunities. From my brief experience, I can tell you that I've already met some new people just because I checked in at certain places. Think about the difference between talking to someone online and actually meeting them face to face - location based services can complete this circle for you. Overall, it's a powerful tool if you use it wisely.
So which services am I using?
There is quite a long list of services out there so it is not an easy choice, but I use Gowalla because I feel more comfortable with it. The UI looks is truly amazing, the idea of the stamps is fresh, and, now with comment notifications, it is like having a txt group messaging conversation - and it still feels more personal, just like getting SMS. Add to this the ability to send photos in real time, and you get a very sophisticated mobile application.
It still have some room for improvements, including a much needed Blackberry app, but it is already very enjoyable to use, and this is the bottom line. I use services that are fun to use and bring all of your worlds together, making the experience rich and pleasant for the user.
I haven't tried Foursquare so much yet so I can't really tell you which one is better, except for the fact, that Foursquare hasn't really thrilled me yet. The only thing that would make me move is an immense list of friends at one site over another, since ultimately, it is what you need in these kinds of services, but for now, I'm leaning towards Gowalla.
Fundamentally: If you don't want to share your location, don't. But if you run a business, are looking for job and want to network, want to meet the faces on your web stream or in your community, aim to meet a particular person (in a friendly way, don't stalk people) - this is your value add right here. Location based services offer you that window of opportunity, it's up to you how wide or far you open it.
Flickr image credit.
Did you ever imagine that you'd be sharing what you're doing right now with a bunch of people from around the globe? If I had asked you this question 4 years ago, chances are that the answer would have been no. Now Twitter, Facebook and the like have completely changed that. Since the rise of such services, sharing habits have broken all bounds and there is no limit really to what people can share today. Share what you want, no special rules apply.When I started to use Twitter (3/7/07), lots of people kept asking me, what is Twitter, and why on earth would you use such service? Or in other words: who cares about what you're doing right now? Well, some of them did really care, some of them didn't, obviously. But over the years, this sharing behavior was easily adopted by people who never thought they would be sharing their personal life, knowledge, or daily activities with such openness. When people finally grasped how it would benefit them, or their business, and how many other people were doing it, they felt way more comfortable with being so open, transparent, and well, human.
Today someone asked me why am I using location-based service since he simply couldn't see the point in it. My first words of note on this are that people also didn't understand the point of Twitter and look where that went. However, I really do think sharing location is a much more sensitive issue and I'll try to explain it as I see it.
I spend most of my time on the net and my first rule is - do not share what you do not want other people (as in everyone) to see or know.
So which services am I using?
There is quite a long list of services out there so it is not an easy choice, but I use Gowalla because I feel more comfortable with it. The UI looks is truly amazing, the idea of the stamps is fresh, and, now with comment notifications, it is like having a txt group messaging conversation - and it still feels more personal, just like getting SMS. Add to this the ability to send photos in real time, and you get a very sophisticated mobile application.
It still have some room for improvements, including a much needed Blackberry app, but it is already very enjoyable to use, and this is the bottom line. I use services that are fun to use and bring all of your worlds together, making the experience rich and pleasant for the user.
I haven't tried Foursquare so much yet so I can't really tell you which one is better, except for the fact, that Foursquare hasn't really thrilled me yet. The only thing that would make me move is an immense list of friends at one site over another, since ultimately, it is what you need in these kinds of services, but for now, I'm leaning towards Gowalla.
Fundamentally: If you don't want to share your location, don't. But if you run a business, are looking for job and want to network, want to meet the faces on your web stream or in your community, aim to meet a particular person (in a friendly way, don't stalk people) - this is your value add right here. Location based services offer you that window of opportunity, it's up to you how wide or far you open it.
Flickr image credit.
3 Comments:
In your last sentence you actually caught the whole reason, of why NOT use location-based services - the privacy issue.
Even if we pretend for a moment that you follow this rule of yours ("do not share what you do not want other people to see or know") all the time, you bound to have future 'stalkers'. This goes especially if you are belong to the feminine half.
The thing is, that if you still care about your privacy, your whereabouts is the last thing you should post 24/7.
The example you gave, of checking-in to a coffee shop and meeting someone by chance or surprise, could be looked at in 2 different ways: If it's a friend - then indeed, it's great. But what if it isn't a friend?
Paranoia is not one of my best qualities, but I have to admit, that these location-based services, seem to be much more useful for marketing people and recommender systems, than to the common good.
אורלי תודה רבה על התשובה
אני מעריך מאוד את הסיכום של העניין ואת דעתך בנושא
אבל אישית אני מתחבר יותר אל תגובתו של גיא
אני מודה שבטענות שלך יש איזשהו בסיס חיובי
אבל בשורה התחתונה אני מתקשה לתייג את המידע הזה
תחת משהו בעל ערך מוסף
האפליקציות הללו מצליחות מאוד עכשיו אז יכול להיות שאני סוג של מיעוט מיושן - בכל מקרה כך או כך אני נאלץ לומר
לא תודה" לכל הקונספט הזה
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