A couple of weeks ago, I did a lengthy interview with a reporter doing a story on geo-location. The angle was how geo-location services was the next, big thing but it was easy to tell my answers weren't what she was seeking because my focus was how people need to be aware of the negatives of broadcasting your location.
Perhaps it's my personal approach or my demographics but the idea of broadcasting my location has never captured my imagination. I just don't see enough benefits to surrender one of the few remaining bastions of personal privacy. When I hear "check-in", it conjures up images of George Orwell's "1984″.
It does make me wonder whether I'm on the outside looking in given the tremendous willingness to share anything and everything via social media services. Foursquare may have two million users but you have to ask who are these people and why are they so enthusiastic about telling the world where they are.
Sure, Foursquare awards badges so there is a gaming element, and the tips can offer some information about different locations. But is there really an upside to broadcasting your location so friends and family can possibly meet you at that spot. Isn't that what phone calls, e-mail or text-messaging accomplishes?
While geo-location has tremendous potential, Foursquare is simply a small, initial step that could be looked back upon with "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time". It could be that broadcasting your location is the wrong use of the technology.
The right services may be those in which you provide your location on a when-needed base to get information at the right time and place. For example, Yelp's iPhone app is a great way to find nearby restaurants, stores, etc. so I have no problem telling Yelp where I'm located when required.
This explains why I rarely use Foursquare, although I do feel some obligation given part of my consulting business is social media strategy. It is hard to provide clients with advice either way without knowing what the services offers. While I'm active on social media and share a lot of information, it's mostly professional, and rarely about who I'm meeting or where I'm located because it's something that needs to be shared.
Meanwhile, there are many people in my digital circles who are enthusiastic Foursquare users. They broadcast their locations on a regular basis so I know only know what they're doing and thinking but where they are located. To be honest, it feels like too much information.
The inspiration for this post was a blog post by Ari Herzog on why he deleted his Foursquare account. He talks about a couple of people who had some troubling experiences with Foursquare after recognizing people they didn't know had lots of information about them.
Herzog's decision may be drastic or an anomaly but it doesn't surprise me. My sense is the geo-location pendulum swung way to far in one direction because of the novelty, and that it's now going to swing back when more people start to realize there is a downside to broadcasting your location.
Using these services isn't like sharing links about interesting blog posts or newspaper articles, which may provide people with a sense of your interests or thoughts; geo-location provides information about your location, personal habits and activities. They can provide a detailed snapshot of how you're living your life - something you may want to think twice about.