Geolocation applications allow you to share your location with other people and associate that location to restaurants, events, and other real-world venues. Using GPS chips embedded in your smartphone and latitude/longitude addresses, it is fairly easy for me to log into an app such as Foursquare, Loopt, or Google Latitude and (if your privacy settings allow me to) see who is proximate to my location. In this vein, if you share your location with the world, you are inviting the world to come over and introduce themselves.
This privacy intrusion is why I deleted my Foursquare account two years ago. I didn’t want the world to know where I was unless I explicitly told them.
But I returned to the Foursquare community last winter and now share my check-ins on a daily basis. While my “friends” on the app are people I’ve met in the flesh and live in New England, I am also aware if I check into a location I can see other people who checked in there — and they can see me.
I shared my location at Starbucks yesterday and observed a woman named Danielle checked in 11 minutes earlier. Her picture was attached to her name. I blew up her picture on my phone to see what she looked like, and I noticed her sitting with an iced coffee several feet away doing something on her iPad. I pondered walking up to her and saying, “Hi Danielle. I’m Ari. I saw you checked in on Foursquare as I just did.” But I didn’t. She was immersed on her tablet and didn’t want to bother her. But should I have said anything? Isn’t that how social networking works?
Asking my Facebook friends if they would randomly approach me if they didn’t know me and saw me checked into a location through a geolocational app, the varied responses are telling:
It is notable that responses 1 and 3 are from people who also tweet and are active across social networking channels.
But to response 2, how influential does introversion play a part when you and the other person share a common interest? If you’re both at Starbucks, that limits the stranger aspect than if you were both checked into Walmart.
I extend the question to you:
If you knew someone was in the same location as you because you both used a smartphone app and the app told you that fact, would you approach the stranger and say hi?
About Ari Herzog
Hi Ari,
Your words caught my attention:” She was immersed on her tablet and didn’t want to bother her. ” It made me think of this top tweet: “Sometimes the people you think don’t want to talk to you, are the ones waiting for you to talk to them.”
And my own experience and what my friends share to me that people are uncomfortable about being alone and would read a book in public or fiddle with their gadgets to look ‘not alone’.
And also the fact we risk rejection when we approach strangers, and that people are wary of being approached. But then as human beings, we need a social network or a wide circle of friends to be happy and healthy!
So I’m excited to share with you a mobile app that we’ve developed to help people initiate a friendly approach by starting conversations using a social, mobile, communication platform called Jabberly. It’s a peer to peer communication platform that leverages foursquare checkins.
*Would it have helped, if you could say hello first using a mobile app?
We are planning to launch in June and hope to see you and your readers sign up for beta testing!
Regards,
Celina Macaisa
http://www.jabberly.com
Making Local More Social- ‘Mobile app for Building Hyperlocal Relationships’
I think you raise a good point that you expose yourself to this experience when signing in to locations on Foursquare. If you would feel uncomfortable with other Foursquare guests approaching you in Starbucks, then what is your reason for announcing you are there? What else would you expect?
Last week, The New York Times published an article about the use of Facebook likes in sponsored ads. Some people who click “like” on Facebook pages are not aware and might not appreciate that their endorsements are shown in ads to friends. That’s why Facebook uses the “like” language, so it can sell this action as an endorsement. No matter what a user intends when clicking that button, the language is clear, and the user’s endorsement can be included in Sponsored ads.
The actions we take online mean something, and we cannot afford to be naive about the ways others interpret our actions.
It could vary from person to person. Response no. 2 is very interesting and something I can personally relate to. Being an introverted person, I would probably never approach someone in person if I were to discover he/she was also signed in nearby/close by/in my proximity. But then, what good are these apps?
Like the comment above said, maybe it wouldve been a good idea to say hi through the app first?
On a sidenote, I do think that Foursquare is a bit pointless. ‘Checking into’ locations is fun at first but it gets boring and redundant real fast. Or maybe thats just me. I dont know but Ive always felt that Facebook checkins usually get a lot more responses (like, comments, shares, etc) than 4sq ones.
Interesting article Ari, I had missed the one about you rejoining, as to the best of my knowledge, you has left!
Your question is a good one…
I am not sure about myself. It depends on the nature of the meeting, where is it, who is there, are you alone, am I alone, have you mentioned on social media that you would like people to say hi, or have you just declared your location?
Usually, I would probably not, unless we had met in some physical form (inc phone/Skype etc.) before.
By declaring where you are, are you not inviting people in the area to find you? If not, why let people know where you are?
“Hey everyone, I am here! What? Why have you come here too? For me? Oh…”
Oh yes – The privacy policy is one that you need to keep in mind when using Foursquare. Luckily I don’t mind that people gets to see minor demographic details of mine. And to answer your question at the end of the post – Yes, If it’s not too personal I think that I would approach someone in person. The potential for Business is there and can be taken advantage of.
Thanks for the share. There are many things that you can do to approach someone in foursquare. But how you put up with the topic and how you discuss it bit by bit is quite impressive. Thank you so much for sharing and I really had a great time reading your blog.
I think it really depends on the app. An app like Foursquare really doesn’t do much besides let you see who else might be using Foursquare near you. It’s not really an interest. But if it was an app geared to a particular social interest that we could talk about, like users who read The Onion, then I’d talk. However if the person was hot and I wanted to get to know them better I’d definitely use the app as an excuse to talk!
Interesting these apps seem to continue to delete the lines of privacy and they’re opt in. The world we live in is very strange I don’t know how good of an idea it is to meet up with strangers?
What’s the risk reward?
It’s amazing how technology is removing barriers of networking. Thank you for sharing your find on these cool apps. About your question, if both used the smartphone app to network with people, then probably they would be expecting someone to go up to them and say hi. Always the better option would be the ability to say hi on mobile phone itself, before meeting in person, so that you are no intruding the other persons privacy. So I won’t go up to a person and say hi, just because he signed in that place. Also you can’t tell, in what mood the other person is or if they are in a position to or have the time to say hi.
Why would you want to speak to someone just because she/he checked in on FourSquare ?
There has to be something more, doesn’t there, something more than that you both clicked a similar button on your cell phones?
Do you remember your first comment on my blog in March 2009? There was something — between what I wrote, what Heidi suggested, and what you felt — that came together to inspire you to converse with me. Why should the spark be different seeing someone who checked into a location where you checked in too?
I read my first comment from March 2009 with some trepidation, but it seems I was OK then – which is a relief.
I am impressed that your neurones made the connection.
I agree with you that seeing someone who checked in can be all that is needed to strike up a conversation. ‘Seeing someone’ is a big deal for us human beings – our senses are fine-tuned for picking up the vibe of people.
In short, the ‘seeing’ can definitely be enough – but the mechanical click of a foursquare check-in is (in my view) is just a hook, but not a reason to venture forth.
Well I will contact or say hello to someone If I met them through my friends circle. But If I don’t know anyone and I found a person through an App I am willing to introduce myself to see if they are in same boat as I am i.e. lonely @checkIn Place. So it depends because strangers are not always fun to talk to because they can cause serious issues depending on `What` they are nature wise. I had couple of Bad experiences, One: when a said hello to a mother of 2 and first thing she said was, yeah champ what the Hell do you want?? I was like mam’ I mistook you for someone else.
so I avoid saying hello unless I am 50-60% sure that person whom I am going to talk to could be willing.
Cheers
Jas
I don’t know if I should be happy about this or not. It’s a little creepy but in the same time cool. LOL. But I guess I’m going to try it anyway. Thanks for sharing!
I think it really is established by the app. An app like Foursquare really does not do much besides let you see who else might be using Foursquare near you. It’s not really a new. But if it was an app developed to a particular community interest that we could discuss, like clients who research The Red red onion, then I’d discuss. However if the person was hot and I preferred to get to know them better I’d definitely use the app as an purpose to talk..Thanks for the sharing..