Comments on: Thursday Signal: Are You Checked In?

By: PC

PC — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:16:36 +0000

To the people who have fear about the security: Try it out yourself. If you understand the location-based model, your fears will likely be calmed. After all, can't one be paranoid and say "people can Google me and find my personal info!"

The way these location-based products work is that:

1) There has to be an explicit action by the user to declare their location. So if you don't want people to know where you are, they won't know.

2) The only people notified are your friends. So if you're afraid that your friends will break into your house while you're out, then you have other issues to worry about.

I thing going forward privacy will always be a top priority... but then this is the case for many technologies these days like photo sharing, social networking and even email. There's no reason why location can't be solved in the same ways.

By: David

David — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:40:51 +0000

thank you for share. it is worth to read it.

By: coxy

coxy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:45:17 +0000

I love location-based services but understand that people are worried about using them, fore visitors to your stream are aware that you're away from home.

However, most people that have these worries are quite happy to post status updates that say "Having an awesome time on holiday with the kids" or "Going away for the weekend" - but then freak out when you're actually linking this status update to a map of your actual location.

Anyway, that aside, I'm a fan of Brightkite as well as Foursquare. I'm not quite sure one service has managed to nail it yet and get it completely right.

The privacy options on Brightkite are great, though.

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:04:13 +0000

I agreed Bart’s point that some variant of this location-based model will give people the knowledge and confidence increase their exploration and enjoyment of the world around them, Thank you Perhaps~

By: Phil Bradley

Phil Bradley — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:14:54 +0000

Perhaps I'm simply being paranoid, but these are insane tools to use. Simply by seeing where you are, what you're doing, and when you're doing it gives a burglar the perfect opportunity to have a go at your home, safe in the knowledge that you're not about to come home and surprise him.

There is *no way* that I'd use one of these things.

By: jimjerky

jimjerky — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:09:20 +0000

John,

Hate to say it but you are very early. No one is really using Foursquare and there are already 6 or 7 alternatives.

But, we can always count on you to react to the fad du jour.

By: Bart

Bart — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:47:21 +0000

Nice insight, John! I am really pleased you see the power in these mere "games."

It is a brave new world, adding the database of actions to the database of intentions (equally fraught with privacy concerns, but perhaps equally powerful).

Tied in with your social graph, interests, and search history, some variant of this location-based model will give people the knowledge and confidence increase their exploration and enjoyment of the world around them.

Early days in this stuff of course, excited to be a part of it!