Calgary was added to the list of cities used by Foursquare today. Foursquare is a social networking tool that goes beyond the simple ‘what are you doing?’ idea used by Twitter and Facebook status updates to ask ‘where are you?’
My experience with Foursquare, so far, has been via Twitter where I see my friends stating things like “I am at [this store] at [this address]” and it lists the exact address of where you are. I have even seen people become the ‘Mayor’ of a store/coffee shop/whereever they are, which, as I found by reading this article, you become a ‘mayor’ by playing the ’virtual game in which participants earn badges for checking in at various locations; those that check in most become a venue’s “mayor”‘ I have yet to see the ‘game’ aspect of Foursquare, aside from seeing a few people become the mayor of a location.
 

After it being in place for one day in Calgary, it has already made me uncomfortable and made me feel a bit privacy-invaded. Example: There is a coffee shop down the street from me where I like to stop and get lattes and I spend some evenings there reading the newspaper or a good book. I guess it is involved with Foursquare because I saw a guy I follow on Twitter tweet ‘I am at [my coffee shop] at [this address]“. I happened to be heading there for a coffee about an hour after that, and I became unsure about going because I knew he was there. Now, I have absolutely nothing against this person, and I have never met them in person, but I just felt so uncomfortable being there, knowing he was there too.
If I knew he was there and I was there too do I have some kind of social obligation to say hi to him? Did he recognize me? (I was the sketchy girl looking around all shifty-eyed.)

I will not be joining Foursquare. Between this blog and being active on Twitter, I need to have a modicum of privacy in my day to day life. I hope that Foursquare doesn’t prevent me from enjoying my favourite hangouts within my city from people advertising that they are there too. (I can be very awkward in person.)

Will you be joining Foursquare? What are your thoughts on it?