Squish Blogs!

One of my favorite things to do when at an event, especially an event that I've never been to, is share my experience via social media. Sharing pictures, video, text updates, and meeting up with other people that are talking about the same event online generates an entirely different experience than just going to the event. You share it with the world, and you are able to meet the people you communicate with online face to face, creating a stronger relationship with your network.

The Indy 500 was supposed to be another one of those events for me and thousands of other fans. As a Central Indiana resident for over 20 years, it was very exciting to be going to my first ever race. There were so many people there that I could have connected with due to the SuperSwarm badge that Foursquare users unlocked, and Tweets categorized with the hashtag #Indy500 on Twitter, but because of lack of service, I was unable to meet up with any of them because I could not use my iPhone to communicate with them. It took about 10 different tries to catch the phone call from new friends that we had met the night before who invited us up to their penthouse seats to see the start of the race. We just about missed that amazing opportunity...

I can't go back and redo the 94th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, so I do hope that the IMS and cell coverage providers will take note that there were a lot of folks disappointed yesterday because they couldn't Tweet, TwitPic, TwitVid, Facebook, etc... as much as they would like to have, and address the issue for future events at IMS.

There are a lot of people that were unable to get to the Indy 500 that live vicariously through the social media press... This was a huge missed opportunity for the Indy 500, and sadly, the people experiencing outages (myself included) weren't scared to share their thoughts on the coverage with their friends... A great day in racing, but a sad day for the cell providers.

My Twitter friend Jason, a.k.a. @hazmatmedic, asked me what Foursquare was after seeing me check in at Squish Designs, and unlocking the Local and Bender badges. My response to him is one that I thought would make a great blog post for all those wondering what it is.

Jason,

Foursquare is an up and coming social media platform. In fact, it has been predicted to be the next Twitter. It’s along the lines of the other sites that you check in to let your friends know where you are at, but it adds a bit of a game/competition to the mix along with some added fun promotion for the places you check in at. For example, last night when I stopped for dinner at Whiskey River Bar & Grill, my friends in Indy may not have ever heard of the place, so now it’s a new spot for someone to try. Also, if when I check in somewhere, one of my friends is at that location as well, we can meet up. The competition comes in when you earn the badges or even become the mayor of the check in point. I will probably be the only one to become the mayor of Squish, but each time someone sees me check in at Squish Designs, it’s another time that they have heard our name.

Some see it as a waste of time, others see it as stupid because they don’t know why anyone would want to tell everyone where they are, but I think it’s fun, and it’s a great way to publicize your favorite spots.

If you have an iPhone it makes it a ton easier to check in. I’m sure that the Blackberry has an app too, but I don’t have one, so I’m not sure…

Have you been using Foursquare? What do you think of it so far?

Like many busy people, I love the convenience of having the internet on my SmartPhone. I use the Opera browser to access the internet from my AT&T Moto Q9. Other things that I use my phone for are texting, Instant Messaging, staying up to date on my Twitter account via ceTwit, GPS, and searching for businesses and shopping near me.

This is Chess, it ain't checkers....a more socially correct form of Denzel Washington's quote to Ethan Hawk during the movie training day.  It is as important now as it has ever been to have an actual strategy that you that directs your business' interaction online.  From a strong business website, the decision to use eCommerce, the people in your business who represent your blogs, all these decisions need to be considered as any company plans its online future.  While there are many applications which may draw your eye, buzz words like adsense, adwords, blogs, social networking, etc., it becomes increasingly important that we strive to understand how these concepts can be used.  I find that the game of chess is relatable to the technology community constantly striving for new and innovative ways to emerging technology to benefit our society.  I hope we all remember that it is about the strategy we push forward not the blunt force of pushing ahead because we have to...

I used to wonder if I were an anti-technologist.  Quite too often I choose not use or research emerging technologies, especially in the social media realm.  After some time to think about my motives for avoiding the craze, I have an answer.  I think too often as a society we use technology for the sake of using it, not because it is effective or makes us more efficient.