In the past few months, I’ve noticed that some of my more tech-savvy friends have been using Foursquare, a geo-location service that has got the digerati all excited. At first I was dumbfounded why these friends were announcing to the rest of the world where they can be found.

It seems like such a ridiculous thing to do. But then again, many people said the same thing about Twitter when it first came to prominence. Why bother with micro-blogging? What can you possibly convey in 140 characters? Isn’t it a waste of time?

And I recall myself wondering what the whole point of Facebook was when I was first introduced to it. At the time it seemed like just a directory of people with status updates about what they were doing or thinking. Big deal, right?

NONELittle did I expect that Facebook and Twitter would go on to revolutionise  the way people share and communicate things. So, although I am personally not enthralled by geo-location services I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

There are many players in this burgeoning geo-location scene (Google already has two such services in Buzz and Latitude, and Apple recently filed a patent for geo-location services) but the one that’s generating the most buzz is Foursquare.

It basically allows you to announce, to those in your network, where you are at any particular point of time: a shop, restaurant, bar, nightclub, etc.

What’s the point of that? Well, it can serve as a kind of friend-finder. If you know where your buddies are, and you happen to be nearby, you can pop in and say “hi”. And you don't have to worry about being intrusive because the very fact that they are announcing their location indicates that they would like others to know where they are.

Value in ‘reviews’ element

But the real value of Foursquare probably lies in what can best be described as the “reviews” element whereby users can enter information about the establishment they are at. For example, if you are in a restaurant you can recommend which dishes to order.

NONEThis is classic user-generated content (UCG), which can be good and bad. Sometimes, UCG can be very informative and useful. Other times UCG is juvenile and a waste of time. Just check out the comments section of the most popular blogs and you’ll get a sense of what a mixed bag UCG can be.

There is also a gaming element to Foursquare which apparently adds to its appeal. Whenever you check in on Foursquare, you will earn points. You can also earn different kinds of virtual badges. And if you visit a certain place more often than anyone else, you'll get crowned the “mayor” of that place. Some of my friends get a real kick out of it. That could be because I know a lot of techies and web-savvy types.

Actually, come to think of it, my friends who are on Foursquare are all techies. None of my “regular” friends are on it yet. So, Foursquare can hardly be called mainstream though it’s picking up momentum.

Normally I’m an early adopter of new technologies. I started using Facebook at a time when Friendster was still all the rage, and if I’m not the first Malaysian to be on Twitter, I’m pretty sure I was amongst the first. But I’m not a Foursquare user.

Value of privacy

Of course I’ve registered with the site but so far I've not been motivated to use it. Not only does becoming a mayor of a restaurant have zero appeal to me (ditto for points and badges), I don’t regularly want other people to know where I am. I’m not anti-social but there is something to be said about privacy.

Will I ever embrace geo-location? Never say never. I might be tempted to become a mayor of a restaurant, for example, if it earns me valuable discounts. But the development that most likely will get me going on geo-location is when Facebook and Twitter start rolling out their own geo-location services (which is already in the works).

I’m a big fan of efficiency. If I am to use geo-location, I don’t want to have to go through the trouble of signing onto a dedicated geo-location service. I want to be able to do it straight off Facebook or Twitter, the two social media services that I use regularly.  

So, when I’m making a status update at a time when I welcome others knowing where I am (say, when I’m giving a talk or when I’m bumming around in a Starbucks), if all I have to do is tick an option on Facebook or Twitter to announce my location, then I might just do it. Until then the only geo-location device I’ll use is the GPS in my car!

OON YEOH is a new media consultant. His upcoming book on social media will be published by MPH in July. He invites you to connect with him via Twitter and Facebook.