Tryouts Continuing

I have now been using both foursquare and Gowalla for a little over a week and I must say, I am torn between the two. Both of them have features I like, both of them would benefit from some aspect of the other. I guess as of now I am a Gosquare fan.

Gowalla has more of a travel based theme, with it's passport type stamps, region based pins and the trips component that allows you to design or follow trips as you collect stamps in your passport. However, that clearly will show up as one starts to travel out of town, something I have not done yet and something I do not do as a regular part of my employment or leisure time activity.

foursquare has more of a social theme to it, it seems the interaction with others is more of a driver to it than the travel aspect of Gowalla. The badges are not as pretty to look at as the stamps and pins of Gowalla, but there seems to be more of an aspect of measuring yourself against others as opposed to your self. Just one check of the leader board will give you that feel.

I ran across this blog entry on EverythingEverywhere recently that really goes into some detail and I found it on the mark and a realistic assessment from someone who has tried it more than I. You can read this to get a real appreciation of the differences between the two.

As a result, I also stumbled across check.in, a way of checking into both services simultaneously, which makes it a little easier to manage both and continue the tryouts. Easier, that is, when it works and actually locates the spot I am checking into.

The bottom line is that the tryouts continue for several reasons. Indecision (likely), desire to be fair to the process I have established and allow more time to fully vet my experiences with the two (possibly). Check.in is allowing that to be a little easier.

Or maybe I just like collecting stamps and pins and badges (most likely).

Technorati Tags: foursquare, Gowalla, social media, Check.in, EverythingEverywhere

Try Outs (foursquare vs. Gowalla)

The past few days I have begun experimenting with my next avenue of social media. Location based social media. I understand I am way behind the curve here, but gimme a break. I'm a boomer and I am trying. The two I have chosen to play with are foursquare and Gowalla. I have been on foursquare a few days longer so I am more familiar, but after experiencing a bout of overcapacity issues this evening (can you say fail whale?), I decided to test in tandem.

So far, Gowalla seems to have the better graphics; Gowalla artwork on the pins and stamps is much better than the badges of foursquare. But foursquare just has badges (at least I think that is all); Gowalla has pins and stamps and items (which can be swapped some how). Gowalla seems a bit more confusing, but that could be my basic unfamiliarity with Gowalla as of yet.

Time will tell. I cannot see myself staying on both for very long, one has to win out over the other. I do not know which way it will go, but I will try to make it a long enough tryout to make a reasoned determination.

Any thoughts? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Technorati Tags: foursquare, Gowalla, social media

Social Media Implosion

I blew up my Twitter account today and started over. I kept the same user name, Ancoti, but deactivated and reactivated the account, the second time I have done this. Don't ask me why, I felt I needed a fresh start.

I had to change my user name and email before I deactivated to preserve the ability to use them again, which I did. I reactivated so fast I actually think I hacked my own account and had to reset things to preserve the sanctity of my account. I started getting you have been compromised messages from twitter. Yeah, self-compromised.

So, in a twinkling of an eye, 16,368 followers were wiped off my account. I had been aggressively working my totals up to see where it would go and now they are all (or almost all, I have one follower now) gone. This is what happens when you let let an aging boomer dabble in social media. he gets bored every once in a while and wants to restart things to see which direction he will go in now.

So, it is low, low profile for a while, see who finds me, through this blog or an announcement on my facebook profile. A more rational approach to twitterlife for a bit. You really cannot follow 16,368 people effectively, but you can get that many on your account if you want. Not sure how high I could have gone, but what's the point?

So I am back after a 30 second hiatus. Roughly. Maybe a minute and a half is more like it.

Did you miss me, twitterverse?

A Narrowly Missed Anniversary

It was one year ago tomorrow that the first post appeared on The Narrow Road. At that time I was not sure where this was going (I am still not), what I would post on (still not sure what i actually covered) and if anyone would bother to read it (I mean why, really, why?).

As I look back, it is clear to me that I have gotten the most benefit out of the blog (not being selfish, just realistic). It even inspired a project for one of my seminary classes, A Trinity of 3, a blog that got me through trinitarianism in one piece last semester. Never would have done that if I had not been doing this.

I pray that those that read this blog got some benefit out of my meanderings, I have appreciated your input and comments over the past year. It amazed me that I found something to write about every day, I have posted daily since September 24th of last year. Was not trying to set any sort of record, it was what it was.

But at this time, I feel the need for a break. So, I will be taking a sabbatical from blogging for an as of yet undetermined period of time. It is clear that I find my faith walk and reflections thereon the prime topic of my blogging, and right now I need to spend time immersed in that without thinking about writing about it.

This is a pretty rigorous social media fast. I have stopped tweeting, have already blown up my Twitter account. I have deactivated Facebook. This is the last step. A 40 day blog fast. Maybe. As far as the others, we will see if we go back.

Thank you for the past year. With the Lord's grace, I will figure out the next steps. I hope to be here again in the future.

So What Did I Miss?

I did a "media fast" yesterday. Stayed off the grid and out of touch with the world of the internet, TV, radio, newspapers, you name it.

So what did I miss?

• An 8% drop in the stock market. Boy, that never ever happens!
• A presidential debate. Man, I am sure positions were clarified and observers illuminated. Not sure how I will catch up.
• Staring at my PC screen. Enough said.

It was interesting, I had the urge to log in and log on early in the day, but that quickly passed. And then, I was fine. I used the time for more prayer and reflection. I used the time to study for my theology midterm today. Which lead to more prayer and reflection.

But it was time well spent, or maybe time not spent. Not spent immersed in myself or social media. Not spent blogging, or reading blogs, or cruising on Facebook. But time well spent reflecting on my Lord, talking with Him a little more, and a little more closely. Time very well spent.

I will do it again the next two weeks as my pastor challenged us to do.

Who knows, it may become a habit: Wednesdays without the www...

To Befriend and De-friend

As a professionally trained accountant, I spent decades tracking, measuring and reporting numbers. I apparently have some talent for doing so, or else people have just been nice to me in the past; telling me that and paying me for supposedly doing that. I do not do that anymore for a living (Hi. My name is Andy, and I am an accountant), but I still in my mind measure and track numbers from time to time.

So I notice when numbers change. Like when I lose a Facebook friend. I may not know who, and I do not try to track them down and find out why (But Mom! I am your youngest son! How could you de-friend me like that! What are people going to think? What are they going to think about ME?)

But what is apparent is how easy it is to make friends in social media, and how darned easy it is to get rid of them. Click a hotlink and they are gone; and they might not even know you are gone as well. And let's be honest, you have probably been on both sides of that equation. Haven't you? I thought so.

My questions are:

• What responsibility to we have to maintain, to cultivate friendships that spring up for us solely on social media; friendships in which the chance of any face to0 face encounter is quite small?
  
• Do we run the risk of becoming quite callous in our casual friendships?
  
• Will this attitude spill over into the face to face interactions we have?