Living in the age of pervasive social-networking, I take a small amount of personal pride in still living a relatively detached life.  Sure, I’ve got a Facebook, I’ve got a Myspace (but who uses that anymore?), a LinkedIn, and a Tumblr, upon none of which I am particularly active.

I understand the appeal of social-networking sites and services.  It is fun to hop online and waste 5 hours reading every mundane thought that my friends post on Facebook.  But try as I might (and I do try), I just can’t seem to sink my teeth into it.  I miss the mystery that comes with catching up with an old friend.  It feels like these days there is less and less reason to ask someone what they’ve been up to or how their weekend was.  I already know.  I read about it on Facebook.

Going against almost everything I just said, I have taken to the iPhone/iPod app Foursquare with reckless abandon.  All the application does is broadcast your location to your Foursquare friends, your Twitter, your Facebook, or to no one if you like.  The purpose of the application is to let your friends know where you are, and serves as an implied invitation to come and join the fun!

The application is organized by city and uses GPS to identify your location in order to list “venues” nearby.  Once you find the listing for the venue you’re at, check-in!  Checking-in sends an alert to your Foursquare friends letting them know your location.  There is also a point system and badges to earn, which makes the application feel like a game.  Bonus!

The reason that I really enjoy Foursquare is that it ultimately works to facilitate face-to-face interaction.  Enjoying the company of friends in real-life is always better than hanging out online.

Does it feel a little bit like stalking? Yes.  Knowing when and where my friends go for their morning coffee is a strange topic for an alert.  You take the boring with the fun though.  Those same coffee-loving friends check into more exciting places, too.

Because it seems I don’t have a choice about being in constant contact with my friends and family, I have decided to at least adopt a method of connectivity that leads me to their presence, rather than their persona.