You Are Here
October 16, 2009It’s Monday morning and you’re sitting there with your coworkers chatting over morning coffee.
“So, what’d you do this weekend?” one of them asks you.
“What, you didn’t see my Gowalla posts on Facebook?”
Maybe you’re wondering what Gowalla is. Well, think of that little “You are here” dot on maps of public spaces. Gowalla is the inverse: “S/he is here” is what it lets your friends know. Chic new bar? Funky second-hand store? Downtown bookstore? Fancy shmancy restaurant? The cornerstore? As Gowalla puts it, “Go out. Go discover. Go share. Gowalla.”
This week Gowalla gets our props for being one of the cool sites we love. Why? What’s so cool about being able to broadcast your location? Well, here at VOO! we like to think of the world/online space as one big playground. And Gowalla lets you make your own personal playground available for all your friends to know, and you don’t necessarily sound like a self-involved ass…
There’s a big difference between “John Smith is at Pinnochio’s Pizza” (as it would appear via Gowalla) and “John Smith is chowing down on a delicious slice of Hawaiian pizza at Pinnochio’s, wishing he were instead drinking a cocktail on a tropical beach while basking in the sun.” You get it: Gowalla lets you play around town and broadcast your comings and goings without overtly sounding “me me me!” And that’s the delicate balance in online social presence, isn’t it? Being able to seem unique and interesting and compelling without coming across as a big narcissistic prick.
Go ahead. Gowalla.
