A Semester's Worth of Observations on Social Networking

When I started this class, I thought I knew all I'd really care to know about social networking. I had a Facebook and a Twitter account that I used regularly, and I really wasn't interested in joining any other sites. In fact, when we started our comparison projects, I considered sticking with Twitter for one of the sites. When I thought about what Dr. Davis said about the project and that we shouldn't do something we were too invested in, though, I realized something: I love Twitter.

I really, really do. I've learned a lot about it over the course of the semester, too, as I've devoted a lot of time to being involved in and studying another site: Foursquare.

My first big Twitter-happening of the semester came when I was told at work (in a Representative's office at the Texas Capitol) that my tweet about being excited to be off work for MLK day had ended up in my boss' daily update about her name on the internet. For a few hours after that, I had a crisis of conscience that ended in my setting my Twitter account to private.

But, to me, there's a problem with that. What am I doing on Twitter if I make it private? If I didn't ever actually "microblog" and simply used the site for news (which I think would be a completely legitimate use of the site) having a private account would make sense. But when I put an opinion of mine or link something I think people should see to my Twitter account, I want people to see it. In fact, I'm more likely to want people who don't know me to see it - my friends are already pretty well-informed of my opinion on most issues.

So, after a six hour private-account hiatus, I was back to tweeting.
I love Twitter, and I love the ways I use it. Occasionally I'm "retweeted" by someone I think is important or who I have a lot of respect for, and when it happens, I get really excited. If my account were private, I couldn't have the same influence. I certainly don't simply use the site to tweet my own feelings.

When we discussed where we got our news at the beginning of the semester, I said mainly on Twitter. This has proved true, and I actually heard on Twitter that the President would be giving an address before television news stations announced that the address would be about the death of Osama bin Laden (who we discussed in connection with Bert and Viral Texts at the beginning of the semester, interestingly).

All of this has been a long-winded way of saying that I am glad of two things, especially:

1. This class has given me an appreciation of SNSs in general and the role they can play for us even when we can't codify what participating in them (think: checking in everywhere you go) really satisfies for a user.

2. I didn't try to be critical of Twitter-use. I'm guessing, after the Twitter fangirl moment I just had, that I wouldn't have been very good at it. This was one of the great parts of the course, though. We got the opportunity to really explore something that was similar to our norm, but was apart from it. In this way, I think we have gotten the opportunity to really consider our "real" and "virtual" lives.

Foursquare's competitive edge

One of the biggest things I noticed when I joined Foursquare has become even more pronounced: Foursquare is competitive.

When I joined Foursquare, the "Mayor" system, where a member is rewarded with the status of Mayor for being the person to check in the most at a particular venue, was the most obvious way the site encouraged competition, but since I've been there, the site has taken it up a notch.

The point system, implemented about a month ago, gives users points for their check-ins. As far as I can tell, one only gets points for the sake of getting points. The site also awards "badges" for checking in at certain types of venues, for example, but there has not yet been any indication that members will be receiving badges based on their points. So why do we get points?

Well...members are now encouraged to keep going -- check in everywhere you can! Check in at places you've never been and get more points! Check in somewhere your friends have never been and get extra points! Check in somewhere at least three times a week and get extra points!

Every time you get points for a check in, Foursquare reminds you how many points you got, tells you if you passed any friends in total points for the week, and encourages you to pass the friend you're closest to catching. All of this seems to really just be competition for the sake of competition.

My guess is that this must be Foursquare's way of trying to get its members to check in at every venue they visit. Some people, as I've mentioned in class, only check in to certain places that will create a "cool" Foursquare persona. Perhaps the site is using its new point system as a way to boost its stats, so to speak. If people are checking in more often, as my friends have been since the change, Foursquare will be able to boast about the amounts of check-ins that are taking place on the site.

Have any of you seen your sites using competition in this way?