Are you a ‘fake’ mayor?

I’m not! I hope you aren’t. I’m watching you .. let’s move on.

Are you a Foursquare fan?

I am, and if you’re my friend on Facebook, please don’t take offense to my frequent location postings (you can block them in FB, you know).

For those new to all this stuff, Foursquare is sort of a location-based Twitter .. folks check in to locations, have the option to Tweet or update their FB status and advise anyone who cares where they are. They can even ‘shout’ about what they’re doing (shouting only occurs after the first cup of coffee -or- the first drink, of course). The system tabulates the results and keeps track of where everyone is, and was. Oh: it even assigns mayors to those who visit locations often .. that is, more than anyone else in the past two months.

:: whew ::

To give you an idea of how important this is, FrankArr and I are in an epic battle over the hizzoner-ness of Kirkland Parkplace (you’ll find my east side 24 Hour Fitness and the Kirkland Parkplace Starbucks in the vicinity, so I’m in the neighborhood a lot .. he just has the gall to live close by).

Do you see the drama?

Okay. There’s no drama. It’s just a fun location-based-services thing to do with a mobile device and folks who consider themselves among  my friends (happy to have you, by the way).

Yes: I find it fun.

Ahem: Let me proclaim: I am not a fake mayor. I interact, transact and impact folk in the various venues in which I check in. Do they remember me? Probably .. I’m the guy buying a triple-tall, vanilla soy latte, telling the raucous story or using the restroom. Twice.

So .. what do you get for being mayor? It’s cereal, baby: nut-tin honey (‘nothing honey’ for the late-80s TV-deficient).

That said .. it seems that there is value in certain markets (into none of which I’ve been able to worm my way). Check out ReadWriteWeb for “Foursquare Lays Down the Law on Fake Mayors” .. there are hot spots that give preferential treatment to those of us who keep their staff entertained.

For the rest of us, it’s an LBS-thing to do. I do it with my spiffy Android phone client (I carry the HTC Aria from AT&T). As it’s GPS-enabled, it tends to keeps all of us honest when checking in.

Protect your mayorships .. I will see you soon.