Foursquare and over-share

Last month I was interviewed for an article about Foursquare. Turns out it made it to on the front page on the Sunday paper! Anyways, I thought I should post the part of the article I’m in on here.

You can view the whole article at The Post & Courier. Article by Andy Paras & photo by Brad Nettles.

Mary Morelli has never run for political office but she knows all about the perks and pratfalls of being a mayor.

The James Island woman is an avid user of Foursquare, one of a number of location-based social networks that allows smartphone and laptop users to “check in” to businesses and events in exchange for discounts and rewards.

In Foursquare, the best discounts go to “mayors” — the person who checks in the most during the past 60 days. During the summer, Morelli and another user battled back and forth over mayorship of a North Charleston Starbucks so they could claim the $1 discount on coffee.

“To keep it you have to keep checking in,” Morelli said.

Anyone with a Facebook page or a Twitter feed has seen an increase in number of posts and maps showing exactly where the user is — and in some ways where they’re not. And while businesses see potential in the small but growing number of geolocation service users, law enforcement officers see a potential for crime if the technology isn’t used carefully.