Now I've Seen Everything --- I THINK? Foursquare---or For Scare?

Mashable had an interesting story today that really made me sit up and take notice..."Astronaut Checks in to Foursquare from Outer Space"

Really?

Call me a jurist who is still out - (there ARE many who are "in") but I still think that Foursquare.com is a good tip off for stalkers and burglars.  We may as well call the up-and-coming popular site,  HeyComeRobMyHouseAndStealAllOfMyPosessions.com  -- especially if you are floating out in orbit.

I often wonder how folks on parole with electronic monitoring bracelets feel about Foursquare, and if they ever share their locations. Seems like it would be a Big Brother Redundancy to some folks, No? (Not me).

On the creative side, NASA Astronaut Doug Wheelock did what any PR person strives for - originality, being a trendsetter and causing a seismic ripple.  We can consider him StarTrek-esque as he, along with Admiral Byrd, Sir Edmund Hillary and Roger Bannister had gone where no man has gone before - albeit with electronic capability.  But Wheelock was able to instantaneously prove and share it with the world (maybe more than 1 world?).  Each of the aforementioned pioneers crossed their respective barriers and made the stratosphere a bit closer.  Social media is doing just that-crossing barriers and bringing people together.

I thought I saw everything, but I will make a social media prediction.  We will soon see a Foursquare post:  "I am in Orbit -- w/2,458 others"

OK, I'm outta here.  But I am not telling you where I am headed.  GPS, Cell Phone and all electronic devices (full disclosure, no ankle monitoring bracelet here) are all off.

But I'll be back --- maybe with Doug Wheelock...

Social Media 2010 – “It’s Like Television in 1946” – But Better

Hey – We’re really onto something here with social media.  Speaking as a long-time PR pro, the best part is that our profession has a lot of influence in how it is used.  Most notable is how we tap our clients to utilize it effectively to obtain their objective – sales, recognition, opinion shaping, brand building, fan clubs, etc.

But we are just in the infancy of it.  As a person who is of a futuristic mind (NOTE: keep this thought when you reach the last paragraph), I am always wondering, “what’s next – how can we maximize what we are doing?”

As I sit here pondering, Social Media reminds me a little bit of what Television was like in 1946.  The only difference in the mindset is, from the get-go, we expect it to grow and get better. 

When Philo T. Farnsworth was finished tinkering around with his invention, he had no realization that the majority of the world would gaze upon it on a daily basis.  Yes, TV brought a lot of excitement when it became available to the public at large, but at the time did anyone think it would go beyond the black-and-white kinescope?

Progress was slow.  First color television was the big barrier, then cable and fast forward to VHS, Picture-in-Picture, Plasma TV, Pay-Per-View, Satellite, High-Definition, TiVo, specialty channels (all-news, all-sports, all religion…) and other cool services.

Social media is providing the same buzz (without rabbit ears or antennas – or for that matter, wires) and is transcending the way us digital peeps communicate in 2010.

There’s a line from the Little Rascals when one of the kids says to Stymie who is attempting to control a runaway vehicle, “Hey Stymie, where are you going?” He innocently replies, “I don’t know, but I’m on my way.”  This is how we have to look at social media. 

Like the **GULP** dot-coms, there will be survivors and shakeouts.  Take a look at the graphic accompanying this blog.  Realistically, I expect only 20% of these logos to be in existence in the next 3 years.  Too many “me too” sites and services.  If they serve a niche audience, great, they will have a following, but chances are funding, practicality and user indifference will be influential in placing a toe-tag on those that lack the Darwinian survival skills (aka 404).

Television in 1946 and Social Media 2010 share something in common – captive audiences.  While we aren’t watching Westerns or Serials, our engagement is based on a quick message (Twitter) and personalization (too many sites to cite), which stems from common interests, but YOUR way.  Video, text and user control are the appealing aspects of social media and it’s 24/7. 

So, where does this lead us?  More options, more services, more personalization?  One can only wonder what a blog post will be sixty-four years from now: “SomeCoolFuturisticThing in 2074 is like Social Media in 2010.”

I plan to stick around to witness – and write about it; perhaps send it via telepathy, that is, if the chip inside my head needs upgrading – and my friends on other planets can access their Galaxy Version of their Facebook account.  If any of the media have their transponders turned off, well, you may miss (Again!) another good story.

Yogi Berra was right.  The future ain’t what it used to be.