Day 39 - Have you heard of Foursquare?

Go back in time just about three years. Would you believe Twitter was being used back then by the same people who are now playing "Foursquare?"

What is Foursquare? It’s a location game.

What does it do? It gives you points and lets other people know where you are.

It sounds really dumb, doesn't it? But then, I thought Twitter sounded really dumb when I first heard about it. Didn't you?

It’s not dumb, according to its players. Apparently, it's weirdly fun.

The game gives players points for doing "check-ins," telling everyone where you are - work, school, a store or an event. If you do a lot of check-ins, you get more points. And, you get badges (achievements). For instance, if you check in a lot of times at one place, they make you the "Mayor" of that location. So, it's mindless fun with bragging rights.

Yeah, still sounds pretty lame to me, too. But the reports I'm reading say that this game will eventually be bigger than Twitter. Remember, you heard it here first, folks!

Why would this catch on? Because businesses will figure out that this is a better way to engage customers. They'll be able to target people at a certain location and make them offers on the spot.

The TV generation is fast becoming the internet generation. This is still anybody's game and no matter what, this thing is growing as quickly as Twitter did in 2006 and that's news.

We're right in the middle of a Paradigm Shift
According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report from 2006, one in every 10 adult Americans had a blog back then. Yep, that's right, 2006. And they weren't including the huge segments of people who use chat rooms and sites like YouTube to show and tell their all. Not only are there are even more blogs today, but there are a lot more blog readers. The Pew study concluded that 39 percent of Internet users, or about 57 million American adults, read blogs. Three years later, I think it's fair to assume that at least 100 million Americans, a solid one third of this country, are reading blogs.

And here I am, blogging away. I must confess that after 38 straight days of posting, this thing can be quite overwhelming. I have even considered cutting back as the semester wears on and the projects pile up. Truth be told, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't follow through on the commitment I made to blog - every day until I graduate. I wonder (often) if anyone is reading this stuff or if I can provide anything remotely useful. I'm looking for interesting news and hoping to make a difference.

I hope you'll hang in here with me while we explore the virtue of blogging - together. One thing is for certain, more and more Americans will continue to discover value in this place we call the blogosphere...and maybe there is a place for me somewhere in it. Fingers crossed.