The one good thing about GPS being integrated into every mobile phone is that mobile phones could then theoretically be partially or fully ad-subsidized, and Eric Schmidt's dream can be fully realized.
Call me crazy, but this is one of those situations where I think it really makes sense to apply an ad model to an old business.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
Thanks Mark. I'm really looking forward to working with the Mashable crew.
As for ad supported cell phones courtesy of Google - not for me.
Jody
· 1 year ago
The fact is that Social Networking, it's integration into mobile phones, and emerging GPS capability, is actually requiring users to be MORE social, when at first glance it would seem the opposite. It's just a different type of "social".
Do I need to see when each one of my Brightkite friends "checks in"? No. I can adjust the options so I only receive posts...no check-ins. We're only going to see the ability to customize (and filter) grow, along with usage of all of these services.
From my experience, I've found it to be really rewarding in that I've been able to learn about people in different locations and share with them as well.
ComCloset.com
· 1 year ago
Its amazing how the current generation wants to share everything as opposed to previous generations that werent quite as open.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
as one from that generation I think I've done pretty good going from keeping as much as possible from being revealed about myself on the web to one who is pretty open but there are limits.
Rick Mahn
· 1 year ago
Hi Steven! I've followed you over from WinExtra - congratulations on writing here at Mashable.
As for socialization via cell phone - GREAT! I'm all for it! Anything that can get people to interact rather than sit in their basements is a good thing.
Just turn off all the social network notification crap will ya? Like Steven said, we don't appreciate all the Brightkite (and other) location notifications polluting conversation threads everywhere. Especially when the streams are then aggregated a dozen places and end up in 15% of my RSS feeds. Geez!
The only good thing about GPS in the fancy phones is that it can be used for navigation in an unknown city, or for locating me when I'm "lost".
Rick
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
thanks Rick.
I still don't like the idea of things like GPS being added to phone especially from a personal security perspective
Facey Spacey Technologies
· 1 year ago
yea, but the thing is all these services make it extremely easy to stop auto-streaming your location. I don't see what all the hubbub is about. It's very useful when you're out and about, like on a Saturday night in a big city. Then it can be a very exciting thing. Just turn it off for the rest of the week.
I've been going back and forth on this and blogging my progress (disclaimer: I like it). I think I've come to terms with the security side of it... I don't believe this to be a security risk.
If one is walking in a public place, it isn't dangerous or non-secure to announce one's location. Heck, people can see with their own eyes that you are standing in front of them... They don't need GPS to point you out.
However, you bring up a very good point. Maybe the most important point. Who cares where you are!?
Announcing to Twitter, Brightkite, FriendFeed, etc, is downright stupid. I'm guilty of trying this. It's like talking to someone about an interesting topic and periodically inserting, "I'm standing right in front of you" or "currently moving SSW at 6MPH."
Having one's geo-location is relevant however. But its place should be a side-effect of the post, not the main attraction. Having a widget on one's blog with a Google Map and a pin-point is slick.
Do you have examples of how this could be dangerous? I describe why I don't think so here and would love to hear why you think it's a security hazard.
Steven Hodson
· 1 year ago
It is provent that cell phones can be turned on to the point that another person can use your cell phone as a microphone to listen in on conversations around that cell phone.
Your current movements can be tracked already by cell tower movement. How hard is it going to really be for anyone with the right equipment to fine tune that tracking via the cell phone's GPS feature.
This doesn't even take into account the increased privacy risk of your personal data as these become more of a computing platform. What happens when you lose that phone or it is stolen or cloned.
We are placing too much faith in the so-called goodness of society that nothing bad will be done to us as a result of our increasing reliance of these things to hold more and more personal data.
Rick Mahn
· 1 year ago
Steven, you are quite right about the personal privacy & security aspects of GPS tracking in phones. While useful in situations that might have saved that ZDNet writer's life a year ago when he & family got lost in the mountains, it's just too easy for individuals (let alone governments) to locate each one of us at any minute.
Perhaps you're right on placing too much faith in our online services and such. I guess I look back at when our communities were friendly as we walked down the street during the evening. Or when neighbors would look out for kids from a few blocks over and make sure they got home. Or when people would actually stop and help people having car trouble on the side of the road. Maybe that kind of community is gone forever, but I'd like to believe that it can be brought back.
Rick
Alexander van Elsas
· 1 year ago
Stephen, congratulations on joining Mashable. Good move Mark ;-)
I believe that for now this type of mobile service is entirely technology driven. We can use GPS, so lets think of a service to go along with it. There isn't a user need for it (unless you are a very cool early,early,early web x.x adopter writing on cool early adopter blogs). Localization technology exists for more then 10 years and there hasn't been a single break through localization service that made it to the masses.
Until someone figure out why we actually need it, I suspect there will be more technological developments, but less mass market appeal.
janie
· 1 year ago
GPS is a great idea for the parents among us to keep track of our children however we have to ask ourselves if we really want everyone who can to keep track of us and our children.
Steven
· 1 year ago
Every time technology comes along that enables people to be more public about their lives, people feel the need to decry the innovation as invasive. I remember reading the same sorts of things about AOL chat rooms, blogging, MySpace profiles, Facebook, and Twitter.
Personally, if I can use location-based services to find out that 5 of my friends are hanging out at the bar next door instead of the one that I'm at, that's a valuable use case to me. I think that location-based services have the ability to de-isolate us from one another, and I see great potential in that aspect of these services.
I definitely recognize that privacy is important. As long as I have the ability to publish this information only to people of my choosing, I think that's fine. I think the only companies that will survive in this game are the ones that demonstrate a clear respect for privacy and empower users to ultimately decide how much information to share.
All Comments
The one good thing about GPS being integrated into every mobile phone is that mobile phones could then theoretically be partially or fully ad-subsidized, and Eric Schmidt's dream can be fully realized.
Call me crazy, but this is one of those situations where I think it really makes sense to apply an ad model to an old business.
As for ad supported cell phones courtesy of Google - not for me.
Do I need to see when each one of my Brightkite friends "checks in"? No. I can adjust the options so I only receive posts...no check-ins. We're only going to see the ability to customize (and filter) grow, along with usage of all of these services.
From my experience, I've found it to be really rewarding in that I've been able to learn about people in different locations and share with them as well.
As for socialization via cell phone - GREAT! I'm all for it! Anything that can get people to interact rather than sit in their basements is a good thing.
Just turn off all the social network notification crap will ya? Like Steven said, we don't appreciate all the Brightkite (and other) location notifications polluting conversation threads everywhere. Especially when the streams are then aggregated a dozen places and end up in 15% of my RSS feeds. Geez!
The only good thing about GPS in the fancy phones is that it can be used for navigation in an unknown city, or for locating me when I'm "lost".
Rick
I still don't like the idea of things like GPS being added to phone especially from a personal security perspective
James
from
FaceySpacey.com - "The Startup Incubator"
If one is walking in a public place, it isn't dangerous or non-secure to announce one's location. Heck, people can see with their own eyes that you are standing in front of them... They don't need GPS to point you out.
However, you bring up a very good point. Maybe the most important point. Who cares where you are!?
Announcing to Twitter, Brightkite, FriendFeed, etc, is downright stupid. I'm guilty of trying this. It's like talking to someone about an interesting topic and periodically inserting, "I'm standing right in front of you" or "currently moving SSW at 6MPH."
Having one's geo-location is relevant however. But its place should be a side-effect of the post, not the main attraction. Having a widget on one's blog with a Google Map and a pin-point is slick.
Do you have examples of how this could be dangerous? I describe why I don't think so here and would love to hear why you think it's a security hazard.
Your current movements can be tracked already by cell tower movement. How hard is it going to really be for anyone with the right equipment to fine tune that tracking via the cell phone's GPS feature.
This doesn't even take into account the increased privacy risk of your personal data as these become more of a computing platform. What happens when you lose that phone or it is stolen or cloned.
We are placing too much faith in the so-called goodness of society that nothing bad will be done to us as a result of our increasing reliance of these things to hold more and more personal data.
Perhaps you're right on placing too much faith in our online services and such. I guess I look back at when our communities were friendly as we walked down the street during the evening. Or when neighbors would look out for kids from a few blocks over and make sure they got home. Or when people would actually stop and help people having car trouble on the side of the road. Maybe that kind of community is gone forever, but I'd like to believe that it can be brought back.
Rick
I believe that for now this type of mobile service is entirely technology driven. We can use GPS, so lets think of a service to go along with it. There isn't a user need for it (unless you are a very cool early,early,early web x.x adopter writing on cool early adopter blogs). Localization technology exists for more then 10 years and there hasn't been a single break through localization service that made it to the masses.
Until someone figure out why we actually need it, I suspect there will be more technological developments, but less mass market appeal.
Personally, if I can use location-based services to find out that 5 of my friends are hanging out at the bar next door instead of the one that I'm at, that's a valuable use case to me. I think that location-based services have the ability to de-isolate us from one another, and I see great potential in that aspect of these services.
I definitely recognize that privacy is important. As long as I have the ability to publish this information only to people of my choosing, I think that's fine. I think the only companies that will survive in this game are the ones that demonstrate a clear respect for privacy and empower users to ultimately decide how much information to share.