Are You in the "Loopt?"

How connected are you to your mobile device? One important characteristic that separates our computer from our cell phone is the intelligence factor: your phone knows where you at any given time. What happens when social media utilizes this intelligence function? It invades your privacy.

Does your cell phone have the capability of telling your friends where you are at any given time? Some might find this type of application a turn-off, but programs such as Loopt are interactive programs on mobile phones that help people connect to other people, places, and events.

Often I will see a "tweet" on Twitter with a link from Loopt, showing me exactly where they are, what they might be doing, and any deals or information I can get from the event they may be attending. This is a revolutionary social mapping service. Through Loopt, people can discover the best places and events in town and how your friends rate them. Uploading this feature to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites could be the next "big thing" in social media and its platforms.

If you don't like the idea of your friends or your public followers on Twitter knowing where you are, chances are, any location platform may be a turn off to you. Foursquare, for example, gives you and your friends a new way to explore the city in which you live. Much like Loopt, Foursquare works best on your mobile device and lets the user "check in" to places around the city. Through this application, you can recommend places to your friends and get recommendations from them. Foursquare describes this as an "urban mix tape". The site helps make the list and you can in turn share them with friends. The catch? Every check-in earns points. Before you know it, you just knocked your friend out of position and took over as Mayor of Banana Republic.

Before we know it, this technology might become the next Twitter or Facebook. Better get in the Loopt!