Social media has not only becoming a popular way of talking to friends and family, but also of letting people know what we're doing, where we're doing it at, and who we're doing it with. No, nothing like that; I mean the art of the check-in. What is a check-in? In general, it is a way of telling others where you are, what you're doing and what you like. These are usually location-based apps, such as Foursquare or the new Facebook Places, that allow sharing between the user and the people who are following her. For example, let's say that I head out to a new restaurant for lunch. Using, say, Foursquare, I can let my friends, family and followers know where I am, the name of the restaurant, and whether I like the food. Some applications, such as Yelp, even allow me to write up a review of the place and rate it for other Yelp viewers. Restaurants and shops aren't the only things that people can check into. Miso, normally known as a type of soup in Japan, is now a downloadable app for people to share what TV shows they watch. Mobile users can download Miso to either their iPhone, Blackberry or Android phones, see what their friends or others are watching, and then watch or follow those same shows. So, what is so important about checking in everywhere? Well, for those who do use location-based apps, there are five reasons: games, serendipity, sharing, diary posting and receiving deals. Technology has brought us closer, maybe sometimes a bit too close, to each other in ways we never expected. All of these five reasons are tied into the idea of wanting to know about each other; to know about our friends, our family and even people we don't actually know. Check-ins are more than just wanting to know what would be good for dinner. New applications, like GetGlue, Philo and Tunerfish, let you find out what people think is worth watching while eating that dinner. Apps are out to help you figure out what brand of dish soap and even electronic store is going to give you the best deals. We may be over-sharing, but when you think about the potential of these apps, it's good business getting consumers to your products through the most valuable and oldest form of marketing: word-of-mouth.
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