Favorite Posts

I'm beginning to get worried about our reliance on Facebook as our only method of communication with those close in our lives. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm a fan of the ways Social Networks, especially Facebook, allow us to revive and keep alive connections that would of atrophied away under classic circumstances, where friends afar can fade away. However, I believe that Facebook should only be an extra layer of communication added onto the ones we already have: phone conversations, texts, emails, letters, and most importantly: face to face conversation.

Facebook's wonderful for giving those broad announcements of general activity in one's life to a semi-closed circle of friends and family. It allows everyone to kinda keep up with other's lives, and this should be used as a stepping stone for the next time you communicate with someone: the phone call where you get to ask your buddy about how the rock climbing trip was that you saw pictures of on Facebook, the text where you ask your friend if they're still planning on going to that show tonight, the conversation over coffee that can skip the question: "What have you been up to for the past year?", and can get right into how they are now and can listen to some of their more personal thoughts about the last year.

As I'm sure you know, I've been a big fan of Foursquare, the location based game. And recently it has started to catch more interest in the Missoula Twitter community. I think that it would be a fun idea to play a game of Foursquare during Missoula's First Friday, the downtown art walk that takes place the first Friday of every month. The two ideas of what is being done is practically duplicated: going to multiple places, checking out new venues, and hopefully running into friends and other interesting people.

So here's what I propose: the person who gets the most points on Foursquare on Friday the 5th of February 2009 in Missoula, MT from 4pm - 8pm, I will give a growler of any beer from any brewery in Missoula. You can even keep the glass container. I know it's not too much, but I thought that it'd be fun for everyone who played the Foursquare First Friday game could met up at the brewery of the winner's choice the next day around 6pm-ish and all hang out, enjoy a beer, and chat. And of course, so I can give a growler of beer to the winner. To make it more interesting I was hoping more people would be willing to put up another small prize. Just mention it in the comments below.

Lately, I have been really digging Foursquare. I'm pumped that they made it available in any city now. If you're not sure what it is, then you should check out what @TheRealClint posted up about Foursquare on his blog. It covers the introduction bases well and even goes on to talk about why it's important for businesses to take advantage of it. I highly recommend reading it. My favorite point he makes is that if you become "Mayor" of a place and they give you a free coffee/beer/treat, you'll be inclined to come back. And then others will be visiting more often to see if they can take the Mayor spot from you. This, obviously, results in an increase of customers coming by.

Artist's Comments

"He long his wife he once had, his daughter's suicide will never be forgotten like the tattoo he has for her to remind of his failed role as a father. Homer, no longer the happy fool whom he use to be, now wanders alone in seeking the only light left in his life, his wanders in search for his missing son... "

Art by *nJoo from Deviant Art