The hottest trend in the development of applications for mobile devices these days seems to center on combining GPS-location with social networking. It seems like every time I play one of the games on my iTouch, I’m seeing ads for these apps. Examples of this trend are niche products such as Foursquare, Gowalla, SCVNGR, and Whrrl. The idea is that you visit destinations (usually businesses), checkin with your smartphone, and then tell everyone in your network where you are and what you’re doing.
These types of applications have become so prevalent that I decided to investigate exactly what this type of application is being called. I read a blog entry and came across the name “Location-based Social Media”. It would seem to be a good enough title for this class of apps.
I delete most of these apps within an hour of downloading them…they just seem like a waste of time to me. Like Twitter. Does everyone really need to broadcast that they are standing in line at Starbucks to their universe. Who really cares?? But I was giving Whrrl a whirl recently, and I noticed that you could set up “societies”, and then invite contacts to join. Interesting concept. I pondered over what kind of society would I start? I settled on a name “Men Only“, and the description “Guys who prefer the company of other guys.”
Then I got to thinking about how scandalous it would be to convert this society into something like a Squirt.org for the iPhone. For those of you who maybe unfamiliar with Squirt.org, it is a site for guys who like to cruise for casual sex (especially for oral sex). Squirt is infamous for listing the locations of parks, tearooms, bathhouses, gloryholes, etc. for just about anywhere in the world.
Gloryhole Action
This is a long shot for sure. After all, we already have Grindr, and for that matter Squirt.org does have a mobile website (albeit not a very functional one if you’re not a paid member). That coupled with the fact that I only get about 200 hits a day to this blog, and I only have 21 friends on Facebook, so it’s not like I have a powerful base to operate from in promoting this twisted idea…
But let’s just see where this idea can go. If you’re still reading and you want to help me get my twisted idea off the ground, I need for you to join my “Men Only Society” on Whrrl:
As members of this exclusive Society, we are rewarded for getting each other out into the real world, doing things we are passionate about. We do this by trading ideas for things to do at real-world places on our mobile phones. That’s what Whrrl is all about.
I’ve upgraded you to Level 1 in the Men Only Society, which gives you the following special powers:
1. You can discover ideas for things to do at places in the real world on your mobile phone
2. You can add your own ideas that members of our Society can discover and try
3. You can invite others who share our interest to join
Your first assignment is to check out the ideas I’ve left for us to do, and add your own.
Next, get out and try something new!
Are you in?
Furry Friend's Den 